Calibre Audio

Volunteering

Giving your free time is a great way to give back to Calibre. Find a role that fits your time and skills below

Spend your time with us

Do you live in the Aylesbury area? Are you looking for something rewarding and worthwhile to do in your spare time? Give volunteering at Calibre Audio a try. Most of our volunteers work either in the morning or afternoon and we can offer flexible hours to suit your needs. Normal office hours are 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.

We occasionally offer volunteer roles that aren't in our offices. These will also be listed below.

I've done lots of voluntary jobs but this is definitely the best.
Calibre Volunteer,

We have the following vacancies open:

Volunteering at Calibre ... what to expect

You would be welcomed to our offices by our volunteer co-ordinator, who will arrange a small induction programme for you to get to know us and our work. Our offices are bright and airy and wheelchair friendly, with a kitchen where you can make drinks and snacks, plenty of parking and buses from Aylesbury Town Centre stop on the nearby A41, less than 5 minutes walk away.

I love coming here, everyone is so friendly

Our volunteering roles generally involve checking books in and out of the Library. Our team of volunteers work to ensure that our members are never without a book. They select books from the computer to load onto USB sticks, check the sticks back into the library once they're returned, helping us dispatch almost 400,000 books per year to our members.

Some of our amazing volunteers have been with us for decades for the simple reason that they enjoy it so much.

You really get a sense that you are doing something worthwhile. The members’ letters are very touching.

Convinced yet? Why not give it a try! Call us on 01296 432 339 to arrange to see our office and talk about the volunteering opportunities that we have.

Volunteer stories

  • David Hobbs

    David Hobbs

    David Hobbs, a retired control-systems engineer, has been volunteering for Calibre Audio as a narrator since early 2016. Read his story here.

  • Kim Ismay

    Kim Ismay

    For the last 12 years, West-End actress and singer, Kim Ismay, has combined her obsessive love of reading and her fascination for fictional characters in her role as a volunteer narrator for Calibre Audio. Here, Kim tells us about the challenges of recording audiobooks and why she is so pleased to carry on with the role.

  • Grace Dives

    Grace Dives

    By chance, in 1982, at a particularly low point in her life, Grace Dives came across an advert for volunteer audiobook narrators for Calibre. Now, 40 years and 270 books later and at the age of 88, she is retiring from her much-loved role. Here she explains how volunteering for Calibre has enriched her life and tells of the aspects she will always cherish.

  • David Hinge

    David Hinge

    During his working life running a nuclear medicine department in a hospital, booklover David Hinge was known for always having a book in his hands at lunchtimes. When he found out that Calibre Audio needed volunteers to check the audiobooks recorded by narrators, it was an ideal match. Ten years and many books later, David tells us here about his role as an audiobook checker

  • Bob Rollett

    Bob Rollett

    Bob recorded his first book for Calibre on 1st June 2006 on tape. Now, after recording a further 331 books using a variety of different technologies, Bob is finally hanging up his microphone to enjoy his retirement. Here Bob recounts his experiences as a volunteer narrator for Calibre:

  • Tony Pearce-Smith

    Tony Pearce-Smith

    Tony has been narrating books for Calibre for over 10 years. As a keen thespian, Tony was pleased to bring his acting skills to his volunteer role and finds the challenge of bringing the characters in books to life exciting. Here he tells us about the challenges he has faced and what keeps him going: