It’s Volunteers’ Week 2026 and this year we’re joining organisations across the UK to celebrate the incredible contributions of volunteers who make our communities stronger every day.
Plymouth Community Homes (PCH) employees proudly volunteer their time to benefit our residents and the wider community in many ways, including through our Make a Difference scheme, by offering work experience placements or by becoming a volunteer charity steering group member. Our residents also voluntarily support local community projects alongside our Communities and Partnerships team and engage with PCH by taking part in surveys, focus groups and more.
We are taking this opportunity to highlight some of the brilliant voluntary work by employees and residents and to promote even more ways to get involved.
Make a Difference scheme
All employees at PCH have the chance to volunteer for a good cause through our Make a Difference scheme. The initiative allows staff to take up to three working days per year to spend on voluntary work, helping them learn new skills and give back to worthy causes.
In April, volunteers from across PCH came together to give the Camels Head’s Housing with Support scheme a seasonal garden refresh, supported by Bradfords Building Supplies Ltd.
Hear more from Nicola Street, Senior Communities Worker at PCH, Jo Love from Bradfords and local residents in our video below:
Work experience opportunities
At PCH, we offer those in education the opportunity to gain experience in a supportive and professional environment. Our work experience placements allow participants to see how a housing association operates, develop new skills and learn more about potential careers. Click here to find out more and to apply for a work experience placement.
As a Cornerstone Employer through the Devon, Plymouth and Torbay Careers Hub we take an active role in supporting skills, employment, and career development within our local community. We work closely with schools, colleges, training providers, and local partners to help young people understand career pathways and gain meaningful experience.
From September 2025 to March 2026, our Talent and Development team have completed 77 hours within the community. In this academic year, we have also offered over 54 work experience placements.
Volunteer Charity Steering Group
Employees at PCH can join our charity steering group and volunteer their time to raise funds for our chosen charities. Staff from across the organisation raised over £11,000 for our 2025/26 charities of the year St Luke’s Hospice Plymouth and Children’s Hospice South West – an incredible achievement!
Darryl Tapper, a volunteer charity steering group member, said: “I have loved being a part of the PCH charity steering group over the last few years, and when I was given the opportunity to join and be a part of raising funds for charities that do such good work for our local area I couldn’t say no. Being involved has presented opportunities to meet new people, organisations and really make a difference to those people who have needed it.”
Residents can keep up to date with this year’s charity fundraising for Andy’s Man Club on our social media channels.
Supporting local community projects
One example of how PCH employees, residents and the local community are giving up their time to give back is through our involvement with the St Budeaux Platform Garden Men’s Project led by the Pioneers Project.
The project is working to bring abandoned railway platform back to life, transforming it into a community garden that will eventually be used by local schools and groups.
If you are interested in finding out more, please contact Steve Knight on 07956 566 018 or steve@thepioneersproject.co.uk .
Get involved
Residents can have their say on our strategies, policies and specific areas of our services through a range of opportunities to make change. Find out more about how to get involved here.
