Welcome to North East Museums Volunteering
Volunteers are essential to the work that we do. You can help to ensure our 12 museums and galleries are innovative, imaginative, creative, totally inclusive, secure and sustainable.
In turn, volunteering can help you to develop new skills and interests, meet friendly, like-minded people, gain confidence and a sense of well-being, and even strengthen your CV.
We want all our volunteers to have an enjoyable and rewarding time and to feel part of the team that delivers a world class museums service to the communities of the North East and beyond.
So why not come and join us?
How volunteering with us works:
Take a look at the roles available listed below. Please note, we are only recruiting for the roles advertised.
New opportunities are added regularly so please check back if you’re looking for a specific role.
Explore the venues recruiting below and click on the role title to find out more and apply.
When volunteer application forms are received, you are invited to attend an induction.
After you attend an induction, you are then accepted into our volunteering pool and can sign up to available roles that interest you.
Applications are currently open and will close on 10th April 2026 at 12Pm.
Roles available at the Discovery Museum
| Activity | Shifts | Start | End | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event Support - Discovery Nights - Wonder Women | 1 | 3/6/2026 | 3/6/2026 | |
| Steam to Green - VR Headset gallery support | 22 | 2/20/2026 | 9/4/2026 | |
Roles available at Great North Museum: Hancock
| Activity | Shifts | Start | End | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great North Museum: Hancock Half Term Support | 13 | 2/14/2026 | 3/1/2026 | |
| Time Odyssey Support (schools) | 9 | 2/5/2026 | 3/24/3026 | |
| Treasure: Hidden, Lost, Found. Gallery Steward | 52 | 3/28/2026 | 9/20/2026 | |
Volunteer Opportunities at Hatton Art Gallery
| Activity | Shifts | Start | End | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gallery Invigilator - HAPPY! | 140 | 2/14/2026 | 5/9/2026 | |
| Gallery Invigilator - HAPPY! Briefing | 1 | 2/11/2026 | 2/11/2026 | |
This category is for volunteer opportunities that are not venue specific but are core to the entire organisation.
| Activity | Shifts | Start | End | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 05/02/2026 New volunteer induction- in person at the discovery museum. | 1 | 2/5/2026 | 2/5/2026 | |
| 09/02/2026 New volunteer induction- online via teams | 1 | 2/9/2026 | 2/9/2026 | |
| 17/02/2026 - New Volunteer Induction session - in person at Discovery Museum | 1 | 2/17/2026 | 2/17/2026 | |
| Access to Volunteering group | 1 | |||
| Activity | Shifts | Start | End | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Creative Conversation Facilitator | 1 | |||
| Family Craft Support-School holidays | 8 | 2/20/2026 | 10/27/2026 | |
Volunteer roles at South Shields Museum and Art Gallery
| Activity | Shifts | Start | End | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gallery Steward- National Gallery Masterpiece Tour : Monet exhibition | 61 | 2/5/2026 | 3/25/2026 | |
| Monet Exhibition- Survey Facilitator | 23 | 2/10/2026 | 3/14/2026 | |
| Monet Exhibition- Wellbeing Weekend Host | 2 | 2/7/2026 | 3/21/2026 | |
Volunteer roles at Stephenson Steam Railway
Volunteers are needed to help maintain and operate our heritage railway, the North Tyneside Steam Railway, which runs passenger trains on selected days from Easter until early November.
| Activity | Shifts | Start | End | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carriage and Wagon Volunteer | 1 | |||
| Train Operations | 1 | |||
| Waggonway Tea Room - Tea Room Assistants | 1 | |||
Volunteer roles in Tyne and Wear Archives
| Activity | Shifts | Start | End | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archives inspired craft support | 4 | 2/6/2026 | 2/13/2026 | |
Our mission is to welcome and connect people to the past, present and future of the North East through stories, shared spaces and experiences.
We will help people understand and act on local and global challenges:
