Looking for a volunteer or two. Or more...

Would you like to have fun, serve your community, learn new things and meet new people? You can get all that by volunteering for Wendover News.

Since the new Wendover News team took over less than a year ago, a lot has happened. We hope you have enjoyed the changes. We are now looking for enthusiastic people to help take Wendover News to the next level.

There have been some experiments with the layout and design already. Over the next few months, we’ll be considering more extensive redesigns, so prepare for a whole new look for Wendover News!

We’re also re-thinking how Wendover News uses online, digital technology and media. We have a website, a Facebook page and email broadcasting, but there are plenty of other options available. The future online system will extend into technologies that were not even available two years ago. We want to hear from readers about how they would like to access news, views and features about Wendover and the surrounding area.

The third element of the new development is to get better coverage to serve the local community even better. Wendover News coverage was recently extended to include Stoke Mandeville. We would also like to engage more closely with other villages that gravitate towards Wendover for their social life, shopping and recreation.

Who do you know who could be a volunteer?

We are still short of deliverers to cover some roads in Wendover, and most of Stoke Mandeville village. Most importantly, we also need two organisers for the important role of managing deliveries as soon as copies come back from the printer.

Four online editorial assistants

Four volunteer editorial assistants are needed help ensure that items of interest get routed to the right member of the team, or to be fact-checked and posted online. You might see yourself as a future online influencer, a champion of online community journalism, or just want an interesting and sociable hobby.

This will also involve research, writing articles, maintaining our presence on online platforms, moderating public posts and curating our historical records. You will need the skills required to follow our editorial guidelines, but we can provide training and support.

You may already have expertise in online apps, or a strong desire to learn more. You will need to have your own smartphone, tablet or computer for this.

We envisage the team being willing and able to teach each other and rotate functions to develop experience. Some tasks involve technical knowledge: we can help if you would like to learn.

Two volunteer director/ trustees

Wendover Community News CIC is a company registered at Companies House and has all the reporting and compliance duties of any commercial company. On top of that it relies on volunteers to get virtually everything done. It is also a regulated media organisation with high standards of reporting, to maintain the trust of the community. It’s there for the long haul, with a legacy of over 35 years serving the Wendover community, and an aspiration to be fresh and relevant for at least another 35.

We need two more volunteer trustees/directors to help us improve and innovate. Experience and expertise will be a bonus, but we are mainly looking for enthusiasm, a team-friendly personality and willingness to learn. It will be useful if potential trustee/directors have knowledge or interest in some of the following: community building, finance, governance, human resource management, journalism, media and online technologies (including AI). Existing volunteers may also apply.

Volunteer welfare/engagement friend

Despite their best intentions, volunteers may sometimes encounter difficulties juggling working with Wendover News with their other priorities. This may be a challenge when there are deadlines we must meet. We need a team overseer with excellent communication, management skills and sense of fun, to help plan and ensure that things get done, while being mindful of our valued volunteers’ welfare and other commitments.

The volunteer taking on this role will need to undergo an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and to adhere to the standards of our safeguarding policy and volunteer charter.

If you are interested in any of the above, or can suggest somebody, please contact getinvolved@wendovernews.org.