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Looking for a volunteering role that allows you to have a regular, meaningful impact? 

Our regular volunteering roles are just that: an opportunity to get involved as a vital part of either our venue or wider teams. You could be working in one of our museums supporting operations or keeping the site looking its best, or you may prefer to be behind the scenes supporting the creation of our exhibitions or caring for our collections. There are roles where you can support the delivery of our essential social impact programmes that improve health and wellbeing through culture. If you have a specialist skill or knowledge to share, you could get involved as a specialist volunteer, helping us use your expertise in key aspects of our work. Although these are regular opportunities, we are always happy to discuss flexibility and fitting these roles around you.

 

I like meeting and working with likeminded people who share their enthusiasm, dedication and skills gained whilst volunteering, helping to give a excellent customer experience.

Tony Nicholson, Red House Museum

Regular volunteering roles

  • Venue Operations
  • Behind-the-scenes
  • Collections
  • Exhibitions and research
  • Community impact
  • Specialist

Venue Operations

As a venue operations volunteer, you will work alongside our venue team to support all aspects of the day-to-day operations of our museums and attractions.

You could find yourself welcoming visitors at our front desk, bringing our wide variety of displays and exhibitions to life with your fantastic storytelling, working with our duty management team to coordinate venue operations or even work in our café serving a variety of refreshments.

Full training for all aspects of this role are provided.

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A lady at a desk at the Winchester ARC (a large library and arts centre)

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A woman in period dress with a washboard
"I enjoy the huge variety of events we run, my favourite being Play Days when we have many different games available for people to try. It really tells history in a different way" - Carolyn Brown, Milestones Museum
Venue Operations Volunteering
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Behind-the-scenes

As a behind-the-scenes volunteer, you will support all aspects of our museums, arts centres and attractions, ensuring they look fantastic and are ready to welcome our visitors. 

You could find yourself using your practical skills to prepare for events and programming, looking after your venue’s extensive gardens, buildings or exhibits or any other hands-on work needed on site. 

Full training for all aspects of the role will be provided.

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A man in overalls checking a machined piece of metal

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A man with open arms in front of a garden
Our behind-the-scenes volunteers are essential for our venues. With their technical skills and support they keep our venues looking amazing in ways you would never expect
Behind-the-scenes volunteering
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Collections

As a collections volunteer, you will support our vital work of changing lives through culture by working with some of the 2.5 million objects that we care for. 

You could find yourself working with our specialist team to document, categorise and coordinate our collections using specialist tools, or, using your training in collections care, you may find yourself working in line with both venue and trust-wide collection management plans. 

Full training for all aspects of the role will be provided.

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2 volunteers looking at a vintage bike, with a third volunteer smiling at the camera

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A male volunteer holding ceramic objects
Our collections volunteers care for our objects, keeping them safe, secure and ready to tell the stories of Hampshire
Collections volunteering
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Exhibitions and research

As an exhibitions and research volunteer, you will work with our expert team to bring to life the wide range of exhibitions and programming at our venues. 

You could find yourself working with our team of exhibition technicians to apply your hands-on technical skills in preparing venues for programming and special events, or you could be behind the scenes, undertaking research to bring to life the stories of the areas and communities where we work and the collections in our venues. 

Full training for all aspects of the role will be provided.

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British civil war reenactors firing muskets

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A woman surrounded by costumes
Exhibitions bring to life our venues and important stories, research meaningful stories behind our objects and supporting the creation of exhibitions across our venues
Exhibitions and research volunteering
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Community impact

As a community impact volunteer, you will work on our programmes that aim to increase wellbeing, health and happiness through cultural experiences, supporting specialist tutors and our social impact team in the delivery of high-quality cultural activity for vulnerable individuals and groups in our community. 

You could find yourself supporting administrative aspects of our sessions, including checking-in and reporting, or working with our venue teams to deliver pre-defined programmes. Alternatively, you could be working behind the scenes with the team, helping to programme and deliver our workshops. Our social impact programmes target all ages, from young people to older members of our communities, and span arts and cultural therapy to remembrance cafés. 

Full training for all aspects of the role will be provided.

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A colourful hot air balloon inflating
A 1940s designed dining room
Our memory lounge volunteers are essential in supporting the wellbeing of the local community offering a lived experience of making, keeping and being at home in the ‘60s
Our memory lounge project
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Specialist

As a specialist volunteer, you will support our work of changing lives through culture by applying your particular skills, knowledge and experience to our activities, with support from our teams. 

You could find yourself working on specific projects or programmes where your expertise supports our work or even taking on a specialist lead role within the team relevant to your experience. Specialist opportunities are limited and dependent on the need of the venue, programme or project. 

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A man on a computer

Hear from those in the role

A young woman (Gina) smiling at the camera
“Volunteering allows me to apply my skills in a meaningful way. It provides me with the opportunity to connect with diverse individuals, while broadening my knowledge and gaining valuable experience within my field of interest.” – Gina Shergold, HR Volunteer
Specialist volunteering
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Your volunteering journey

1. Application

First is your application. Find the role best suited to you and your interests, then select the right team or venue for you and apply. We’ll ask some important details and information to help us ensure you can volunteer safely and effectively before we get in touch. 

2. Catch-up

We'll be in touch within 10 working days of receiving your application. You’ll then have a brief chat with the volunteer lead for either the venue or team you would like to work with, so that they can understand what you’re looking to get out of volunteering and the role you have applied for. They'll also give you some insight into what it's like to volunteer with us. This is a friendly chat so that we can get to know you and your interests and see how we can fit volunteering around you.

3. Checks

We’ll complete some basic checks and sign-ups so that you’re ready to volunteer with us. This will include an ID check and where it's applicable, we may need other checks such as a DBS. We'll discuss full details of the checks we need to make with you in the catch-up.  

4. Induction

You're nearly there! Before your first day, you’ll have an induction and onboarding session to take you through all aspects of the location where you're volunteering. You’ll also have some online training relevant to your role to complete. You will have the chance to join us at our main offices in Winchester for one of our regular central induction sessions, although this is optional. 

5. Day one

Your volunteering with Hampshire Cultural Trust begins! You’ll have access to training, development and a variety of exciting volunteering opportunities across Hampshire. This is the start of your part in helping us to change lives through culture. 

Concerned about a regular commitment but love the sound of volunteering?

Want to get involved but worried about a regular commitment? Why not check out our volunteer pool where you can dip in and out of opportunities from across the trust. Volunteer pool roles are designed to fit around you, allowing you to volunteer without the need to commit every week.

Volunteer pool
2 volunteers looking at a vintage bike, with a third volunteer smiling at the camera
Find out more

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Our venues are safe and inclusive spaces, and we work closely with local and national partners to put collections, communities, and their stories at the heart of all we do.

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