New year, new opportunities to make a difference with our charity partners
A year ago, we announced that we were partnering with four charities making a difference in our region: Claire House Children’s Hospice, The Girls’ Network, Local Solutions, and Micah Liverpool.
Thank you to every student and member of staff that has undertaken volunteering, fundraising or collaboration with our charities over the past 12-months.
As we now look ahead for 2026, we would urge you to consider the ways that you could give back or work with our charities as they continue to do invaluable work in our communities.
Claire House Children’s Hospice
Volunteering
In 2027, construction works at Claire House Liverpool are set to take place so that the site is ready to be used as a fully functional 24/7, 365 days a year children’s hospice.
In the run-up to the site closing for these works at the end of 2026, the hospice is running volunteering days most Fridays from 4 March onwards. This will mainly consist of outdoors work in the four-acre gardens.
Contact Claire House if you’re interested in getting involved
Key events
Claire House also has plenty of other volunteering opportunities during some of their key fundraising events throughout 2026.
Save the dates in your diaries and further callouts for volunteers will be shared throughout the year.
- Sunday 8 March: Chester 10K - water station and Claire House stall volunteers
- Sunday 15 March: Liverpool Half Marathon - water station and Claire House stall volunteers
- Sunday 10 April: Mersey Tunnel 10K - water station and Claire House stall volunteers
The Girls’ network
Volunteer mentoring
As we are part-way through the school year, The Girls’ Network will reopen their volunteer mentoring programmes for Merseyside in the summer. Their next round of 1-to-1 mentoring programmes will then commence in September.
Anyone interested in volunteering with the network on future programmes can subscribe to The Girls’ Network Supporter's monthly newsletter so that you can be one of the first to know when applications reopen.
Sign up to The Girls’ Network e-newsletter
Local Solutions
Volunteering
In 2026, Local Solutions will officially move its operations to their new headquarters on Boaler Street in Kensington.
The support of LJMU staff and students would be welcomed to help transform the overgrown outdoor areas. The space currently requires improvement works including hedge trimming, weeding, clearing pathways, and repainting railings. The aim is to create a welcoming, accessible, and attractive environment for staff, service users, and visitors.
Local Solutions hope to schedule this activity between January and March 2026, with the goal of completing the work in time for the official public opening event in April.
Contact Jenny Snell if you would like to arrange a volunteering session
Micah Liverpool
Volunteering
Volunteers are always welcomed at Micah, with year-round opportunities to provide a helping hand at the charity’s storeroom at Liverpool Cathedral, or at their foodbanks and community food markets based at St Vincent’s Church and St Dunstan’s Church.
Recruitability programme placements needed
The Micah Liverpool Recruitability Programme works with people who have been unemployed long-term, supporting them for 10 weeks to improve their skills, confidence and readiness for work.
They are always looking for volunteer placements for Recruitability participants - which consist of two to three hour placements each week for a six to eight-week period - with an increasing number of participants looking for administrative work experience. Could your team support this programme in 2026?
Key events
LJMU staff and students are encouraged to attend the charity’s annual social justice lecture which will take place in June 2026.
The charity is also planning its main fundraising event in June where you will be invited to take part or support the three peaks in 24 hours challenge.
And there will also be places for LJMU staff and students to take part in an abseil at the cathedral in July.
Contact Catherine Kearney if you would like to explore collaboration with Micah
Share your ideas for further collaboration
If you have any ideas for collaboration with any of our partner charities, or if you would like to know more about fundraising or volunteering, you can email Colette Quail in Corporate Communications and Stakeholder Relations.
Upcoming opportunities to support the four charities will be shared regularly through staff and student internal communications during 2026.
Head over to our charity webpages to find out more about our four charity partners’ work supporting communities in our region.
