Join our Local Groups movement

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Join a WaterAid local group - or start your own!

WaterAid/Laura Summerton

Volunteer with WaterAid

Volunteer in your local community, meet like-minded people, and make a real difference to people's lives.

What are local groups?

Our local groups are an essential part of what we do.

Made up of passionate volunteers, they bring WaterAid’s work to life in communities across the UK. Members raise funds for our work, campaign for change, and raise awareness of the global water, sanitation and hygiene crisis.

How groups work

Groups vary in size and the way they work: some hold events every month, while others may plan a handful each year.

Volunteers come from all backgrounds, and are involved with activities as and when they have time. Each group is headed up by leader, who leads on the group's events and acts as a link between group members and WaterAid's UK office.

Our groups' aims

Our groups have three main aims:

  • Organise fundraising events such as sponsored walks, pub quizzes, wine tasting evenings, cake sales, bucket collections and music events.
  • Build relationships with local organisations, community groups and schools, encouraging them to support WaterAid.
  • Support WaterAid campaigns, lobbying their MPs or collecting petition signatures from the public.

Raising funds to bring lasting change

Currently, the money raised by our groups supports our work in Nepal, where we're working closely with communities to improve access to life-changing water, sanitation and hygiene services across the country.

Find your local group

Fancy getting involved? We currently have active groups in Brighton, Cornwall, and Warwickshire:

The Brighton group supports us at the Brighton Half Marathon, and helps to organise a WinterFest event. They also regularly arrange street collections and support local events.

Contact

Email [email protected] and we'll put you in touch with the group leader.

The Mid-Cornwall group was set up over ten years ago, in the summer of 2012. Their fundraising activities have included a Nepalese curry night, a stall outside Truro Cathedral to mark World Water Day, a garden party, pub quizzes, and workplace sales. Meetings are held monthly in a relaxed atmosphere, and new members are always welcome!

Contact

Email [email protected] and we'll put you in touch with the group leader.

The Warwickshire group is very involved in our Speaker Network, regularly giving talks to schools, clubs and organisations in the area. They organise events to mark World Water Day, theatre nights, ceilidhs, art auctions, pub quizzes, stalls at local festivals, and sponsored runs and walks.

They're also keen to help other groups and individuals in the area who are supporting WaterAid.

Contact

Email [email protected] and we'll put you in touch with the group leader.

Set up your own group

Running a WaterAid group is a fun and fulfilling role, with a genuine global impact.

It’s a great way to meet like-minded people in your community and gain new skills, all while taking a stand for some of the world’s most marginalised people. Setting up a new group can be challenging, but you won't be doing it all on your own – we'll work with you to recruit volunteers and organise your first fundraising event, and we're always on hand to support you.

To find out more about setting up your own local group, please read our Group Leader role description (PDF) to find out more about what it involves. If you feel that this is the role for you, or if you want to discuss it in further detail, email Sam on [email protected] – he'd love to hear from you!

What our group members say

Looking at the West Surrey Local Group I could see there were some really good fundraising events. When I first met the group they were very welcoming and I soon felt at home. It was made clear that members and help are welcome but they are not pressurised to take on more than they want.
Andrew Hill
We enjoy the social side, meeting new people through our shared concerns. Our group works very well with members being encouraged to do what they're comfortable with and there are not too many committee meetings!
Carolyn Neogi

Contact us

If you have any questions about our groups, please do get in touch with us on [email protected].