Volunteering opportunities at the White Cliffs of Dover

An image of visitors to Fan Bay Deep Shelter being briefed by their guide prior to descending into the tunnels on a sunny day — Visitors to Fan Bay Deep Shelter being briefed by their guide prior to descending into the tunnels | © National Trust/Chris Tapley

From getting more exercise in the outdoors to leading tours or just meeting new people, there are plenty of reasons to volunteer at the White Cliffs of Dover. Opportunities are available no matter how much or little time you can spare.

Become part of a great team

We’re always on the lookout for new members to join the team here at the White Cliffs of Dover. Have you got a hidden talent to share? Maybe you’re looking for a new challenge?

Visitors appreciate the personal touch volunteers bring to their day, and we greatly appreciate the support volunteers give.

A range of opportunities is available, from growing plants to helping in the office; from leading underground tours inside Fan Bay Deep Shelter to habitat management and surveying and recording wildlife. We welcome enquiries from people of all ages and backgrounds.

Why join us?

There are lots of reasons to join us and 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.

Not sure? We're flexible with our opportunities. Whether you can help once a week or once a month, we'd love to hear from you. We hold open days for you to come and talk with us about volunteering and we offer tasters so you can see if the role is really for you. We offer full training and induction for every role, so you don't need to have prior skills.

A group of people in summer clothing listen to a volunteer guide speak, on the balcony at the top of South Foreland Lighthouse in Kent. — A guided tour at South Foreland Lighthouse | © National Trust Images/Solent News and Photography Agency

Volunteer Open Mornings 2025

Come along to our Visitor Centre at White Cliffs and speak to current volunteers and staff members. We offer free parking to anyone attending the events. Click here for more details.

Our open mornings are on:

Wednesday 8 January - 10:00 - 13.00
Saturday 11 January - 10:00 - 13.00
Wednesday 15 January - 10.00 - 13.00

Volunteering Opportunities

Here are some samples of the volunteering opportunities at White Cliffs and South Foreland Lighthouse. These aren't exclusive and if you feel you would like to volunteer with us, come and talk with us at one of our open events, or get in touch, using the links below.

Following our recent excavation of new parts of the site, it is an exciting time at Fan Bay. We are very keen to welcome new members of the team to help share these new places with our visitors. Help us to make a visit to Fan Bay special by:

Welcoming visitors to the site as a friendly greeter

Engaging visitors as an informative tour guide

Sharing our local history with others
Support our Victorian lighthouse by:

Welcoming tour visitors in the tower and organising the tours

Providing engaging tours as a guide

Meeting and greeting those who'd like to find the tower and the tearooms after walking the cliff paths
Our annual plant fair proceeds go towards supporting our charitable aims across the site. You can bolster these efforts by:

Volunteering from home by growing seeds and plug plants to maturity

Volunteering at the fair and using your knowledge to promote our plants to visitors

Maintaining Peter's patch, our on-site vegetable garden
Our second hand bookshops are bursting with pre-loved adventures. You can help visitors find their own story by:

Organising new donations we receive

Giving advice to visitors on their next read

Supporting the selling of rarer vintage books
We've obtained funding from Natural England for species recovery work on the White Cliffs of Dover and the Isle of Wight. The project is titled 'White Cliffs and Wight Chalk' and it is focusing on ten super-rare species of plant and invertebrate. You could assist by:

Participating in practical habitat management work - e.g. cutting back long grass and hay raking; scrub cutting and pulling invasive plants

In spring and summer, surveying for the presence of the rare species
We have many other opportunities - here are some more ways to offer your time:

You can help keep our site clean year-round by becoming a litter-picking volunteer

Our Coast and Countryside team has limited roles available to protect and maintain the land, working alongside our Ranger team. Please enquire about availability

Watch over our cattle and ponies as a livestock checker

Or perhaps you have your own ideas? Maybe we can create an opportunity for you.

Two National Trust volunteers taking part in hands-on archaeological section training at Wanstone, Kent — Two National Trust White Cliffs of Dover volunteers taking part in hands-on archaeological section training at Wanstone, Kent | © NT/Chris Tapley - licensed CC-BY-4.0

Get in touch about volunteering at the White Cliffs

Volunteering can be an extremely rewarding experience. Our current volunteering opportunities are listed on the volunteering section of the National Trust website, along with an application form. Simply type your postcode or 'Dover' into the 'Search for an opportunity' box and click or tap the 'Search' button. Or you can search for our available volunteering opportunities by clicking the button in the panel below.

If you have questions about how you can get involved or what it entails, please contact the White Cliffs team on 01304 202756 and select option 5, or email whitecliffs@nationaltrust.org.uk.

Supporter groups: the East Kent Association

Like to support our work at White Cliffs but can't commit to volunteering with us? Why not consider joining our local supporter group, the East Kent Association? Across the country thousands of our most dedicated supporters meet on a regular basis as part of a National Trust Centre or Association. These groups of like-minded people promote our work within their local area and raise money for projects.

The East Kent Association has a programme that offers something for everyone, including lectures, coach trips, social events and fundraisers. New members are always welcome - find out more here.

Thank you

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

Visitors experiencing a guided walk around Tarn Hows, Cumbria

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