JOY Maker applications closed on 1 September 2026 and we are no longer accepting applications.

Aged 18-25? Applications for our Readiness to Work employability programme remain open. Find out more about the benefits of the scheme and how it works on the Readiness to Work page.

Following the application stage ending on 1 September 2026, our JOY Maker team will assess the applications over the autumn.

We anticipate being in touch with applicants in autumn 2026 with interviews taking place for some roles, such as team leaders.

Everyone will be made aware if they have been successful before the end of this year.

As part of your application you will tell us which stage you want to volunteer on, and we encourage you to choose the stage you live nearest to. You can find the route maps for each stage on our website. You will also share your address details as part of the application, and we will use this information to work out which part of the route is nearest to you, to help minimise your travel to and from your shift(s). You will be offered a role and shift which will include a location which you can choose to accept or decline by the end of 2026.

Absolutely, we are encouraging people with disabilities to support us by giving their time to volunteer. We have shared information on each of the roles within our application that will help you make an informed decision about the role that best suits you. You can also tell us about your disability, and any support you might need to volunteer on the volunteer application. We understand everyone is different, so we may reach out to you to chat to you further about how we can make your experience as a JOY Maker as rewarding as possible.

We have tried to only ask the information that we really need to help us to match you to the right role and to best support you whilst undertaking that role. It may be if you declare some information about yourself that we feel needs greater clarity we will come back to you to get to know you better.

Since this is a short volunteering opportunity of just one or two shifts we are keeping as much of the journey to becoming a JOY Maker to remote or online interactions as possible to respect your time and minimise the cost to you as a volunteer. You will be expected to complete an online Core Training Session of 1-2 hours, a webinar training session ahead of your first shift of around 4 hours, and then your shift itself which is likely to be most of the day of the event. There will be additional ways for you to get involved should you wish to, along the way too!

Contact us at [email protected] and we will be happy to help!