Volunteer

Volunteering with the Bradgate Park Trust is your chance to make a real contribution to Bradgate Park and Swithland Wood’s wildlife, landscape conservation and rich heritage, as well as championing our visitor experience and sharing a passion for the Estate. 

We have opportunities to get involved in different aspects of our work to care for, and share information about, the Estate every day of the week. 

Our friendly team is supported by a dedicated Volunteer Co-ordinator. Once you get in touch, our team help you work out the best opportunities to suit your interest. After an informal chat, you will be invited to a Meet and Greet session to meet key Trust staff, other volunteers and find out more. We also send you details of taster sessions and activities you might like to join, and explain how we keep in touch and let you know about opportunities. Many volunteers get involved in more than one area of work. It is really up to you - you can do as much, or as little as you like! 

Once you have made the decision you want to find out more, please contact our Volunteer Co-ordinator by email [email protected] or by phone on 0116 2362713 extension 26. 

Below is a summary of how you could get involved:

Conservation Volunteers Team:  The Conservation Volunteers go out onto the Estate and get a hands-on experience of the work involved in managing the Park. You will be involved in a wide range of habitat conservation and maintenance tasks across the whole Estate. Tasks are seasonal, as well as on-going and include tasks such as maintaining the historic dry stone walling, planting trees, tree frame construction, invasive plant species control, charcoal making, restoring historic gardens and much more! If being outside is what you’re looking for, then this group is for you! 

Swithland Gaurdians:

Swithland Wood is supported by the Swithland Guardians volunteering project. Throughout this project, which has been supported by the Postcode Lottery Trust, volunteers have helped photograph, record wildlife and care for the Wood.  New areas of coppice have been planted with thousands of young trees and invasive laurel and bramble cleared, allowing the woodland flowers a chance to flourish. Volunteers have also helped restore boundary drystone walls. If you want to know more about this project contact the Trust Volunteer Co-ordinator. 

Visitor Experience Volunteers Team: The Visitor Experience Volunteers are based at the Visitor Centre in the middle of the Park. Their role is to help guide visitors around our exciting Visitor Centre, which is open 7 days a week. With the history, geology and wildlife of the Park there is huge scope to develop your own knowledge and to then share that with our visitors. If engaging our visitors and delivering the ‘Bradgate Park experience’ is what you’re looking for, then this role is for you.

Tour Guide Volunteers: As a Tour Guide, you will be trained to effectively communicate the facts and history of the Ruins of Bradgate House and of Old John Tower to visiting members of the public. The Tour Guide role is based at the Ruins and/or Old John and requires an interest in visitor engagement that will give people a true insight into our historic buildings and landscape. If being around these historic buildings and sharing their story is for you, get involved with the Tour Guides!

Education Session Volunteers: With the development of our EXPLORE Bradgate Education Programme there will be chance to deliver our education sessions to school groups. Sessions will be offered in a variety of subjects to different aged school groups. All the relevant training to fulfil this role will be given, so, if you are interested in developing your knowledge of what the Park offers, working with children and are a good communicator, then we’d like to hear from you. 

Community Champions: Talks to community groups about Bradgate Park and the Trust’s work is an area to be involved in where you can engage with people about the Park in a ‘lecture’ type scenario. It will involve developing your knowledge about the Park so you can support Trust staff in delivering the talks out in the local community. All the training for you to fulfil this role will be given. You will be provided scripts to give you the direction the talk takes and it would be up to you to add your ‘character’ to it. If you would like to broaden your knowledge of the Parks history, management, wildlife, natural and manmade landscape and would enjoy supporting these talks then let us know.

Guided Walk Volunteers: Leading introductory guided walks you will take small groups of the public on hour-long, guided walks through the Park. They have been designed as topic specific walks about what you see relating to wildlife, geology or history. Full training and guidance is given for leading safe walks, with a script that can be added to make it your own. Walks can be any day of the week and as often as you wish.

The Trust aspire to have a walk every other weekend in the Summer as a way of encouraging a deeper understanding of the Park's rich heritage. This is a great chance to inspire, share and encourage others to explore the Estate! So, if you would like to learn more about the Park, be outdoors and share with our visitors, then Guided Walks Volunteer may be for you.  For more information on this opportunity and register your interest contact our Volunteer Co-ordinator  CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE JOB ROLE

Event Marshal Volunteers: The Trust has an ever-increasing event schedule that volunteers can be involved in, from information days, music events, outdoor theatre and cinema and walks. From the setting up of the event site to guiding in parking cars, assisting visitors and then clearing up, you will be able to get involved in these events. There are free major events or ticketed events held for visitors throughout the calendar year and if this is something you would like to be involved in then have a look at the detailed role and contact our Volunteer Co-ordinator or send in a volunteer registration form CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE JOB ROLE

Development of our volunteering programme has received significant support from the Heritage Lottery Fund. This support also allowed us to produce informative displays and banners which are popular at events. 

Our volunteering Policy can be found on our Policy page

Click here to download - The Volunteering Registration form