Volunteering - Frequently Asked Questions

Everyday hundreds of people volunteer for the Trust - without their time and contributions we wouldn’t be able to continue recovering nature. Volunteers often share how much they enjoy being part of their local volunteering community and how they value the opportunity to play their part in bringing back nature into abundance in our city.
Volunteering offers an excellent opportunity to utilise your existing skills or develop new ones. It’s a chance to:
• Use your skills and knowledge to benefit wildlife.
• Be actively involved in recovering nature in our city.
• Make new friends.
• Learn new skills or use the ones you already have.
• Be part of a team of nature recovery champions.
• Help build confidence and social skills.
• Gain valuable work experience
• Keep fit and active – volunteering outdoors is a good alternative to the gym
• Share your enthusiasm for wildlife with others
• Learn more about London’s fascinating wildlife

Anyone can volunteer and we really appreciate the help we get from our supporters. We only ask that you are aged 16 and over, for under 18’s we will contact your parent/legal guardian or carer to check we have their permission for you to start volunteering with us. We always have new opportunities coming up, so keep checking back on this page if there isn't anything for you right now.

We understand that everyone has different priorities that may include work, studying, caring responsibilities, connecting with friends, families, and hobbies and interests. We have a variety of opportunities that may suit your needs. Some of our volunteer opportunities are flexible and can be completed any time or day, others are session based, and you can register when you are available to come along. We always share the full session times, for example 10:30am-3pm but volunteers are welcome to come along for a couple of hours, or half a day. The only thing we ask is that everyone starts at the same time so that we can give a tool talk to help you get started. If you ever need to take a break or pause in volunteering this is always welcome.

If you’re a UK citizen, you’re free to volunteer. If you’re from outside the UK or living in the UK but on a Visa, we advise you to contact the UK Borders and Immigration Agency to find out if your visa allows you to volunteer before registering.

Volunteering is a great way to learn more about the wildlife in your local area and to help you understand how you can take action towards recovering nature in our city. We welcome people from all backgrounds and experiences. Some volunteer roles require more knowledge than others. For example, if you are a Practical Conservation volunteer you will be involved in tasks that may include scrub removal, repairing footpaths and steps, and species protection work. However, you will be taught everything you need to know as you volunteer by our friendly team of Volunteer Managers and Lead Volunteers. Other roles such as surveying do require a certain level of understanding, but we are always willing to buddy you up with another volunteer who is more experienced and willing to help.

Each volunteer opportunity with the Trust is unique, with varying skill requirements. Often, no specific skills are needed - your dedication, enthusiasm, and willingness to collaborate are what matter most! If certain skills are necessary for a role, we will clearly specify them when we post the opportunity on our website.

When a volunteer registers, we ask them to attend an online induction to help them get started. After you have attended some opportunities will be free for you to book onto and start volunteering, others may require a little more. For example, if you would like to volunteer for an office role, we would request a character reference and book you in for a 1-1 informal chat. Alternatively, if you are volunteering for an outdoor learning and education role, it may be needed that we ask you to book on to an introduction to safeguarding training course. Our friendly People Officer who looks after volunteering will be able to check your profile and ask you if you need any reasonable adjustments if you need to have a 1-1 informal chat.

No, we are very grateful for whatever support you can give.

Whenever we share an opportunity on our website, we always include a description of the typical tasks you might get involved in. For some roles, such as Practical Conservation the activities may change slightly depending on the seasons. We will always offer a range of options for volunteers to choose from on the day. For example, if there is a group of 10 volunteers, 5 people can help with clearing duckweed from a pond, or the other 5 volunteers can help with hedge laying. If neither of the activities are of interest, let the Volunteer Manager know as we are open to tailoring the roles to suit your skills and areas of interests.

We give any training or inductions you'd need to carry out your volunteering role. The training you get will be different depending on what volunteering role you're doing. But all our volunteers cover trainings on health and safety, safeguarding, and equality, diversity and inclusion. We also have a resources section for volunteers and have shared how you can access additional online learning materials provided by The Charity Learning Consortium and The Charity Mentoring Network.

