Do you enjoy the outdoors?

Interested in history?

Do you like meeting the public?

The museum offers all sorts of volunteering opportunities, whether you are interested in history, gardening, farming, building or conservation. The varied tasks can give the pleasure of working out in the Suffolk countryside, learning about heritage and rural crafts and improving a local tourist attraction. Volunteers of all ages and backgrounds can develop new skills or hobbies, as well as meeting new people and making new friends.

We are always looking for new volunteers, as there are so many different activities which help the museum to run smoothly:

• If you like the outdoors, you could consider tending our farm and small animals or you taking part in our landscape conservation work on the museum’s 75 acre estate.
• If you are interested in history or museums, you could turn your hand to research or a more “hands-on” role in helping us catalogue or conserve our collection of 40,000 objects.
• If you have knowledge of engineering you could join our team looking after steam engines and other mechanical equipment
• If you like meeting the public, we are always in need of guides to show off our fabulous collections of historic buildings. We’re also grateful for help in running events on site which includes stewarding during traditional music day or working behind the bar during the Beer Festival.

You can spend as much or as little time as you wish volunteering and we welcome help throughout the year. We provide supported volunteering for individuals that benefit from supervision or need to gain skills or experience from Monday to Fridays and we are planning some family days were groups can join in with some of the museums outdoor activities.

Volunteer Newsletter:

Volunteers Newsletter March April 2012

Urgently required:

• Care and maintenance of our historic gardens
• Conservation tasks along the river walk and meadows
• Help running  events such as the beer festival
• Historical research in support of our Abbots Hall project
• Assisting the Education Officer to manage and motivate school groups to discover local history (CRB checks required)
• Traditional craftspeople to demonstrate rural heritage skills

If you would like to join our band of volunteers please contact David Tolliday, Participation Officer on  01449 612229 or eMail: david.tolliday@eastanglianlife.org.uk or via the contact form.