Our volunteers are essential to the running of the Abbey. From making sure it is a welcoming, safe place, to ensuring we have refreshments to serve, from helping to preserve the Abbey’s history and heritage, to engaging the local community in everything the Abbey has to offer, there is always something to get involved in.
Whether you have an hour a year, month, week or more to spare, our roles can be flexible to suit your schedule. You will be given all the training required to undertake any of these roles, so no experience is necessary!
Volunteer Roles
Shop and Café Volunteer
Working as part of a team, this role requires you to serve drinks and snacks to Abbey visitors, as well as manning the shop. There will be cash handling involved as well as basic kitchen work, including making coffees, teas, serving cake and toasting teacakes, as well as clearing tables and washing up using our dishwasher. Shifts are a morning or afternoon and can be worked around your schedule. We are especially in need of individuals to work weekends as well as those that would be available for sickness and holiday cover.
Welcomer
Working as part of the Welcoming team, a welcomer’s job is to make everybody who visits the Abbey feel welcome. Equipped with knowledge of the Abbey, welcomer’s will greet all visitors and try to answer questions from Abbey visitors regarding worship activities, heritage and events. You will be provided with all relevant material prior to your role commencing. Shifts are dependent on your availability and open discussions can be had surrounding the length and day of shifts.
Heritage Volunteer
A new volunteering role! Heritage volunteers will be involved with heritage activities and work with the Community Engagement Co-ordinator to help with data collection for the Heritage Lottery project, as well as working with historic material in the Abbey to develop the Abbey’s current heritage programme. This will include documenting elements of the Abbey as well as our historical collections, along with researching the heritage and history of the objects, architecture, graves, stained glass and anything else of historical importance. We are hoping to create a database of historical information on the Abbey which we can be used within the Abbey by visitors, as well as researchers and those interested in exploring the Abbey’s heritage.
Ad hoc volunteering
The aim of this role is to allow volunteers who are unable to dedicate a set number of hours per week or month to still volunteer with us on an ad hoc basis. Whether this be lending support at events, participating in short term heritage projects, research work or anything else that may require additional support, this role allows flexibility to be part of the Abbey team.
Education Volunteer
Education volunteers help at our experience days where local schools visit the Abbey to partake in workshops relating to specific themes, for example Easter and Harvest. It is essential you can communicate effectively and engagingly with Ks1 and Ks2 children. Previous teaching or teaching assistant experience would be advantageous, however full training will be provided. Sessions run on days throughout the academic year and you will be contacted prior to each experience starting to provide your availability for different school visits. There will also be other education opportunities throughout the year which will include both primary, secondary and college students which you can be involved in if you would like.
Tour Guides
Tour Guides deliver tours of the Abbey to pre-booked groups. You will receive all information necessary to deliver a tour as well as training with a current Guide. Tours can be booked by groups on any days of the week, but you will be given notice of the booking in advance to see if you are available. There will also be opportunities to develop on our current tour, supporting the engagement co-ordinator and heritage volunteers in identifying key aspects to include.
Event Volunteers
Our events programme is both varied and exciting. Including concerts, theatre, award ceremonies, charity events and heritage talks and activities, our event volunteers help to support us in ensuring our guests have a fabulous time. Providing refreshments, stewarding and helping to set up and clear up after events are all aspects of this role.
If there is something you would like to get involved in that is not listed here, please get in touch and we’ll see how we can accommodate your interests.
Benefits of Volunteering with Us
Benefits of volunteering with us include:
- Gaining confidence
- Being part of a community
- Meeting new people
- Boosting your CV
- Making a difference
- Social events
- Having fun…plus much, much more!