Environment Volunteer Roles

We’re passionate about making the countryside a better place for everyone to enjoy. This flexible, micro-volunteering role is a great way to stand up for the countryside if you don’t have much time to spare! You’ll take easy online actions to support our campaigns from home (or wherever you have internet access!) at a time that suits you.

We're particularly keen to recruit people aged 18 - 30 (although this is open to everyone!) based across England as we want to bring younger voices into our campaigning work. In the run up to the 2024 General Election, it’s now more important than ever that we amplify your voices in our campaigning work.

By taking simple online actions, you’ll help champion environmental issues including the climate emergency, countryside next door, the green belt and affordable rural housing.

We’ll ask you to take and feedback on campaigning actions, to inform what we do in the future. Your ideas will shape the way we campaign in the future.

We’re looking to build a team of activists to take up to 6 actions in the run up to the General Election (depending on when exactly the election is called). You’ll actively shape the future of this work, and you’ll be testing an exciting new way to volunteer with CPRE! Interested in taking part? No prior experience is needed for this role. Sign up is easy – we just need your name and email address! Find out more below.

We are committed to developing an inclusive and diverse CPRE in which everyone feels supported, valued, and always able to be themselves when volunteering. We recognise that a diverse and inclusive volunteer community is important in achieving our vision of a thriving, beautiful countryside and urban green spaces that contribute to wellbeing for everyone.

People of the global majority and disabled people are currently underrepresented across the environment, climate, sustainability, and conservation sectors. CPRE wants to be part of bringing underrepresented groups into the sector. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds. If you identify as a person of these or other underrepresented groups, we are particularly interested in receiving your application.

Why we want you

We want to gain the support of people with many different experiences of the countryside to inform what we do so we can work towards a thriving countryside for everyone.

You'll join a group of enthusiastic volunteers taking actions and giving feedback that directly supports our campaigning work. Some actions will take as little as 5 minutes!

Sign up is easy - we just need a few details and then you'll join our activist pool. Please note you must be over 18 to sign up for this role.

What you will be doing

• The types of actions we’ll ask you to take part may include:
• Build our understanding of what motivates you to support our campaigns, what you’d like to see us do in the future and how best you’d like to take part through surveys and feedback
• Sign a petition, send a letter to your MP using a template or take a survey
• Read / share articles & like / share posts / blogs
• Attend an online session / webinar / training eg on lobbying
• Feedback on campaigns content (reports, website, podcasts)

The skills you need

• An interest in the countryside and environmental issues
• Willing to give feedback as part of the role, as this is a test
• Access to a computer, tablet or smartphone with internet
• No experience necessary!

What's in it for you

• Use your enthusiasm, skills and experience to make a positive difference to the countryside
• Opportunity to influence future campaigning asks, and feedback on what works
• Access to online campaigning training and webinars

Noms makes daily cooking easy. They solve the question “What’s for dinner?” by automatically converting online cooking content into intuitive, easy-to-follow and step-by-step recipes. With the app, individuals can search for recipes by what’s in their fridge, customise recipes to suit their needs, swap ingredients that they do not like or have, and display quantities in intuitive measurements (handfuls, spoons, etc.). Individuals. Individuals can then cook these recipes with their  easy-to-follow format that shows only essential information (no ads, long descriptions, or touching the phone). And, they can optimise their  groceries to make more food with less money and zero waste. 

RECIPE EDITOR

• The responsibilities for this role may change all the time but tasks you may be doing are: uploading recipe videos to our app, using our unique editor to turn cooking reels into step-by-step recipes and checking a creator's original recipes and editing the step-by-step recipe to be easy-to-use and accurate.
• Volunteer 7-9 hours per week remotely for 1-2 months.

This role is one of two Trustee positions on the Board providing oversight of the Trust’s finances and financial management. In addition to the general duties of trustees (more information here), the role involves:

· Monitoring the financial standing of the charity.

· Ensuring that the charity’s finances are managed responsibly.

· Overseeing the reporting of the financial health of the charity to the Board of Trustees and of the charity’s financial risk-management process.

