NW Planning Aid needs more volunteers to help with all kinds of planning-related activities. Corporate RTPI members can take on client cases, which can be from a relatively simple issue dealt with in a phone call, to more complex cases which require site visits or perhaps liaison with local planning officers. Our staff caseworker Michael will assign cases to volunteers and is always on hand to provide support to volunteers with their activities.

Our Community Planning programme needs a wide range of skills, experience and, vitally, enthusiasm! Student RTPI members, non-RTPI planners and planning students and can get involved in lots of community-based activities managed by our Community Planner Tracy and in turn receive a great deal of hands-on practical experience. This element of our work is ideal for anyone with a planning or related background such as architecture, landscaping and regeneration.

The benefits of volunteering for Planning Aid include an excellent FREE planning-related training programme, the chance to get to know planners from other areas and the opportunity to have free or low-cost places on regional and national seminars and conferences. All volunteers receive an Induction session, quarterly Newsletters and regular emails from the regional office to keep them up to date with events.

Perhaps most important to people who give up their time and expertise is the satisfaction of knowing they have helped others and there are lots of opportunities to do this with NW Planning Aid! If you would like more information or an informal chat about volunteering please contact Jan Beaumont on 0161 969 3672.