We'll make sure you have all the information and support you need to volunteer. The Volunteer Manager will always be your point of contact, so you'll always have someone to go to if you have any questions.

• A warm welcome with an induction to the work of London Wildlife Trust.
  • Ongoing support from your Volunteer Manager tailored to you.
  • Training for your role.
  • Access to extra training opportunities.
  • Branded volunteer clothing, including a volunteer t-shirt after you have logged 50 volunteering hours.
  • Access to all necessary PPE and working equipment, including a safety briefing and risk assessment before any outdoor activity.
  • Recognition for your time and efforts. We like to say thank you to our volunteers and also have a volunteer recognition program where you can receive a nomination from other volunteers and Trust staff towards 1- or 2-night hotel stay for 2 people with our partner Rooms to Reward.
  • 20% discount in our cafes and 10% discount in our retail shops.
  • Fun social events like guided walks, and our end of year socials.
  • Reimbursement for travel and food expenses, following our volunteer expenses policy.
  • Plenty of tea/coffee and biscuits.

Yes. All volunteers will be reimbursed for out-of-pocket expenses including travel and lunch. The exact expenses you can claim for will be available will be confirmed when you join an opportunity.

• If you're volunteering outdoors, we recommend wearing layers to stay comfortable in varying temperatures.
• If you have a pair of walking boots you don’t mind getting muddy, they’ll provide excellent protection when using tools. If you forget them, some of our nature reserves offer spare wellies, which you can borrow from the volunteer leader on the day.
• Don’t forget to bring your water bottle!
• In the summer, consider bringing insect repellent and sunscreen.
• Remember any medication you may need during the day.
If you’re volunteering at FiveFields, Victoria, you’ll have access to a laptop and a kitchen to store or heat up food. Plus, there’s a wide selection of tea and coffee available. The office is conveniently located near many cafes and restaurants.

No. Volunteering does not affect the benefits payments you receive. We would always suggest that you tell your benefits advisor when you start volunteering.

Yes, all registered volunteers are covered by our insurance policy.

Unfortunately, almost all of our activities are unsuitable for bringing your dog along as many of them involve using hand tools, power tools or are inside.

Yes. We want all our volunteers to have a fun and enjoyable experience when volunteering with us. At the end of every session, you are welcome to give feedback on how we can make improvements, and we hope you want to stay!

As a charity, we depend on our volunteers to help us with our work in recovering nature. The Trust has a policy that means volunteer roles are never used in place of paid roles. We believe that a volunteer is someone who is unpaid and gives up their own time, of their own free will, to support the Trust.

At the Trust, we don’t offer work experience or internships, but we do have our Keeping it Wild - paid traineeships and a range of volunteering opportunities.

Yes, we run our Wild Workdays. These are practical, hands on, nature conservation activities that take place on a number of our nature reserves across London. The days are typically suitable for groups of up to 12 people which enables us to provide adequate tools, training, and supervision on the day. However, we can host groups of up to 24 people during autumn/winter on selected nature reserves. To help fund your day and the wider work we do, our Wild Workdays cost £1,000 plus VAT per team (typically 12 people). For groups of up to 24 people the cost will be £2000 plus VAT. These are flat rates and do not vary with the team size. For more information, please get in touch with Aaron Hart, ahart@wildlondon.org.uk

No. We can’t usually organise volunteering for large groups of friends due to capacity levels. If there is a small group of friends (under 4 people) you are welcome to register on our volunteering website and then select which opportunity you would like to join. You will however need to all attend a volunteer induction; these are usually held online on Friday afternoons and bookable via our volunteering website (TeamKinetic).

No. At the Trust, we are committed to volunteering being accessible for everyone. We strive to ensure fair treatment and non-discrimination against ex-offenders. If you wish to make a confidential enquiry, please contact volunteering@wildlondon.org.uk

We do not require a DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check for most volunteer roles as volunteers will not be left alone with at risk adults or children. If you do, our friendly People Officer – Sophie will let you know. Our focus is on providing inclusive and accessible opportunities for everyone to get involved.