· Providing general support and oversight for the effective running of the Trust as a member of the Board of Trustees.

The role may also include chair responsibility for the Trust’s Finance Committee (not essential).

Specific Finance Responsibilities – in conjunction with the Chair of the Finance Committee

Scrutiny of papers produced by the Head of Finance & Operations (HoFO) and the wider Senior Management Team in the following areas:

Budgeting and strategic financial planning

• Ensure that strategic plans are financially appraised and that implementation plans are aligned with budgets.
• Provide constructive challenge to the annual and longer-term budget and forecasting processes.
• Ensure transparency and accountability in resource allocation.

Management Reporting

• Ensure that a high standard of management accounting is maintained.
• Liaise with the Chair of the Finance Committee to guide the HoFO in the preparation and production of high quality management accounts to the Board.

Statutory Financial Reporting

• Ensure the finalisation of statutory financial accounts by the HoFO in line with charity regulations and statements of recommended practice and the completion of the external audit process. Assist fellow trustees to formally approve the Trustees’ Annual Report and Annual Accounts

Reserves Policy

• Review the reserves policy.

Keep the Board informed regularly of the free reserves position and advise on strategies for coping with changing circumstances.

Governance and Financial Control

• Ensure that proper accounting records are kept, financial resources are controlled, invested and economically spent in line with governance, legal and regulatory requirements.
• Attend quarterly Finance Committee meetings and support the Chair of the Finance Committee in reporting financial matters to the Board of trustees.

Develop your fitness, practical skills, and improve your mental health while participating in conservation of habitats and green space. Gain valuable work experience, where you can choose to work towards an AQA certificate.

Grow Wild volunteers have been called the ‘next generation of naturalists’ in the Richmond area. We go weekly into the local green spaces at Ham Avenues / The Copse, and maintain the green spaces so that humans and wildlife can share them. 

We particularly welcome young people and those who experience barriers in accessing green spaces and volunteering opportunities. The two-hour-long sessions are accessible, and are an energising, communal way of connecting with others and nature. 

We provide support, induction, and are happy to make the activities more accessible for you. Let us know what you need to make the most of this opportunity.

Join us as a volunteer tour guide to help us inform, educate and enlighten people about clean, green community energy and the truly positive impact that the creation of sustainable, renewable energy has on the planet.

THE ROLE

WeSET is supported by a wonderful team of volunteer tour guides from a wide variety of backgrounds, all with a passion for sustainable energy and a low-carbon future.

And we are looking for new, enthusiastic individuals to join our volunteer tour guides team.

As a WeSET volunteer tour guide you will lead groups of people around the Westmill site telling the story of how the Westmill Wind Farm & Solar Park was created, conveying the importance of renewable energy, describing how our turbines were installed and how they operate, and detailing the installation and energy generation of over twenty-thousand solar panels.

On some occasions, you will be working alone in welcoming and leading groups at Westmill, and on other occasions you may be working alongside other guides.

You may also prefer to work as 'guide support' which is another volunteering role available that provides practical help to our guides during the tours.

Experience of work in a public-facing role would be useful, but is not essential as you will receive training from one of our existing guides, with continuing, ongoing support from the WeSET Visits Coordinator.

This opportunity may only suitable for people who live in north-east Wiltshire, south-east Gloucestershire, south-west Oxfordshire or west Berkshire - all to allow quick and easy travel to and from the Westmill site.

If you have a happy, friendly demeanour, with a genuine passion for sustainability, then this could be a great opportunity to share that passion and meet other like-minded people at the same time!

Ecosy Travel is a certified social enterprise reducing the climate impact of travel & tourism with innovative software to support travellers and tourism businesses to cut their carbon footprints. They tackle the following challenges - greenwashing in the tourism industry, added burden of planning flight-free holidays and difficulty finding genuinely green holiday accommodation

Ecosy has developed software that supports reporting of per stay emissions data, to support data-backed sustainability claims and transparent reporting to potential guests. Ecosy offers carbon-optimised journey planning of flight-free holidays for easy planning. It has developed a community platform for green travellers to build trip itineraries and share their experiences to inspire others.

