Here is the list of voluntary roles that we need help with. Read more about volunteering with us.
We are very easygoing, no commitment is expected, even just offering one hour once a month would be wonderful. We meet twice a week on Tuesdays 10 – 12 & Sundays 11 – 1 but have many other opportunities to volunteer with us.
Please fill in our volunteer form if you are interested in helping in any of them.
Community Orchard Stewards.
Nurturing our edible forest garden & orchard, planting, composting, pruning, propogating.
Nature Reserve Rangers.
Looking after 28 acres of woodlands, moorland, habitats, meadows and paths.
Veggie Cultivators.
Growing & harvesting vegetables, plant & soil care in our communal veggie gardens. Preparing beds, organic pest and weed control, seasonal planting, watering.
Wildlife Recorders / Surveyors.
Surveying, identification and recording of wildlife. This role can be split into various roles focussing on different categories: Birds, Reptiles, Amphibians, Mammals, Invertebrates (insects, spiders, snails, worms)
Tree & Plant ID Team.
Help map and identify our trees using what3words app and photos.
Composting Champions
Collect food waste from cafes, businesses, household collection points using our Electric bike.
Seed Savers / Seed Swap Co-ordinator
Saving seed from wildflowers and vegetables. Maintaining our seed swap box.
Apple Press / Cider Makers / Preservers.
Using the orchard’s surplus fruit to make apple juice, cider & preserves.
Refreshments Co-ordinators.
Organises tea breaks for volunteers, ensuring everyone stays refreshed.
Publicity / Social Media officers
To write articles for the newspaper, posts for social media and blogs for the website.
Events Co-ordinators & Organisers
We hold regular events in the orchard, Wassail, Apple Day, Easter fun days, Solstice evenings, Halloween events etc. The Events co-ordinators and organisers would help organise and manage these events. Ensuring risk managements are sufficient and relevant licences are obtained.
Core Cafe Cooks.
Cook food for orchard events & workshops using home grown produce from the orchard.
Core Cafe Hosts
Greeting people who arrive at workshops in the Core, providing everyone with refreshments, promoting volunteering opportunities.
Core Cafe Cleaners
Helping to tidy up and clean the Core.
Toolsmiths.
Help maintain and repair our tools, keeping them sharp, functional, and well-organized.
Repair cafe Fix-it Specialists / Master Tinkerers.
Handymen, Carpenters, repairers of clothing, electrical appliances, bicycles, furniture.
Youth & Education Leads
To run fun activities and work opportunities with young adults and children. For example to run Wildlife Watch groups and nature walks which enable young people to discover and explore their local environment. Liasing with schools, nurseries, organising work experience opportunities for students. To assist with Duke of Edinburgh assessing of DofE students.
Tree Adoptions Officer
To arrange tree adoptions in the wildlife reserve. Involves arranging, booking, choosing a suitable tree, finding the what3words, personalise a certificate from template, send certificate and keep a record of adopted trees.
Events Co-ordinators & Organisers
We hold regular events in the orchard, Wassail, Apple Day, Easter fun days, Solstice evenings, Halloween events etc. The Events co-ordinators and organisers would help organise and manage these events. Ensuring risk managements are sufficient and relevant licences are obtained.
Publicity / Social Media officer
To write articles for the newspaper, posts for social media and blogs for the website. To monitor the content of the organisation’s social media ‘chats’
Time Credits Reporting
A desk role, inputting volunteer recorded hours into an Excel document and entering them into Time Credits website to give all volunteers credits for spending.
Work Party Team Leader
The volunteer’s Work Party Team Leader provides support and supervision at regular work parties.
Required: Volunteer Management course / Safeguarding course / First Aid & DBS check.
Volunteer Co-ordinator
The volunteer coordinator’s responsibilities include recruiting and training new volunteers, keeping a database of volunteer information and skills, matching volunteers to opportunities that suit their skills, keeping volunteers informed, and conveying the organization’s purpose to the volunteers.
Volunteer representative
To liase with orchard volunteers, discuss concerns or ideas that volunteers may have and report back to the Committee members and the Directors at meetings.
Orchard & Nature Reserve Project Managers
The Project Manager is responsible for the overall management of the land, ensuring that the management plan is adhered to. This includes organising and overseeing of projects and organising volunteers to do the work involved.
Horticultural officers
Someone who advises on looking after the Orchard / Forest garden. With experience in permaculture, forest gardening, pruning and fruit trees.
Health & safety & training officer
To ensure that health and safety policies are up to date and being adhered to. Coordinating health and safety training, including induction training, manual handling training, fire training, first-aid training and specialist training in risk assessment and health and safety management. To ensure that accident records are kept and monitored and that any appropriate actions resulting from reviews are put into action. To organise DBS certificates for those who need them.
Membership Secretary
This involves receiving applications and keeping records of members of the orchard.
Risk Management Officer
To update the risk assessment documents when necessary, make sure that there are suitable risk assessments at each event and ensure that everything has been done to ensure that they are followed.
Safeguarding officer
Responsible for implementing and reviewing your organisation’s safeguarding policies and procedures to ensure they are always up to standard, and always reflect the most recent laws and regulations. To ensure that everyone in the organisation is aware of the safeguarding policies your organisation has in place and what to do if they have a safeguarding concern. As an organisation’s Safeguarding Officer, it will be your responsibility to record all the information you receive about a safeguarding concern and report it to relevant parties. The role of a Safeguarding Officer is constantly changing, and it’s vital to keep up to date with the latest developments in safeguarding rules and regulations. This organisation will recommend and support you to attend training sessions wherever possible to stay up to date.
Finance Funding Director
To work with funding applications and skills in financial management and fund raising. To contribute particularly to the organisation’s strategic planning, fund raising, and financial management and qualitative reporting. To oversee the work of the Assistant Treasurer/Bookkeeper and providing close scrutiny to the financial operations while supporting the strategic aims and objectives of St Ives Orchard CIC. To assist with the submission of all required financial documents.
Management Committee
The organisation is run by St Ives Orchard Community Interest Company. The CIC has 6 directors and a group of Members with a Chair, Clerk and Treasurer. These are all volunteer roles. The Directors and Members have the responsibility for directing the activity of the organisation, ensuring it is well run and delivering the outcomes for which it has been set up. There is a yearly AGM where the roles are chosen, sometimes people step down from these roles or the terms come to an end and new volunteers are nominated.
The management committee should provide leadership to the organisation by:
- Setting the strategic direction to guide and direct the activities of the organisation;
- Ensuring the effective management of the organisation and its activities;
- Monitoring the activities of the organisation to ensure they are in keeping with the CIC aims and objectives.
Members
Members are responsible for collective decisions to ensure that the company is run in such a way that it will continue to satisfy the mission and aims of the CIC. Members are expected to attend at least one meeting a year and are able to vote at meetings.
Chairperson
The Chairperson ensures that the management committee functions properly, that there is full participation at meetings, all relevant matters are discussed and that effective decisions are made and carried out.
- To plan and run meetings in accordance to the governing document.
- To ensure matters are dealt with in an orderly, efficient manner.
- To bring impartiality and objectivity to meetings and decision-making.
- To plan for recruitment and renewal of the Management Committee.
Clerk
A secretarial role to support the chair in ensuring the smooth functioning of the meetings. To ensure arrangements for meetings are met. To check that quorum is present. To take notes of the meeting, recording the key points and making sure that all decisions and proposals are recorded, as well as the name of the person or group responsible for carrying them out. Make sure action points are clear. After the meeting, to prepare a draft of the minutes and consult the Directors for approval.
Treasurer
- Ensures that funds are being spent in accordance with the group’s aims and objectives and that money given for a specific purpose can be seen to have been used correctly. Keeps accurate up-to-date financial records
- Keeps receipts for money in and money.
- Works closely with the Chair and other committee members – report feedback to committee at each meeting.
Directors
Directors oversee and direct the company and ensure that the organisation follows its mission, vision and values and complies with its governing document, company law and any other relevant legislation or regulations. They put appropriate policies and procedures in place and carry overall responsibility for the financial stability and sustainability of the organisation, as well as the appointment, support and supervision of volunteers, members and staff. Directors keep informed about wider issues and policies that might affect the organisation’s work, attend and contribute to meetings and also use specific skills, knowledge or experience to help the board reach sound decisions.
Benefits of Volunteering
- Give back to your Community!
Be part of a hands-on team that’s actively improving our local green spaces for everyone to enjoy. - Support Nature and Wildlife!
Help us create a safe haven for local wildlife and support biodiversity in our community. - Get Fit & Feel Great!
Outdoor work keeps you fit & healthy while being surrounded by nature’s beauty. - Boost your Mental Wellbeing!
Volunteering can reduce stress, ease anxiety, and combat feelings of depression. It’s a chance to develop social skills, learn new things, and find a real sense of purpose - Free Fruit & Veg
We grow plenty of fruit & veg that we share out with volunteers & community. - Learn New Skills!
Increase your knowledge of tree care, tree id, pruning, propogating, vegetable growing, composting, permaculture, seed saving, cooking and more. - Build Connections & Friendships!
Meet like-minded people and form friendships with others who care about the environment and their community. - Enhance Your CV with Valuable Experience.
We can provide references and training certificates to recognize your efforts—this experience can really stand out to future employers! - Be Part of Something Bigger!
Join us in making a lasting impact on our environment and community. Your time and skills will help make a real difference, and we can’t wait to welcome you to the team! -
Ready to Make a Difference?
Join us in creating a lasting impact on our environment and community. We can’t wait to welcome you to the team!
Current Roles:
- Directors – Rupert Manley, Elise Langley, Phoebe Sampson, Joshua Quick, Elise Worrall, Phil Heasman
- Members committee: Over 20 members on our committee
- Nature Reserve Project Manager – Rupert Manley
- Orchard Project Manager – Elise Langley
- Core Project Manager – Phoebe Sampson
- Events Co-Ordinators – Elise Langley & Phoebe Sampson
- Time Credits reporting – Elise Langley
- Members Secretary: Sue Smith
- Work Party Team Leaders: Elise Langley / Rupert Manley / Paul Richards / Gisela Ager / Pene Reynoldson
- Health & Safety: Pene Reynoldson
- Safeguarding: Elise Langley & Pene Reynoldson
- Publicity Officers: Elise Langley, Josh Quick, Phoebe Sampson & Lizzie Stevens
- Website administrator – Elise Langley
- Wildlife Record Officer: Mattie Pochee
- Vegetable Growing Co-ordinator: Trace Chandler
- Beekeeper: Duwayne Langley
- Horticultural Officer – Joshua Quick
- First aiders: Paul Richards / Rupert Manley / Gisela Ager / Alex Lee / Phoebe Sampson / Lynn Archard / Mattie Pochee / Anne Hastings / Duwayne Langley / Elise Langley / Pene Reynolds
- Chair – Phoebe Sampson
- Clerk – Lynn Archard
- Treasurer – Sue Smith