With 2008 being a leap year, the National Trust is inviting everyone to make the most of the extra day by trying their hand at volunteering.
From wedding assistants to electricians, you will be surprised at the range of opportunities.
And who knows where your volunteering day might lead? Recently the Trust celebrated the latest in a long line of working holiday weddings. Matt and Caroline met in 2005 whilst repairing a section of the South West Coastal Footpath on the Morte Coastal estate near Ilfracombe. A day’s volunteering can really make a difference!
Here are the most popular ways to get involved:
Room Guide
© NTPL / David Levenson
There are castles, mansion houses and industrial buildings from all ages so immerse yourself in history and become a National Trust room guide. You don’t need to have any previous knowledge, just a desire to engage with people and tell a good story while safeguarding and promoting our collections.
Gardens
© National Trust
The National Trust looks after one of the greatest collections of historic gardens and cultivated plants in the world - encompassing more than 400 years of history.
Whether you like the straight lines of formal gardening or the more sinuous curves of landscape design there is a garden waiting for your help.
While garden guides, like room guides, help visitors to make the most of their visit there are also opportunities to get involved pruning the roses or growing veg for use in the café.
Working Holidays
© NTPL / Ian Shaw
There are around 400 Working Holidays every year throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland for people of all ages and abilities.
Whether it’s dry-stone walling in the Lake District or planting garden borders in Buckinghamshire, to mapping flower-rich hay meadows in Yorkshire and harvesting apples in Devon, every holiday makes a real difference - and there is something to suit everyone.
Employee Volunteering
© NTPL / David Levenson
If you don’t have the spare time to volunteer why not do it during work? We can offer team challenges where you can bond with your colleagues while restoring a footpath or repairing a stone wall. Or if you’d prefer a complete change you could take up a secondment, using your specialist skills and knowledge to help us improve an area of our work.
Supporter Groups
© National Trust
If your idea of fun is helping with practical tasks while meeting new people and benefiting a great cause then a Supporter Group may well be for you. Over 60 supporter groups carry out practical conservation work at properties in their area.
Get involved in footpath construction, planting and coppicing, creating habitats or dune restoration work on coastal properties. Some groups also help out at events such as rallies and concerts.
Young People
© NTPL / David Levenson
Cool for this age group is 'You, Me, and the Climate', a fun and youth-driven climate change initiative that can be supported from the warmth of a bedroom at the click of a mouse, or in a more pro-active way with friends. Take the plunge, get in touch, have the motivation, imagination and guts to get out there and reduce climate change with other young people throughout England.
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