Volunteering: Find an Opportunity

British Waterways - Regular Canal Clean up Crew This opportunity would see you working regularly with the Volunteer leader and other volunteers completing tasks such as towpath tidying, painting, wildflower planting or whatever is necessary that particular week to ensure the local canal area is kept accessible to all.
Opportunities Available:
Practical, recording and monitoring
What's in it for you: This is an opportunity to learn new skills, get out in the fresh air, and meet new people - but its also valuable experience for your CV. You don't need to commit to attending every time -get in touch to find out when the next volunteer day is taking place.
Key Skills Required: Conservation/ecology/leadership experience or qualifications an advantage, though not essential.
Training Offered: Health and safety and basic equipment training on practical work days, plus wildlife Identification, Surveying, leadership and project management accreditations as appropriate
Nearest waterway: Leeds - Liverpool
Email: hazel.mayow@thewaterwaystrust.co.uk
Website: www.waterwaysactionsquad.com

British Waterways - Restoration of an Ancient Monument Bugsworth Canal Basin was the largest and busiest inland port on Britain's narrow canal system and the only one to survive intact but by the 1960s it was derelict and almost lost under vegetation. Volunteers of the Inland Waterways Protection Society (IWPS) have restored the site over three decades through a combination of knowledge, dedication and the sheer determination to bring the site back to life. Although boats can now moor at the Basin again, improvements and development are still needed so we will be working with the IWPS to preserve the historic structures and industrial archaeology. Find out more at http://www.brocross.com/iwps/
Opportunities Available:
Practical
What's in it for you: This is an opportunity to learn new skills, get out in the fresh air, and meet new people - but its also valuable experience for your CV. If there is a particular activity or aspect of the canal ecosystem, engineering or archaeology that fits with your course we would be more than happy to help you set it up as a project or dissertation as long as you agree to abide by IWPS Health and Safety regulations, and share any data you might collect.
Key Skills Required: Just a willingness to get involved, and awareness of your own and other people's safety.
Training Offered: Full Health and safety and equipment training will be given on practical work days, plus Wildlife Identification, Surveying, Leadership, Customer Service and project management accreditations as appropriate for longer term involvement.
Nearest waterway: Peak Forest Canal
Email: hazel.mayow@thewaterwaystrust.co.uk
Website: www.waterwaysactionsquad.com

British Waterways - Volunteer Auditor placement opportunity A unique work experience post has arisen for someone within our small internal audit team. This is a prime opportunity to understand the workings of an internal audit department. You will be exposed to various parts of the business and gain experience in performing checks and understanding some of the financial procedures. Full support will be offered so that you are able to perform your tasks successfully.
We are currently offering three month placements to provide experience of internal auditing, which involves planning and testing financial transactions and preparation of documentation summarising the test results.
Opportunities Available:
Recording and monitoring
What's in it for you: The Auditor assignment has the objective of delivering benefit to BW by:
*helping check and measure the accuracy of our financial procedures
*identifying improvements in efficiency and effectiveness.

The period within Internal Audit should allow the volunteer to obtain:
*knowledge of audit and financial procedures
*information and computer skills
*best practice from working in a professional team
*knowledge of typical structures in a large organisation.

For those with previous experience of auditing the assignment offers a renewal of work practice, keeping skills up to date and different methods of working.
Key Skills Required: As well as a good education, preferably a graduate, you will need computer skills, an enquiring mind and an ability to analyse data and communicate with colleagues. The audit department requires very high accuracy levels from its auditors and tidy work.
Training Offered: Any necessary training as required to carry out the role, plus ongoing mentoring support from Task Manager & team members.
Nearest waterway: Various
Email: cassie.weaver@britishwaterways.co.uk

