Do you provide references or certificates?

Absolutely.

We greatly value the contribution our volunteers make to LHA and believe it is important to recognise and celebrate their efforts throughout their volunteering journey.

During your time with us, you may be eligible for a range of recognition initiatives, including Volunteer of the Month awards, thank you badge emails, and certificates of appreciation where appropriate. These recognitions are designed to acknowledge the positive impact volunteers have on our residents, guests, staff, and wider community.

If requested, LHA can also provide a standard volunteering reference. This would typically confirm your volunteering role, the hostel where you volunteered, and the dates of your volunteering placement.

While our references are generally factual and confirm your volunteering history with us, many volunteers also choose to include their thank you badge emails, certificates of appreciation, Volunteer of the Month awards, or other recognition received during their time with LHA when applying for jobs, educational opportunities, or future volunteering roles. These can help demonstrate the value of your contribution and the positive impact you made while supporting our charity's mission.

We encourage volunteers to keep copies of any recognition they receive, as these can be a valuable addition to a CV, portfolio, or application and serve as a lasting reminder of the difference they made during their time with LHA.

Please also be mindful that volunteer records are only retained for a limited period following departure. In line with our data retention practices, we generally hold volunteer records for a maximum of two years after a volunteer leaves the programme. If a reference is requested after this period and no supporting documentation can be provided, we may unfortunately be unable to locate your records or verify your volunteering history.

While we would love to remember every volunteer who has been part of the LHA community, our volunteer programme experiences a high level of turnover each year. For this reason, we strongly encourage volunteers to request references in a timely manner and keep copies of any certificates, recognition emails, awards, or other documentation received during their stay.