Volunteer

Visitor Announcement

The Armed Forces Memorial, and its immediate surroundings, will be closed to visitors from 10am on Friday 8 August to 5pm on Sunday 17 August to allow us to prepare to host the national VJ Day 80 commemorations. The rest of the Arboretum's 150-acres will remain open to visitors as normal. We are sorry for any inconvenience this might cause and appreciate your understanding during this time.

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If you're passionate about the work of the Arboretum, are keen to help us grow and develop and have regular time to commit, you might be interested in volunteering with us.

  • Over 240 people volunteer their time at the Arboretum in 13 roles across our charity. From welcoming and advising visitors, providing guided tours and walks to administration and marketing, our volunteer and staff teams work together to ensure that all of our visitors have a great experience when they visit our site.
  • Though some of our roles will suit individuals with specific interests, you don't need to have experience to volunteer with us as you'll receive all the training that you need, either in the role or via our mentoring programme.
  • Last year an amazing 50,000 voluntary hours were given by our volunteer team.
  • Our volunteers are aged between 15 and 85, many of our young volunteers are using their experiences with us as they complete their Silver and Gold Duke of Edinburgh Awards.
  • Our current volunteers are always happy to share their experiences and answer questions.

We are currently looking for volunteers to assist our team in the following areas:

Welcome Desk Volunteer

A welcome desk volunteer provides a friendly welcome, information and support to the people who visit the Arboretum. Knowledgeable, visitor-focused and passionate about the Arboretum, they offer consistently excellent customer service as they help visitors make the most of their time onsite by offering information about the range of activities available to enhance a visit here. They also support events and other initiatives which help visitors engage with the Arboretum. 

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Visitor Experience Volunteer

Visitor Experience Volunteers provide a friendly welcome, information and support to people who visit every year. Knowledgeable and passionate about the Arboretum, they help visitors get the most out of their time on site and enhance their visit by offering opportunities such as tours, walks and talks. Visitor-focused and offering excellent customer service, they are ambassadors for the Arboretum. 

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Meet and Greet Volunteer (Saturdays)

A Meet and Greet Volunteer provides the initial friendly welcome to the National Memorial Arboretum. They support in sign posting the activities of the day and direct people to the welcome desk to book activities or support with additional information. Knowledgeable, visitor-focused and passionate about the Arboretum, they offer consistently excellent customer service.

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Food Services Volunteer (Weekend)

Food Services Volunteers undertake a wide variety of tasks to support the Foodservices team. Providing a high level of customer service our Foodservices volunteers act as ambassadors for the Arboretum, help visitors with Restaurant facilities and provide guidance, support and basic site information and direction. 

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Coffee Shop Volunteer

Coffee Shop Volunteers undertake a wide variety of tasks to support the Foodservices team. Providing a high level of customer service our Coffee Shop Volunteers act as ambassadors for the Arboretum, help visitors with Restaurant facilities and provide guidance, support and basic site information and direction. 

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Retail Volunteer (Weekend)

Retail Volunteers provide a friendly welcome to visitors to the Arboretum shop. They should be able to provide an insight to features and benefits of the product. Retail experience is a bonus, but really we are looking for confident team players to assist us. 

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Grounds Volunteer (Weekend)

Grounds Volunteers undertake a wide variety of tasks to support the grounds maintenance and gardening team, producing high standards of grounds and garden maintenance. Duties within this team will include, weeding, edging, leaf collecting, planting, mulching, pruning, cleaning plaques, benches, shelters, signs and Memorials. This is an outdoor role in all weather conditions. Volunteers also supply basic information and direction around the site to visitors and act as an ambassador for the Arboretum.

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We also have Volunteers in the following roles:

Exhibitions and Engagement Volunteer
Engage with visitors to our on site exhibitions, help to care for the collections on display and assist with the delivery of a varied activity programme. This team will also support the wider Front of House team to meet, greet and help direct and assist  visitors, with a particular focus on learning groups.
Exhibition and Gallery Volunteer

An Exhibition and Gallery Volunteer can support a visitor with interpretation and adding value to the exhibits. We operate three gallery areas, one which tells the story of remembrance and two which are open to installations that change on a regular basis through the year. Knowledgeable, visitor-focussed, and passionate about the Arboretum, they can also support events and other initiatives which help visitors to engage with the Arboretum.

Learning Volunteer

Learning Volunteers support the Head of Participation and Learning and the Learning and Families Activities Officers in enabling children, young people and lifelong learners to make the most of their visit by providing year-round delivery of the learning programme.

 

Volunteers will provide a friendly and welcoming guide service for all visitors to the Arboretum, giving information on our site as well as guided walks. Meeting and greeting a range of groups when they arrive on site. Delivering activities to groups of young people and families, both indoor and outdoor all year round.

Youth Volunteering Opportunities

There are three different volunteer pathways available at the Arboretum for young people aged 13 - 18.
 

Duke of Edinburgh Award – Young people will join us for a set amount of time to fulfil the requirements of a Bronze, Silver or Gold award.  

 

Arboretum Ambassador – An opportunity for young people to volunteer on an ongoing basis, at least twice per month, on either Saturday or Sunday.  

 

Youth Steering Group – Our youth steering group will represent the powerful voice of young people, helping to ensure that a youth voice is placed at the heart of our development. The group will meet every two months, both in person and online – so those who live a little further away can also support us.  

 

If you, or someone you know, would like to find out more about our youth volunteer opportunities please email education@thenma.org.uk 

 

Mapping Information Volunteer
Support the Grounds Team in producing plans, data and inputting into the Collections Management Information and Mapping system. Giving information to visitors on our site and being an ambassador for the Arboretum.
Caretaker Volunteer
Support the caretaking team producing high standards of maintenance, cleanliness and event set up, giving information on our site and being an ambassador for the Arboretum.
Grounds Watering Volunteer
Grounds Watering Volunteers undertake Watering to support the grounds maintenance and gardening team. As we have a large site of 150 acre and around 24,000 trees it is a vital for the establishment and longevity of many of the trees we have. Watering trees in selected areas and specific locations around site in coordination with the Grounds Volunteer Supervisor. Volunteers also supply basic information and direction around the site to visitors, acting as an ambassador for the Arboretum.
Grounds and Memorial Cleaning Volunteer (Weekdays)
Grounds and Memorial Cleaning Volunteers undertake a selection of tasks to support the grounds maintenance and gardening team, producing high standards of grounds and garden cleaning and maintenance, cleaning memorials, infrastructure, and objects around site. Volunteers also supply basic information and direction around the site to visitors, acting as an ambassador for the Arboretum.
First Saturday of the Month Grounds Volunteer
Provide support and assist the Grounds and Landscape Team producing high standards of maintenance and site progression giving information on our site and being an ambassador for the Arboretum. Duties with in your Saturday team will include, weeding, edging, leaf collecting, planting, mulching, pruning, cleaning memorial and plaques. This is an outdoor role in all weather conditions.

National Memorial Arboretum Volunteer Application Form

Please provide your date of birth in the following format DD, MM, YY

Please list any experiences you have that would make you suitable for the role(s)

Please provide the full name, address, email address, telephone number of a person (non-family) who has known you for at least one year. Please also indicate your relationship to this person.

Please provide the full name, address, email address, telephone number of a person (non-family) who has known you for at least one year. Please also indicate your relationship to this person

The Arboretum welcomes applications from all backgrounds, abilities and social circumstances. 

Details of Criminal Convictions 

The volunteering duty you are applying for means that, under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (1974), you must declare all convictions whether unspent or not. A conviction does not necessarily mean that you cannot volunteer for us, but we do need to know.