It takes a whole team of volunteers to keep our Centre running, without whom we wouldn’t be able to run our full compliment of activities and open to the public and schools.
If you are interested in volunteering with us, then we have a wide range of roles; whether you’re retired and looking for something to keep you occupied; looking for volunteer experience as a recent graduate; or just interested in the great outdoors and our amazing coastline.
Click here to download a Friends’ leaflet and join today!
Please, see below for the broad categories of what we can offer, or if you feel that you have skills that would be of benefit in other ways then please contact us.
Staffing the Desk and Door
Volunteers are pivotal to the day to day running of the Centre and ensuring our visitors have a positive experience. We have positions both greeting visitors on the door and manning the desk of our Centre’s giftshop.
The Centre is open from 10:30am-4:30pm every day from the start of March to the end of October, and 10:30am-4:00pm from Friday-Monday over the Winter period. Sessions in the Centre are three hours either in the morning (10:30am-1:30pm) or afternoon (1:30-4:30pm). You choose which times suit you with a rota organised every two months. You don’t have to be an expert regarding fossils or geology, a warden is always on hand to answer any questions from the public, but we are always happy to teach you if you wish to learn more.
Guided Walks and Events
The Centre runs a comprehensive programme of events all year round, with the busiest times being, of course, the school holidays. Volunteers assist our wardens on a wide range of events from our Fossil Hunting Walks and Seashore Safaris to helping us at local festivals. All events and walks are warden-led, as a volunteer you will be there to assist the warden and the participants. No previous knowledge of fossils or marine life is needed, training is provided. The Centre also runs an annual art and craft fayre in the Winter and volunteers are always needed to assist with this.
Education and Schools
The Centre welcomes over 5,000 school children on organised visits to the Centre and beach every year. The main bulk of these visits are from primary schools, with many children arriving on the beach hoping to find their very own Tyrannosaurus Rex to take home! Many of these visits are for our Fossil Hunting Walks but some may be for Seashore Safaris or our coastal geography sessions. The enthusiasm for finding a fossil on the beach or crabs in the rockpools knows no bounds. Each school group is led by one of the wardens, but volunteers play a vital role in helping with groups out on the beach areas.
Winter Working Party
After a busy main season, the Winter brings the opportunity for essential maintenance work to be carried out in the Centre with minimal disruption to ensure we’re ready for the next season of visitors and schools. All that is needed is a few basic DIY skills and an appetite for cups of tea and chocolate biscuits.
Fundraising
Being an independent charity, the Centre is always on the look out for funding for projects. If you have any expertise in this area or are just a willing pair of hands, help is always very much appreciated.
Photography
The Centre likes to keep a comprehensive gallery of photographs for use in publicity and displays, but the wardens are often too busy leading the events and activities that they don’t have the time to take photographs! Alternatively, if you have any photographs that you think may be of use to the Centre or would like to help catalogue our current image bank, then please contact us.
Friends Committee
Committee work plays an important role in the Friends organisation but takes just a few hours a year.
A Full Social Calendar
And of course the biggest part of being a volunteer at the Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre is the social calendar. You’ll be meeting and joining many of our volunteers in the day to day here in Charmouth as well as our wardens, but there are activities and events run through the year to enjoy. From our Winter lecture series on a variety of topics, to day trips visiting some fantastic locations around the South West, or coming along for some great food and company at our Friends’ Summer Barbecue or the Annual Cream Tea!
So how do you get started?
It’s easy…
- Click here to download a Friends Membership form and return it to the Centre.
- Alternatively pop into the Centre and pick up a form, or you can contact us.