British Waterways - Volunteer Bridge Inspector British Waterways has approximately 970 public road bridges that form part of Britains transport infrastructure. Used by thousands of vehicles every day, the bridges vary in size and form; from brick/masonry arches and short span flat deck bridges our bridges were constructed up to 200 years ago.
British Waterways carries regular, statutory principal inspections on these bridges, ensuring that future maintenance is identified and risks to the public are controlled.
We are looking for a helping hand to get involved with our inspections. This role would allow existing or retired engineers the chance to put their skills to good use and maintain up to date knowledge of current bridge inspection practise.
The task you would be involved in includes reviewing a bridges history, inspecting the bridge on site, reporting on the condition and updating records.
The bridges are inspected to a programme and may be located anywhere on a waterway in England, Wales or Scotland.
Opportunities Available:
Practical, recording and monitoring
What's in it for you: A chance to be involved in a professional team, ensuring nationally important structures are cared for as the waterways progress to charitable status.
This is the chance to have a positive impact on your local waterway; We will provide all the necessary training, clothing, equipment and reasonable out of pocket expenses.
Key Skills Required: Ideally Chartered Civil engineer with experience in bridge inspections.
Training Offered: All necessary training as appropriate and depending upon how long you volunteer with us.
Nearest waterway: Role available nationally
Email: cassie.weaver@britishwaterways.co.uk

British Waterways - Volunteer Retail & Catering Assistant, Standedge Tunnel & Visitor Centre The Standedge Tunnel & Visitor Centre sits on the banks of the historic Huddersfield Narrow Canal, attracting around 35,000 visitors to the canal and Pennines each year. Volunteers helped restored the canal through here and help keep it alive now. As a volunteer Retail & Catering Assistant you will be a part of the team helping to serve customers and handling their enquiries at this small but busy visitor attraction.
Opportunities Available:
Customer service
What's in it for you: As a Volunteer Retail & Catering Assistant you will be part of small but busy team. Through this role you will gain a great deal of satisfaction from being able to make a difference for waterway users, whether they are a local community group enjoying a trip out or a family enjoying their first canal holiday, your help and interaction will leave them with a positive impression of your local canal and British Waterways as a whole.
You will receive reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses and appropriate training.
Key Skills Required: You will need excellent interpersonal skills for dealing with customers face to face and good organisational skills as you will be required to switch between cafÃ�ï¿½Ã�Â© and retail roles depending upon demand. You should pay attention to detail and be trustworthy and reliable.
Training Offered: Training will be offered as apporpriate in customer services, safety and food hygiene.
Nearest waterway: Huddersfield Narrow Canal
Email: info@standedge.co.uk
Website: www.standedge.co.uk

British Waterways - Volunteer Visitor Guide, Standedge Tunnel & Visitor Centre The Standedge Tunnel & Visitor Centre sits on the banks of the historic Huddersfield Narrow Canal, attracting around 35,000 visitors to the canal and Pennines each year. Volunteers helped restored the canal through here and help keep it alive now.

You will be the face of the Visitor Centre, playing a key role in the enjoyment of the visitor experience and ensuring visitors leave with a greater understanding and affinity to the waterways.

You will be on hand to talk to visitors, increasing their understanding of the exhibits, enlightening them to the work that British Waterways carries out and informing them about the boat trips on offer. You will also be able to inform visitors of other nearby waterway attractions they may also like to visit whilst in the area, alongside answering a range of general enquiries.
Opportunities Available:
Interpretation and promotion, customer service
What's in it for you: You will get the chance to work with a wide range of people, both BW staff and our customers. Enjoy the satisfaction of being able to make a difference to waterway visitors, whether they are an individual, a family enjoying their first canal holiday or a local school or community group, your help and interaction will leave them with a positive impression of your local canal and British Waterways as a whole.

All relevant training for the role will be included as part of the induction or ongoing personal development process. You will receive reimbursement of reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred as a result of carrying out this role.
Key Skills Required: You will need:
Enthusiasm for your local waterways.
A basic understanding of the canal and local area.
Excellent interpersonal skills for dealing with visitors face to face.
You must be trustworthy and reliable.
Training Offered: Training will be offered as appropriate to the role and the individual and may includein dealing with people, working with children and all appropriate safety training.
Nearest waterway: Huddersfield Narrow Canal
Email: info@standedge.co.uk
Website: www.standedge.co.uk

