Useful Information for Volunteers

This document is a five-year plan for volunteering, which sets out how we hope volunteers will support the Trust to achieve our strategy goals, how the Trust will support volunteers to do this, and how volunteering opportunities will evolve.

Our Action Plan for 2025–2030

We encourage local volunteering where possible, for environmental reasons as well as financial ones.

However we will reimburse travel expenses that were incurred wholly and exclusively for the purpose of volunteering for Somerset Wildlife Trust and agreed in advance with your main staff contact.

Volunteer expenses policy

The Volunteering agreement sets out the core principles for volunteering with Somerset Wildlife Trust.

Read the document

Volunteer safety policy information and guidance

Safeguarding reporting flowchart

Somerset Wildlife Trust volunteers support us in a variety of roles, from working with children and families to inspire a life-long love of nature, repairing fences and pulling up invasive plants on our nature reserves, advising individuals on how to garden for wildlife and working with our comms team in the office. All volunteers have a role profile outlining the tasks involved, frequency and location of work and support available. 

We welcome volunteers from all over Somerset, from all walks of life. Some of our roles benefit from a specific skill set, whilst others require no previous experience. We have several opportunities specifically tailored for young people under 18. We want your volunteering to have a meaningful impact so that you can gain full value from it. We never create roles for the sake of it, as we don’t feel that this is fair on you or a good use of Trust resources. It may take a little time to find the right role for you, and we may sometimes signpost you to more appropriate opportunities. 

We are so grateful for the support of our community, whether through campaigning, membership, or volunteering. You don’t have to be a member to volunteer, but if you’d like to consider becoming a member and further support our work in Somerset, we would be deeply grateful! 

You decide how much time you wish to give! Some roles are suited to a regular commitment whilst others are more sporadic, so we hope that we have something that will suit your lifestyle. 

All new volunteers will be given an induction by their staff contact that is relevant to their area of work. We host training opportunities for volunteers throughout the year, for example first aid and wildlife identification. If you require additional support during your role, we are more than happy to make adjustments where it is practical and safe to do so. Please discuss this with our Volunteer Support Team when registering. 

Somerset Wildlife Trust encourages young volunteers as long as they are able to take part safely. We have several opportunities specifically tailored for young people under 18, including our Youth Forum, youth experience days and work experience. To find out more about these opportunities please visit our volunteering webpage. 

In most cases, you can still volunteer. For guidance, we would recommend speaking to your local Job Centre first. 

We never offer a volunteer role as a direct route into a paid position, and it would not be legal for us to do so. However, volunteering is an excellent way to build up skills and experience to help you find your way into paid employment. We are always happy to support our volunteers in any way that we can by offering appropriate advice and providing a reference. 

The Volunteer Awards are presented at our AGM where we recognise and celebrate the work of volunteers across the county who give their time and skills to create a wilder Somerset. 

You can nominate an individual or a group for an award. The nominee/s must have made an outstanding contribution to a wilder Somerset and volunteered with or in association with Somerset Wildlife Trust within the last 2 years. 

To find out more about the awards and how to nominate, please visit the Volunteer Award webpage. 

We add all new opportunities to our volunteering webpage, so please check back! We want your volunteering to have a meaningful impact so that you can gain full value from it. We never create roles for the sake of it, as we don’t feel that this is fair on you or a good use of Trust resources. It may take a little time to find the right role for you, and we may sometimes signpost you to more appropriate opportunities. 

For any questions, queries or concerns about volunteering please get in touch with our Volunteer Support Team by emailing volunteering@somersetwildlife.org.