join the team!

We’ve got a really varied list of different kinds of volunteer opportunities, from gardening and site maintenance, to front-of-house, admin, and event volunteering. Some people do lots of different tasks with us, others just choose to do one thing – it’s up to you! 

We understand that everyone’s life is different, so we don’t ask for a minimum time commitment, and we have both casual and regular roles available. Some people volunteer with us just a few times a year, for example when we have big events. Others volunteer once or twice a week. 

For casual roles we hold regular group inductions where you can get to know the site, the team, and how we work. You’ll learn how to stay safe, and help keep others safe, and how to play an active role in the life of Railway Gardens. For some casual roles you don’t need to have completed an induction to get started; for example, if you’re stewarding at an event we’ll invite you to a briefing session before the event begins. 

If you’re taking on a more regular role, such as a Meet and Greet volunteer, or a Play Shack volunteer, we’ll arrange a small group or one-to-one induction for you, to make sure you feel confident starting your new role. 

Once in your role we try and offer as many training and development opportunities as possible, both with us and with our partner organisations. Some examples of training volunteers have recently completed with us include Emergency First Aid, Cultural Awareness, Sharps safety training, British Sign Language, and using Canva. 

We can often accommodate volunteers with additional support needs, as long as we have the capacity to  ensure they can have a positive experience with us. We have some volunteers who are accompanied by their support worker at each session. Please email our Participation Manager Julia on julia@greensquirrel.co.uk to discuss which opportunities might be suitable. 

Please email our Participation Manager Julia on julia@greensquirrel.co.uk or call her on during working hours on 07704 605197 to arrange a time for you to come in and complete the sign up process with a member of the team. 

Good question! We think some of the main benefits are…

• Getting to know new people and making new friends
• Learning new skills for job seeking and general personal confidence. These could include things like customer service, communications, admin, gardening, team work and lots more.
• Volunteer socials, as well as varied training and development opportunities. 
• The satisfaction and joy of being part of a caring community that’s working together to make a difference