Citizen Hub has been awarded £25,000 from the City & Guilds Foundation to expand its work in making volunteering more accessible and strengthening community-led support in St Neots and Wimbledon.
The funding will be split equally between Citizen Hub St Neots and Citizen Hub Wimbledon, supporting a 12-month programme designed to remove barriers to volunteering and create meaningful pathways into employment and community leadership.
The funding will cover essential costs such as travel, childcare, DBS checks, equipment, and mental health support, as well as training opportunities including safeguarding, digital skills and volunteer management. Ultimately meaning volunteers will develop practical skills, confidence and job readiness.
Participants will gain hands-on experience in community engagement and programme delivery, while contributing directly to strengthening Citizen Hub’s volunteer systems – from recruitment and onboarding to building partnerships with local businesses and expanding corporate volunteering opportunities.
By the end of the programme, participants will have developed a portfolio of work, gained a strong professional reference, and be equipped with transferable leadership and management skills. Crucially, the initiative provides a clear, supported pathway into employment or ongoing community leadership roles.
Alongside the individual impact, the funding will help both Hubs enhance their volunteer infrastructure, creating long-term benefits for local communities and building stronger, more sustainable networks of support.
This investment reflects a shared commitment to making volunteering genuinely accessible and to ensuring that it can act as a powerful route to skills, confidence and opportunity.
Alex Hughes, Founder of Citizen Hub, said: “We’re incredibly excited to have received this funding from the City & Guilds Foundation for this programme. This is allowing us to break down the real barriers that stop people from volunteering whether that’s cost, confidence or access to opportunities and instead create a structured pathway into skills, experience and meaningful work.
At Citizen Hub, we see every day how powerful volunteering can be when it’s genuinely accessible. This partnership means we can not only support individuals to grow in confidence and capability but also strengthen our local volunteer ecosystems so they continue to benefit communities long into the future.”
Laura Mountain, Head of Strategy and Impact at City & Guilds Foundation, said: “This programme aligns closely with our mission to enable people to develop the skills and confidence they need to progress. By removing practical barriers and investing in real-world experience, we hope to help unlock potential, strengthen communities, and create lasting pathways into employment and leadership.”
As with all of our funding we will be measuring the impact of this programme and look forward to seeing the difference it will make. To find out more about Citizen Hub click here.
