Volunteering Wealth Warning - Just don't do it!
DO NOT volunteer! Or if you do - DO NOT tell your Jobcentre under any circumstances.
This may be a personal experience, but the warning needs to be made public for ALL claimants of Jobseekers Allowance to be aware.

Whatever you do, DO NOT volunteer for the "Big Society" - as currently being touted by Cameron/Clegg and their evil, slicing and dicing government. Don't encourage them to shirk their responsibilities to society, or to yourself!

This is what happened to me:

Whilst signing on, I happened to mention that I occasionally volunteered at a local tourist attraction on the odd Saturday - and had been for many years. I had thought nothing of it really - not even relevant. Mistake or what!!!?

The next thing I knew, I was being interrogated as to what payments I received (I'm a Volunteer FFS!); how many hours I spent there and on which days; was my presence keeping somebody else out of a job? And countless other unbelievably stupid questions.

I was made to fill in an "earnings record" with all zeros on it each fortnight - and worst of all - MY BENEFITS WERE STOPPED FOR SIX WEEKS while I was "investigated"!

NOTHING, no amount of pleas, could make the bastards see sense - or move any faster. Yes, it was extremely stressful - £65 a week is quite useful when you have nothing else and have paid in for 30 years of your working life.

Anyhow, as a result, my council tax benefit was stopped - leading to endless and time-wasting paperwork with the City Council to make a reclaim. I was told to apply for "crisis loans" (thank God for generous and willing mates) - and presumably if I had been on Housing Benefit - my rent would have gone unpaid and I would now be well on the road to homelessness. Truly bloody frightening!

So BE WARNED: Don't help the bastards out. They certainly won't help you!

Or if you do, the very, very last people to tell you are volunteering are those insane bureaucrats down at the Jobcentre!

And for all the Big Society hype - I have now given up volunteering - so the tourists have to show themselves around on a Saturday morning .... Progress indeed!