Search our volunteer roles
Whether you're looking to help in the great outdoors, work with the public or get up close and personal with the houses, take a look at what's happening near you.
Volunteer with us
From welcoming visitors to learning how to build a dry-stone wall, there are hundreds of ways to volunteer for the National Trust. Whether you’d prefer to volunteer indoors in a historic home, outdoors in a well-kept garden or in one of the countryside or coastal landscapes we care for, you’ll be helping out with interesting people and making a real difference at the same time.
Find a volunteering opportunity
There are hundreds of different ways you can volunteer for the National Trust – at historical houses, in the gardens or in the many coastal and countryside landscapes we care for. Search the volunteering database for something to suit your skills, interests and availability.
Volunteering in historic houses
Volunteering in one of the historical buildings we care for allows you to immerse yourself in history and heritage as well as providing you with ‘behind-the-scenes’ access to some of our country’s most fascinating places.
With a range of opportunities available, you can play a key role in engaging visitors and enhancing their visit.
Room guides
By providing a friendly face to welcome visitors, you can help bring the places we care for to life by providing historical context and answering questions.
Costumed interpreter
You could fully immerse yourself in the history of the property by becoming a costumed interpreter; from grand Georgian and Victorian outfits to housemaids and naval officers, there’s often a role to suit anyone.
Storytellers
If you have a creative imagination and a way with words, our storytelling roles are a great way to involve and inspire visitors of all ages.
Conservation assistants
During winter, in particular, there are some amazing opportunities to be directly involved with the conservation of the properties and their collections.
Volunteering in gardens
From raised beds to rose beds, the gardens at the places we care for are just as valuable as the houses themselves.
As a garden volunteer there’s an opportunity to work in some of the country’s most unique and famous outdoor places, often on a scale that might not be attainable in your own back garden.
Gardening volunteers
You could be involved in planting, pruning, cataloguing seeds, establishing boundaries, or supporting community groups to grow their own produce on some of our allotments. You may also be approached by visitors who want to ask questions about the garden or seeking general gardening tips – so it’s also a great way to share your love for horticulture, and pick up some ideas of your own.
Garden guides
Some of the places we care for even have specific garden guide roles available. This would allow you to combine walking, talking and being immersed in an awe-inspiring setting while sharing a love of the place with visitors.
Volunteering at the coast and countryside
Volunteering on the coast or in the countryside enables you to get outdoors and play a vital role in managing and conserving precious natural environments for both people to enjoy and wildlife to thrive.
Getting active
Outdoor volunteer opportunities are very varied; you could get involved in tasks like woodland clearing, maintaining fencing and pathways. In Cornwall you can help tackle invasive Himalayan Balsam and stop its spread downriver, while in County Down we need help with everything from boardwalk maintenance and litter picking on the coast, to fencing works and bracken management inland.
Wildlife monitoring
We’re involved with a number of bio-surveys, from counting butterflies to wild flowers, find out in more detail how we manage the landscape to benefit wildlife.
Amateur naturalists will enjoy the BioBlitz events which are held across the country and help us better understand how our wildlife is changing and how best to protect it. We will ask you to find as many different species as possible within a set time limit and experts will be on hand to help identify and record them.
Guided walks
You may be able to spend time on the moors, mountains, woodlands and beaches we care for by creating and leading guided walks around these unique places.
Anyone can volunteer
Family opportunities
If you’re looking for a way of sharing experiences and making lasting memories with your family there are many opportunities that are both fun and educational as well as a vital contribution to our work.
You could find yourself cooking up a storm in a 1930’s kitchen, clearing up the coast as part of a Big Beach Clean or even dressing up and showing visitors how to do washing the Victorian way...
There are lots of opportunities for family groups to volunteer at sites across the country that range from one off days to more regular roles.
Meet like-minded people and make new friends
Volunteering is a wonderful way to share your skills and passions as well as make new friends while doing your bit to ensure places you love are preserved for generations to come.
Volunteers across the UK are already rolling up their sleeves. There are dozens of opportunities on offer that will get you out in the sunshine and away from the everyday.
Volunteers make our places special. It’s your skills and passion that help to keep them open for ever, for everyone.
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