Volunteer opportunities at Packwood

A group of visitors enjoying a guided tour at Packwood House, Warwickshire, in a room with wooden panelling. — Visitors at Packwood House | © National Trust Images/Megan Taylor

Surrounded by gardens and countryside, Packwood is a place of dreams and adventure. Packwood's volunteer team play a vital role in sharing the love of this beautiful place with others and in continuing to bring Baron Ash's vision of an English country estate to life. Discover how to get involved and what's in it for you.

Why join us?

There are lots of reasons to join us; making the move to volunteer could be the best decision you ever make.

Become part of a friendly and dedicated team
Meet people from all walks of life and forge new friendships
Utilise your existing skills and learn new ones
Strengthen your CV and help to develop your career
Enjoy the great outdoors
Learn about the history of this special place.

Garden volunteer at work in the Walled Garden at Packwood House, Warwickshire — Volunteering in the Walled Garden at Packwood | © National Trust Images/Abi Cole

Join our team

Our volunteers are the lifeblood of Packwood and we've got lots of interesting volunteer roles in our friendly and enthusiastic team. All of our volunteers play a vital role in looking after Packwood and helping visitors enjoy their day.

If you are interested in joining the team, now is a great time to start. Packwood is open seven days a week and we are looking for fun, flexible and friendly people to join the team.

What our volunteers say

Elizabeth volunteers in the house and enjoys being able to give something back to her local community and a cause that she cares about.

‘One of the best things about being a volunteer, for me, is that you get to see the property through all the seasons. We’ve got a very warm and welcoming team which is the main reason I love to keep coming back.’

Bryan enjoys his time volunteering as a gardener in the kitchen garden. What he likes most about working here is 'the feeling that one is helping to sustain the wonderful countryside and houses in the UK.'

- Margaret, Room Guide

Our Volunteers' Experiences

Here's what just a few of our volunteers have to say about volunteering at Packwood.

A photo of the volunteer research team at Packwood, Warwickshire — Margaret, third from the left, and Marjory, fourth from the left, volunteer with the Research Group at Packwood. | © National Trust

Margery and Margaret have taken an interest in our tapestries

As members of the Research Group at Packwood, we began by categorising various resources, and became interested in the tapestries, in particular why at various periods and in various publications and reports their titles and provenances were described differently. For example, the tapestry in the long gallery now known as “The Triumph of Marcus Aurelius” was called “A Scene from the Acts of the Apostles” in Baron Ash’s day, and the panel now known as “The Reconciliation of Jacob and Esau” was known as “A Bishop at Prayer”. On the return of “The Coronation of Marcus Aurelius” from conservation, we were asked to compile some information on the history and production of tapestries. We also found out more about Marcus Aurelius and about Graham Baron Ash as a tapestry collector. The information was subsequently displayed in the Parlour. We are currently working on providing a dedicated guide to the tapestries which will be available to visitors later in the year. The information contained in the guide will also form the basis of a “taster tour” which will be on offer in due course. Looking further ahead we are considering the possibility of designing a children’s trail based around the tapestries.

A photo of Sue and granddaughter Sophie, who volunteer at Packwood, Warwickshire — Sue and her granddaughter Sophie both volunteer at Packwood | © National Trust/Abi Chandler

Volunteering spans the generations with Sue and Sophie

Sue — I have been volunteering here at Packwood for 8 years now and have been involved in numerous departments. I currently volunteer as a Welcome Host for the garden tours, visitor reception and as part of the infamous Christmas Group. I originally joined to meet people after the loss of my husband, working here with staff and volunteers to welcome visitors is now a key aspect in my life. Last year I introduced my granddaughter Sophie to volunteering here as part of her Silver Duke of Edinburgh, she’s now a permanent member of the volunteering team, we both love it! Sophie — I joined my Nan at Packwood in September, having previously been around the Christmas Group, I felt welcomed from my first day and found a brilliant mentor within Megan. I originally started my volunteering experience in visitor reception as part of my Silver Duke of Edinburgh, I fell in love with the property, the team, and the wide range of roles available. My role hasn’t been limited to Visitor Reception, I have begun to explore many of our pathways with Megan and my Nan’s support, from the Christmas sale to shifts in the house over half term. My knowledge and enthusiasm for National Trust is something I aim will continue to blossom. I have loved coming here weekly with my nan, it’s developed our already close bond tremendously, from our car rides here to us deciding who’s boss that day, it’s been beautiful to be a part of this aspect of our lives together. I am so excited for what the future holds for me in the Trust!

A photo John, who runs the website at Baddesley Clinton, Warwickshire — John is our volunteer website editor | © National Trust/Abi Chandler

John keeps our website up-to-date

I began volunteering for the National Trust in 2017 as the Website Editor for Baddesley Clinton. Recently I took on Packwood as well. My job is to make sure the website is up to date with seasonal images and content, so it’s always busy at the turn of the seasons making sure everything is relevant. I also make sure our events are featured and that offers in the shop are highlighted. Each week I arrive at Baddesley thinking that it all looks OK and there’s not much to be done, but Abi, my manager, always presents me with a list of things to do which keeps me busy for my whole session! A brand-new National Trust website was launched last November and has taken a bit of getting used to. Not only did I have to get used to new ways of adding and editing things, but I had to get my head around a new philosophy behind how the site was structured. There are still things I'm discovering about how it all works and what I can and can’t do, and I'm sure there will be more tweaks to come. Nowadays over 70% of visitors to the website are accessing it on a mobile phone, something that the old website just wasn’t designed for. So the new one – while still working and looking good on a computer – is much easier to navigate on a phone. Last month over 13,000 people (we call them “Unique Visitors”!) had a look at Baddesley’s site and a similar number visited Packwood’s pages. It's a privilege, and quite a responsibility, to be the first point-of-contact for so many people who, we hope, will be enticed into paying us a visit.

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Volunteer catering assistant carries a tray of hot drinks outside the Kitchen Garden Cafe at Packwood House, Warwickshire — Volunteering in the Kitchen Garden cafe | © National Trust Images/Chris Lacey

Get in touch about volunteering at Packwood

Interested in finding out more about volunteering at Packwood?

Pop in and speak to a member of the team, give us a call on 01564 782024 or email packwood@nationaltrust.org.uk to find out more. You can also find our current vacancies and an application form on the National Trust volunteering website.

Why join us?

There are lots of reasons to join us; making the move to volunteer could be the best decision you ever make.

• Become part of a friendly and dedicated team
• Meet people from all walks of life and forge new friendships
• Utilise your existing skills and learn new ones
• Strengthen your CV and help to develop your career
• Enjoy the great outdoors
• Learn about the history of this special place.
• Contribute your time, energy and skills towards a worthwhile charitable cause.
• Make a difference and welcome everyone to enjoy Packwood.