West Horsley Place Trust

Do you love history, stories, nature or arts and crafts?

At West Horsley Place we love to welcome people of all ages to enjoy the manor house and gardens, creating magical memories which will inspire a passion for creativity and history for a lifetime. We’re looking for volunteers to help us welcome children and families to the manor house during school holidays and weekends.

Volunteer activities in this role include:

• Delivering interactive family activities 
• Sharing the history of the manor house with families.
• Craft activity support
• Story reading
• Minibeast hunting
• Garden games

Key Skills and Experience

• A welcoming attitude and friendly smile
• A sense of fun and willingness to play
• Good communication skills

These activities take place during school holidays, wednesday-friday and on weekends in the run up to Christmas. Shifts are 3.5 hours in the morning or afternoon. We don’t ask for a regular commitment for these roles, but schedule our rosters around your availability, whether that’s a few times per year or a few times per week.

Our next family activity is during October Half term holiday. We are looking for friendly volunteers to support activities 30-31 October.

There will be additional opportunities in the run up to Christmas and during school holidays in 2025

Training

Find out more about volunteering with us by attending a volunteer induction. This session includes an orientation of the historic manor house and an overview of available roles. Our next volunteer induction training dates are Tue 20 Aug 2-4pm, Wed 25 Sept 10-12am, Thurs 24 Oct 2-4pm, Thurs 14 Nov 2-4pm. 

Following your induction, additional training for family activities support will be provided. We will hold a fun through of volunteer roles for Meet Father Christmas on 29 Nov at 4-5pm.

If you would like to support these activities but can’t attend the training dates please get in touch to discuss alternative training opportunities.

Posted: 13/08/24

West Horsley Place is a Grade I listed mediaeval manor house and estate of great beauty and historic significance. The manor house dates from 1425, though there has been a building on site since Saxon times. Our recent work to conserve and maintain the house has made our principal rooms safe and comfortable for public access, but the house remains on Historic England's Heritage at Risk Register.  

The West Horsley Place Trust aims to bring the house, gardens, 380-acre estate and eight Grade II listed outbuildings back into good repair and to improve people's wellbeing through art, culture, heritage & nature.

We will give people freedom to explore and discover, to create stories and become part of ours. 

VISION

• To bring about a quiet revolution in the way an historic house and estate is managed
• To be a place that improves people’s wellbeing through culture, heritage and nature

MISSION

• To be sustainable, financially, environmentally and socially
• To be a catalyst for creativity
• To conserve the listed buildings in our care so that they are no longer on the Historic England ‘at risk’ register
• To provide learning and engagement opportunities in culture, heritage and nature
• To broaden our audience by being welcoming, inclusive and accessible
• To enhance the natural landscape through increasing biodiversity and habitat connectivity