HEAD OF MARKETING

• We are looking for a volunteer Head of Marketing to: develop Ecosy's brand and content marketing strategy that brings together our brand story, vision, voice and messaging into a coherent and deliverable strategy for implementation by our content marketing coordinator. Review our existing brand assets, both for our B2B and B2C products and content, to refine and optimise our messaging.
• Volunteer 2-3 hours per week remotely for 3-5 months

Do you enjoy working with people and would you like to make a positive impact for Turtle Doves? This species was once widespread and numerous but now is down to 2100 pairs in the UK. The Operation Turtle Dove project in partnership of RSPB, Natural England, Penthorpe Conservation Trust and Fair to Nature was established to conserve this iconic, red-listed species. Our staff and volunteers are working with landowners to try and halt and reverse the population decline but we need to measure our progress. Following on from the successful 2021 National Turtle Dove survey, we need to expand our network of survey volunteers in Kent, Sussex and Essex to enable yearly monitoring of survey squares for Turtle Doves.

We are looking for an organised person with excellent communication & IT skills to join our team and to help run the Turtle Dove monitoring program and supporting a network of volunteers. Experience in carrying out bird surveys is welcome but NOT essential, we can provide training so you can understand the role of the surveyors you will be recruiting and co-ordinating. This role could be carried out remotely. This is a year-round roll with peaks in activity before and after the survey season which runs from 11th May until 31st July. All equipment needed will be supplied.

Volunteer Coordinators undertake a wide range of activities, including:

Tasks:

• Dealing with queries from potential new volunteers who get in touch
• Being the first point of contact for our existing volunteers and answering general queries
• Lead on advertising new volunteer roles (on the RSPB and external websites, in the local community)
• Set up interviews with potential volunteers and assist with induction administration
• Administrative tasks such as recording volunteer hours, registering new volunteers on our database, organising surveys, receiving, and entering data and processing expense claims
• Organising and managing a small budget for volunteer thank-you events at the end of the survey season.
• Helping to promote the project through internal comms such as project newsletters

More potential experience (optional):

• Analysing and screening conservation footage from trail cameras
• Helping to coordinate large-scale orders of supplementary feeds for Turtle Dove seed

Beneficial skills for this role are:

• Excellent organisational skills and attention to detail
• You need to be a great people person, friendly and approachable
• Good telephone manner and written communication skills
• An ability to lead/inspire others and work as part of a team
• Creative and forward thinking
• Computer literacy
• Ability to work on own initiative and as part of a small team
• Good record keeper
• Happy to work from home or office
• Tact/diplomacy

This is a rewarding and enjoyable role with real conservation impact delivering for this iconic species. You will be part of a small and friendly team of staff and volunteers with a chance to learn new skills and develop existing ones. There is room for development within the role. You would be helping volunteers have a rewarding and enjoyable time whilst contributing to valuable scientific data. This is a wonderful opportunity to make a genuine contribution to wildlife conservation.

Commitment from you:

Equivalent of 1-2 days per week (flexible) and could be a role-share. There will be peaks either side of the survey season (11th May until 31st July) and likely to be fewer hours during the rest of the year. You may also have the chance to volunteer for additional days in other areas of the project.

Are you passionate about making a difference in your local community? Do you possess the skills, knowledge, and commitment to help shape the future of community initiatives? If so, Broxbourne Big Local (BBL) is seeking enthusiastic individuals like you to join our team of Trustees.

About Broxbourne Big Local: Broxbourne Big Local is dedicated to proactively meeting the needs of the people in the borough. Our primary objective is to provide valuable opportunities and services centred around the Wormley Community Centre, to expand our reach across the borough in the future. Our current Trustees, who are local residents deeply invested in community welfare, have successfully prevented the demolition of the Wormley Community Centre and secured a 999-year lease, marking a significant milestone in our journey.

The Role: As a Trustee of Broxbourne Big Local, you will play a pivotal role in shaping the future direction of our organisation. Working alongside like-minded individuals, you will contribute to the ongoing development and sustainability of the Wormley Community Centre and our broader community initiatives. Your responsibilities will include strategic planning, financial oversight, and ensuring that our activities align with our charitable objectives.

