If you are looking for an exciting and interesting way to make a difference by helping Europe’s largest and most successful conservation movement, we would love to hear from you.
How you can get involved
Dunster Castle has a dedicated team of around 150 volunteers.
You can join the team by stewarding, helping us with our conservation cleaning, or by assisting with our award winning Attic & Basement Tours. There are also plenty of opportunities to help with our summer and Christmas events.
© Sigita Barniskyte
If it’s the outdoors that you prefer, you can lend a hand to our garden team who maintain Dunster Castle’s beautiful gardens and historic parkland.
Volunteers at Dunster Castle also perform the vital roles of keeping a watchful eye on visitor safety and providing world class customer care.
What's in it for you?
Volunteers are the backbone of the National Trust and only through their help are we able to open Dunster Castle to visitors. You will have the opportunity to learn about Dunster Castle and develop new skills. You can help bring its showrooms, gardens and 1,000-year history to life. Volunteering at Dunster Castle will also give you the chance to meet other like-minded people and enjoy our social functions during the summer and at Christmas.
Did you know?
As a volunteer at Dunster Castle you:
- Once you have completed 50 hours of volunteering you are eligible for a volunteer card as a thank you. The card (offered at the Trust’s discretion) is valid for one year and entitles you to free entry to other Trust properties and a 20 percent discount in all National Trust shops
- Can claim travel expenses
- Can choose to give as much or as little time as you want
© NTPL / David Levenson
Find out more about volunteering with us.
Current opportunities
As well as seeking Room Stewards, we also have the following opportunities for volunteers at Dunster Castle:
- Buggy Drivers: Help us to provide a vital service for less mobile visitors, transporting them to and from the Castle in our minibus.
- Conservation cleaning: If you would enjoy demonstrating conservation cleaning techniques and being involved with Dunster Castle's winter clean then this is the role for you.
- Education Volunteer: Join our learning team and play a vital role in inspiring schools and colleges about history.
- Garden Stewards: Help visitors to explore the garden, by pointing out features of special interest, its plant collection, and conveying its importance.
- Garden Volunteers: Assist the gardeners in their day-to-day work maintaining the Castle's beautiful grounds.
- Raffle Ticket Seller: We need your help to sell raffle tickets to our visitors, which will raise essential funds for the upkeep of Dunster Castle.
What the winter deep clean team say...
© National Trust
'It helps to make us better room stewards. We get closer to the objects and learn more about them, which enables us to answer visitors' questions in more detail. A lot of visitors are interested in how we care for the collection.'
Lyn (2nd from left)
'Coming here was one of the best decisions I ever made. When I retired I thought of lots of things I could do with different organisations to keep me busy but I found that there was so much scope at Dunster that I didn’t need the others
Daphne (2nd from right)
Interested?
If you are interested, please contact us for an informal chat and see how you can make a real difference and at the same time learn new skills, meet new people and work right at the heart of this amazing house and garden.
Contact details
For more information please contact Jackie Webber, House Steward at Dunster Castle, on tel: 01643 821314 or by email.
With your help we can develop the full potential of Dunster Castle for the benefit of present and future generations.
|
