Volunteer
We run on about 2,100 unpaid hours a year. Below are the roles we are quietly looking for in 2026. If none of them fit you, write to us — we will find something.
Volunteering with the trust is not, in the main, dramatic. You will not feature in a recruitment film. You will, however, be welcomed by a small group of people who have been doing this for a long time, and who will teach you how to lay a hedge, sharpen a hoe, fold a dispatch, or run an Autumn Show stall without saying so out loud.
We do not run a formal application process. Read the roles below, then write to us at [email protected] or fill in the short form at the foot of this page. A trustee will reply within five working days.
Saturday · 09.00–12.00
Help work the Common Plot at Carr Bank from March to October. Sowing, weeding, harvesting, Friday foodbank delivery. Led by Priya Ramesh.
Saturdays in winter
Two days a winter on the western boundary at Carr Bank, working alongside the Sherwood Forest Trust teaching pair. Lunch and tea provided. Led by Martin Lee.
Spring · April & May
Help host visits from local primary schools. Set up materials, help children handle pots, talk about what grows when. Enhanced DBS check required and arranged by the trust.
Weekday afternoons
Open the tool shed on a rota afternoon. Take sign-outs, sharpen what comes back blunt, keep the clipboard tidy. Led by Stuart Wakelin.
Four times a year
An afternoon in the parish hall folding the quarterly newsletter, filling envelopes, sticking on stamps. Tea, biscuits, and conversation provided. Led by John Carter.
Autumn · September
One afternoon at the Autumn Show on 12 September 2026. Greet visitors, run the tea urn, count rosettes. Co-organised with the Mansfield Gardeners' Society.
Volunteer enquiry
Or just come and look
You don't need an appointment. You don't need to know what you want to do yet. A trustee will walk the path with you.
