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Volunteering at East Soar

National Trust staff walking along the clifftop and view of Salcombe in the distance, seen from East Soar, South Devon
Join the team at East Soar | © National Trust Images/Chris Lacey

We're always looking for people to come and help us with our ongoing work around Salcombe and Hope Cove. Whether you're green-fingered or a DIY expert, there are lots of volunteer roles on offer. Find out more about them, and how to apply if you're interested in joining the team.

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.

Roles and opportunities

Hedgelaying

Hedgelaying is a traditional method of maintaining and regenerating hedgerows. This helps prolong the life of the hedge, create a stock proof boundary as well as improving wildlife habitat.

Scrub bashing

Cattle and sheep alone are insufficient in keeping the grassland open and vibrant. Scrub is always trying to replace natural grassland which provides an important home to hundreds of grasses, flowers and insects and food for smaller mammals.

Coppicing

Coppicing is the process of cutting trees down, allowing the stumps to regenerate for a number of years and then harvesting the resulting stems. As a result of the rotational cutting sequence, there will be various different stages of regeneration within a woodland. This is a great way to manage woodlands for wildlife.

Helping with events

We run a varied programme of events through the year across the South Devon coast. From family fun days showcasing what there is to do at our sites, to specially tailored events for schools and community groups. As these grow more popular, we need more help to run them.

Strimming

This is just one of the activities that keeps us very busy in the spring and summer months. Miles of footpath and car parks need to be kept clear of over-zealous nettles and brambles.

Repairing and installing

For those that have good DIY skills we'd love to have you join us repairing and installing signage, gates, fences and benches. A really satisfying job, making a real difference to people's enjoyment of the countryside.

Improving paths

Cutting and clearing new and existing paths is a time-consuming and a little bit of help is very welcome by the team. This is a group of volunteers creating a new path in Wembury Woods.

Wildlife surveys

Many of our wildlife partner organisations are looking for volunteers to help survey the land for flora and fauna. The information from these surveys is vital and helps us to manage the land we care for. We can help put you in touch with these groups.

Get in touch about volunteering

If you would like more information about volunteering here, please do get in touch. You can email us at eastsoar@nationaltrust.org.uk or give us a call on 01752 346585.

Thank you

Thank you to all our volunteers who give their time to support the National Trust in many different roles.

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