Volunteer

Hosting residential groups is at the heart of what we do, and this requires the additional support of volunteers like you! We need people who are willing to get stuck into every aspect of hosting visiting groups: from running activities to leading small group discussion; from cooking to getting alongside young people.

We host groups the majority of weekends from February to November, as well as camps during rhe school holidays.  That means the opportunities are plenty!

Are your skills more on the practical side? If so, work parties are the thing for you! In order to be able to host groups, we need a working centre and well-maintained grounds. Our team of volunteers, or ‘Foggies’ (Friends of Gaines) as we like to call them, do a great job at painting, fixing things, clearing the grounds, and much more!

There are three ways you can offer practical help:

1. Every Thursday, is when we welcome volunteers. They come from different walks of life: some might bring special skills, the majority don’t.  Some prefer to work on the grounds, others are more at home indoors. Some enjoy DIY, others hate it! Some are happy to wield a paint roller, others would prefer to take the floor polisher for a spin.

Please get in touch if you can join us on a Thursday; whether that’s every week, once a month or just a few times a year.

2. If Thursdays aren’t suitable for you, but you still want to get involved, then let us know! We can organise a different day for you to come and help out.

3. Work parties happen a few times a year; these are similar to the Thursdays, but with a bigger band of helpers. We’d love for you to be involved. Keep your eyes out for our next one.

We know some of you would love to help out, but because of distance or physical difficulties, can’t come out to Gaines Manor. But good news! You can help out from home. Think: helping with grant applications, research for new projects, contacting local community groups and schools..