Volunteer - Blackthorn Trust

Blackthorn Trust couldn’t operate without our amazing volunteers who work in a variety of customer service and programme-support roles. Our current volunteer opportunities are detailed below.

Skills needed

Good communication skills to be able to talk to and interact with customers, staff, other volunteers and service users (vulnerable adults who have mental health conditions).
Ability to follow instructions and work unsupervised (after a short period of training).
Be a good team player who is aware of the specific role they have as an individual and how it fits into the wider team.
Be empathetic and patient.
Happy working in a busy and varied setting.
Relevant experience preferred but not is essential.

Other requirements

DBS checks are required for all Blackthorn Trust’s volunteers and staff.
All potential volunteers will be vetted during an initial face-to-face meeting to determine whether they are a good fit for the role and the team they would be joining.
All our volunteers must aged 18 or over and live in the UK (within easy travelling distance of our site in Maidstone).
For safeguarding reasons, we are careful not to offer volunteering positions to people who are themselves vulnerable.

What’s in it for you

‘give back’ to the local community
join a friendly and supportive team
learn new skills
spend time every week at our beautiful and tranquil site
meet new people
attend two volunteer ‘thank you’ events each year – a chance to socialise with people who help on other days and/or in different departments
know you are helping to make a difference to the hundreds of people who access Blackthorn Trust’s support programmes each year

Our current volunteering opportunities are:

Baking Workshop volunteers

Baking workshop volunteers are needed to work helping with workshops for people attending our programmes that support people with mental health conditions. DBS checks are required for all Blackthorn Trust’s volunteers and staff.

Baking workshop volunteers are required to help service users to complete tasks and operate equipment safely in a supportive environment.

Time commitment: A minimum of 1 weekday per week (9.30am to 1pm) – this role is often combined with that of Café Volunteer with people assisting in the workshop in the morning and in the Café in the afternoon.

Café volunteers

Café volunteers are needed to work serving customers and helping with food preparation. Our busy café is open weekdays 10am to 3pm, providing a range of hot meals, cakes and drinks for staff, service users and the public. DBS checks are required for all Blackthorn Trust’s volunteers and staff.

Volunteer duties are varied (e.g. assisting service users, taking customers’ orders, serving food and drinks, taking payments, washing up, helping prepare food etc.). Café volunteers are required to work as part of a team, sometimes without the supervision of paid staff.

Time commitment: A minimum of 1 weekday per week (9.45am to 3.30pm).

Charity Shop volunteers

Charity Shop volunteers are needed to work serving customers and sorting donations. Shop volunteers also help with retail workshops for people attending our programmes that support people with mental health conditions.

Volunteers work both front of house (assisting customers, taking payments, tidying stock etc.) and sorting/pricing donations. Our charity shop is open weekdays 10am to 3pm. DBS checks are required for all Blackthorn Trust’s volunteers and staff.

Time commitment: A minimum of 1 weekday per week (9.50am to 3.10pm).

Craft Workshop volunteers

Craft workshop volunteers are needed to work helping with workshops for people attending our programmes that support people with mental health conditions. DBS checks are required for all Blackthorn Trust’s volunteers and staff.

Craft workshop volunteers are required to help service users to complete tasks and operate equipment safely in a supportive environment.

Time commitment: A minimum of 1 weekday per week (9am to 4pm).

Garden Maintenance volunteers

Garden maintenance volunteers are needed to help with a variety of gardening tasks around the site. DBS checks are required for all Blackthorn Trust’s volunteers and staff.

Garden maintenance volunteers are required to work unsupervised when the Gardener is absent. The volunteers need to be physically fit and well as the tasks they are required to do include mowing, strimming, weeding, watering etc.

Time commitment: A minimum of 1 weekday per week (9am to 4pm) – we currently need a volunteer for Mondays or Fridays.

Garden Workshop volunteers

Garden workshop volunteers are needed to work helping with workshops for people attending our programmes that support people with mental health conditions. DBS checks are required for all Blackthorn Trust’s volunteers and staff.

Garden workshop volunteers are required to help service users to complete tasks and operate equipment safely in a supportive environment.

Garden workshop volunteers are required to work unsupervised when the Garden Workshop leader is in meetings or is absent; this will sometimes involve running a workshop for service users with tasks set by the Garden Workshop Leader. Volunteers need to be physically fit and well as they are required to do a variety of tasks around our site and in the extensive kitchen garden.

Time commitment: A minimum of 1 weekday per week (9am to 4pm) – we currently need volunteers for workshops taking place on Tuesdays or Thursdays.

Plant Nursery Workshop volunteers

Plant nursery workshop volunteers are needed to work helping with workshops for people attending our programmes that support people with mental health conditions. DBS checks are required for all Blackthorn Trust’s volunteers and staff.

Plant nursery workshop volunteers are required to help service users to complete tasks and operate equipment safely in a supportive environment.

Plant nursery workshop volunteers are required to work unsupervised when the Garden Workshop leader is in meetings or is absent; this will sometimes involve running a workshop for service users with tasks set by the Garden Workshop Leader. Volunteers need to be physically fit and well as they are required to move equipment for use in the workshops and to assist with the extensive watering needed for the nursery plants (including the plant stock available for sale to the public).

Time commitment: A minimum of 1 weekday per week (9am to 4pm) – we currently need volunteers for workshops taking place on Mondays or Wednesdays.

Woodcraft Workshop volunteers

Woodcraft workshop volunteers are needed to work helping with workshops for people attending our programmes that support people with mental health conditions. DBS checks are required for all Blackthorn Trust’s volunteers and staff.

Woodcraft workshop volunteers are required to help service users to complete tasks and operate equipment safely in a supportive environment – carpentry or woodworking experience is preferred but not essential.

Time commitment: A minimum of 1 weekday per week – we currently need volunteers for woodcraft workshops taking place on Mondays (9.30am to 4pm) or Fridays (9.30am to 1pm).