How to Apply: If you are excited about the opportunity to contribute to the growth and success of Broxbourne Big Local, you can find more information in the Trustee recruitment pack.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Join Us: Be a part of a dynamic team dedicated to building a cohesive and sustainable community in the Borough of Broxbourne. Your knowledge, skills, and talent can make a meaningful difference. Join Broxbourne Big Local today and help shape a brighter future for all.

We are a small but rapidly growing charity at an exciting moment in our evolution. We are looking for a couple of exceptional people to join our Board of Trustees. The successful candidates will have a high level of expertise in their field.

Due to the three year terms coming to an end for a couple of trustees we have 2 vacancies on our Board of Trustees. We are looking for trustees that have:

• a passion for the mission of Pledgeball.
• a high level of expertise in your chosen field (see skills required).
• be able to think strategically and focus on the big picture.
• a willingness to devote the necessary time and effort.
• good, independent judgement.
• an ability to think creatively.
• a willingness to speak their mind constructively.

We are looking for trustees that have expertise in one of the following areas:

- legal

- charity organisation

- pan-European organisational background

What difference will you make?

As part of our trustee board you will oversee our continuously expanding young charity. Your expertise will be essential to helping our aim of promoting the conservation, improvement and protection of the physical and natural environment for the public benefit by:

- advancing education and increasing awareness amongst the community of the benefits of reducing carbon emissions and energy saving and effective ways to make such reductions and savings

- promoting amongst the community the reduction of carbon emissions and energy saving.

At WWT we shape unforgettable experiences. We are a warm, welcoming and genuine charity that protects and restores Wetlands. WWT Martin Mere has 600 acres of amazing wetland scenery which is home a such an assortment of wildlife. 

We are looking for volunteers who can support our team in our Café and shop to ensure we offer excellent customer service to our visitors.

By providing excellent customer care in our shop, you will be encouraging our visitors to support the wider conservation work of WWT. The money that is taken in retail is instrumental to the conservation work that WWT can afford to carry.

 Volunteers are an essential part of the WWT team. You'll get a warm welcome, including information on training, equipment and anything else you need. 

Who are we looking for?

This role would suit you if:

• Have an enthusiastic and friendly manner
• Have an eye for detail and creativity
• Excellent verbal communication skills
• A confident attitude and / or experience in successful face-to-face contact with the public
• Commitment to excellent customer service
• Are happy using a computer/till
• Like working in a busy environment
• An interest in birding and optics equipment (if you’d like to get involved in promoting and selling our optics

At WWT we shape unforgettable experiences. We are a warm, welcoming and genuine charity that protects and restores Wetlands. WWT Welney is surrounded by 1,000 acres of the northernmost part of the Ouse Washes – Britain’s largest area of seasonally-flooded land and the setting for one of the most magical events in the UK’s nature calendar - mass winter gatherings of many thousands of wild ducks, geese and swans.

We are looking for volunteers who can support our team in our Café and shop to ensure we offer excellent customer service to our visitors.

What will you be doing?

• Assisting the café team with clearing of tables

• Supporting behind-the-scenes with tasks such as washing up and loading the dishwasher

• Engaging with visitors to the café and helping with any enquiries they may have

• Assisting with recycling

• Refilling counters and displays

• Getting creative! Help make seasonal displays in our shop

• Upsell our fantastic products in both the shop and café to our visitors 

The reserve is over 500 acre of stunning habitats including wet grassland, reedbed, woodland and hedgerows.  We manage each of the habitats to benefit the wildlife that relies on the reserve.  25% of wetland plants and animals are at risk. One of the best parts of volunteering on the reserve is seeing the results from the work we have done.  This can be tawny owls using the boxes we’ve put up, Marsh Harriers nesting in the reedbed we managed or Common Terns nesting on the gravel we put out.  We could not do this without volunteers.

Volunteers play a crucial role in saving wetlands for wildlife and people.  

This role involves:

· We survey everything at Martin Mere don’t worry if you are worried about your ID skills we can teach that but the role will involve counting birds, insects, plants etc.

· Lots of practical outdoor work is really varied and includes cutting down trees in the reedbed, cutting and raking the wildflower meadows and pulling Himalayan balsam.

· We love to explain to visitors what we are doing and explaining to them why we are surveying or cutting something.

· We have a herd of English Longhorn Cattle that are really important for managing the wet grasslands, the role involves check them and helping move them between fields.

· In the mornings we need to get the reserve ready for the visitors this involves opening the hides checking everything is in order, filling up the birdfeeders, looking for any exciting birds to put on the sightings pages.

This role will suit you if:

You enjoy getting outside no matter the weather, like to get involved with a wide variety of tasks and enjoy working in a team

We want everyone in the UK to be able to access wetlands that provide amazing experiences and inspire support for conservation.

It is a great feeling showing a visitor a bird they’ve not seen before or helping them to tell the difference between 2 species they’ve been struggling on for ages.  That spark of enthusiasm can make such a difference.

Volunteers play a crucial role in saving wetlands for wildlife and people.  

This role involves:

· Being welcoming in the discovery hide and bird Observatory helping point out to the visitors what wildlife they can see

· Surveying the marsh harriers and avocets during the breeding season

· Walking around the other hides birding and talking to visitors.

· Updating the sightings board and letting the information desk team know about any exciting sightings.

· Keeping the hides clean by litter picking and sweeping

This role will suit you if:

You love birding and sharing your enthusiasm with others

Trustee

We’re looking for a Trustee to join our Board to help achieve our vision of London alive with nature, where everyone can experience and enjoy wildlife.

 We are also keen to hear from aspiring or existing trustees 30 years old and under. We know that diversity of both representation and thought is a powerful key to unlocking the full potential of London Wildlife Trust. Intergenerational perspectives are a key pillar to enabling better decision making and a high performing board.

Role & Responsibilities

Our Trustees serve as a vital pillar in our organisation, providing leadership, expertise and supportive guidance to ensure we achieve our aim and objectives.

We have a range of directorates from policy and planning, nature recovery, outdoor learning, visitor experience and retail. If you share our vision and have experience in any of the areas, my Trustee colleagues, we’d love to hear from you.

We are seeking Trustees who have experience in one (or more) of the below areas:

Visitor attractions: managing visitor experience and/or generating commercial income in a similar charity-led visitor attraction.

Retail: we have a longer term ambition to develop and online retail offering so experience in this area would be hugely beneficial

Outdoor learning: experience and expertise to strategically support our well-established outdoor learning programmes

Legislation and advocacy: an understanding of biodiversity policy and legislation, and an in-depth understanding of nature recovery and political advocacy at a national level, including the regional context of London borough councils, and Greater London Authority

Person Specification 

· A collaborative listener who works effectively as a member of a team. 

· Independent judgment, a willingness to share opinions and an ability to focus on making decisions. 

· Strong communication and relationship management skills. 

· A critical friend who empowers and constructively challenges the Chief Executive and senior management team. 

(Please see job description for full person specification)

Terms of Appointment

This role is unremunerated, but reasonable, pre-agreed travel expenses will be reimbursed.

Attendance at 6 yearly meetings plus an annual strategy session, half of which are typically delivered online

Occasional further contribution either in person or online to provide mentoring, advice and guidance

Trustees are elected at the AGM for a term of three years, which may be renewed for one further three-year term and then can be extended for up to two years if required.

Closing Date: Monday 6th May at 9am

Does this sound like you? We’d love to hear from you!

Our vision is a London alive with nature, where everyone can experience and enjoy wildlife. In order to achieve our goal of engaging everyone in protecting London’s wildlife for the future, we know that our staff team needs to better reflect and represent all of London’s communities. We are committed to ensuring equal opportunities for all. Alongside our inclusive Talent policy which outlines are commitments including giving fair opportunities to ex-offenders, we also offer an enhanced flexible working policy which is available to you from your very first day.

Read more about London Wildlife Trust’s commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion on our website.