News & Events Could you be our next Support Group Leader? Why we need you At Alopecia UK, we understand the importance of feeling connected to others experiencing hair loss. Our volunteer-led, peer support groups located across the UK provide an opportunity for adults and children affected by alopecia to meet, chat and find mutual support with others going through a similar situation. Now that our face-to-face support groups are up and running again, we thought this would be a great time to start welcoming new group leads into the charity. Can you help us be there for people who need a helping hand in their alopecia journey? The areas in which we would like to actively set up new groups/areas we wish to cover are: Children's and Teens groups - we would like more children's/teens groups across the UK Adult Groups South East of England - Hampshire, West or East Sussex South West of England - Dorset East of England - Norwich, Peterborough or Cambridge Wales - Cardiff Yorkshire and Humber - Leeds (to take over from an existing lead) North West of England - Liverpool North East of England - Newcastle, Middlesborough Scotland - Edinburgh (taking over from an existing lead) Northern Ireland - please enquire What does an AUK group leader do? Running a local support group can be incredibly rewarding, and the role can fit around your personal commitments. Typically, all it takes to be a group leader is 1-2 hours per week and you’ll be: Organising and facilitating 4 meetings per year (2 for our children's/ teens groups) Offering a compassionate and understanding ear to people affected by alopecia Checking your Alopecia UK email inbox at least once a week, responding to any enquiries from people looking for support or information (any queries you cannot help with can be passed to the charity staff team) Who are we looking for? A friendly, welcoming and kind person with good listening skills who has some lived experience of alopecia (either personally or through supporting someone else with alopecia) Someone who is able to keep within the boundaries of the role with regards to friendship or giving advice Ideally able to commit to at least one year initially. Volunteers will be required to complete a reference check and an enhanced DBS form or the Scottish/NI equivalent, with re-checking taking place every 3 years. What can you gain from this opportunity? You’ll be making a real difference to people affected by alopecia Comprehensive induction and ongoing role development opportunities Ongoing support and supervision A small yearly budget to cover the cost of venue hire and expenses Interested in joining the team? In order to figure out if becoming a Support Group Leader is for you, take a few minutes to watch this video and read through the information on this page. Please email [email protected] if you have any questions. Otherwise, if you would like to apply to become a Support Group Leader, please complete our expression of interest form below. Complete an Expression of Interest Form Here's what Elaine, Support Group Leader for Surrey says about being a Support Group Leader