British Waterways - Volunteering Development Assistant (North) Waterways volunteering has a rich history but not within British Waterways. This is changing.
The new Volunteering Team is developing a wide array of volunteering opportunities with teams across the organisation and there is a growing number of volunteers within BW. We want to ensure that we celebrate these roles and promote new opportunities as they come up. As BW moves from the public sector to the charitable/Civil Society sector, its a dynamic and exciting time to be at the forefront of our development.
Get in contact if you are able to (and interested in):
*Promoting BW Volunteering across the North of England through social media, principally Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin
*Maintaining the BW Volunteer database, training records etc. *Visiting sites/offices to meet volunteers, take photos, create short films, carry out interviews, on site evaluation etc. and collate info (site visits)
*Planning and manage volunteer displays across area, putting into volunteer centres, volunteering fairs etc and promotion internally at northern BW offices. (site visits)
*Attending appropriate events to promote volunteering with BW (site visits)
To apply please send a short cover letter detailing your motivations, skills and any relevant experience to cassie.weaver@britishwaterways.co.uk.
Opportunities Available:
Interpretation and promotion, practical, recording and monitoring
What's in it for you: The opportunity to use existing marketing skills and/or develop news ones to help shape volunteering in what will be the newest charity in the country in April 2012.
You will work within the national volunteering team with links to our national marketing team. Proactive marketing of volunteering is limited, so you will be able to help change this.
Reasonable out of pocket expenses will be paid and any appropriate training as required to carry out the task.
Key Skills Required: We are looking for someone who is IT literate (using the main Windows applications), has good communication skills, the ability to work within a team but with a good degree of self motivation.
You should have your own transport or a willingness/ability to make site visits around the country.
Training Offered: A full induction will give a clear understanding of BW.
All relevant safety training will be given and other opportunities will be assessed and provided as appropriate.
Nearest waterway: Various across the north
Email: cassie.weaver@britishwaterways.co.uk

British Waterways - Waterway Administrator Volunteer Business Support Team This role you will work with the busy Administration team at Northwich, British Waterways Office. Supporting all parts of the organisation the overall purpose of the role is to deliver administrative services to colleagues.
You will
Deliver great customer service through excellent communication skills with customers face-to-face, via email/letter and telephone.
You will use technical systems and agreed processes including a finance computer package
Undertake tasks including data entry into spreadsheets & SAP database, word processing, stock control, sorting & distributing PPE/Workwear, scanning documents, sorting & franking post, filing.
Greeting visitors at Reception and helping them to sign in. Issuing security passes. Taking & recording payments (e.g. for licence/mooring fees).
Opportunities Available:
Customer service
What's in it for you: This is an excellent opportunity to gain reception, customer service experience and develop useful administrative skills.
Key Skills Required: A good basic knowledge of MS Word, MS Excel & MS Outlook. Cheerful, customer friendly disposition, articulate.
Excellent written English grammar.
Training Offered: IT training if required
Customer service training
Nearest waterway: North Wales and Borders
Email: Lesley.beard@britishwaterways.co.uk

British Waterways - Waterway Ranger, North West (various locations) At British Waterways, we are extremely proud of our 2,200-mile waterway network, and we want to make sure that as many people as possible can enjoy it. As a result we take customer service and safety seriously, and are looking for individuals to join us as the local eyes, ears and mouths on our waterways.

As a Waterway Ranger you will regularly walk or cycle lengths of your local waterway to offer a unique and direct service to all customers using the towpaths and waterway in order to enhance the customer experience. You will carry out tasks such as talking to visitors; leading guided walks; ensuring our information is up to date and reporting problems.

You will also be involved in assisting customers with mooring and licensing enquiries, offering general information in order to promote the waterways as a leisure destination, assisting at key events and with education projects. In addition you may also wish to assist the local team with minor towpath repairs, painting and general small scale maintenance duties along the canal.

Locations for this role include; Sefton, Blackburn & Burnley, Bingley, Newlay & Forge and River to Spring Garden Lock on the Leeds-Liverpool Canal and the Lancaster Canal.

To apply please send a short cover letter detailing your motivation for this role and any relevant skills and experience to cassie.weaver@britishwaterways.co.uk. Closing date Monday 28th February
Opportunities Available:
Customer service
What's in it for you: This is the chance to have a positive impact on your local waterway; helping it look its best; and helping other local people to value and appreciate it. We will provide all the necessary training, clothing, equipment and reasonable out of pocket expenses.
Key Skills Required: Enthusiasm and willingness to help others are essential qualities for this role. You will need the desire and drive to make a positive impact in your local community and must be happy working outdoors, both with the public and on your own.
A common sense approach and awareness of health and safety issues are desirable.
The ability to ride a bicycle is beneficial although not essential.
Training Offered: Any training as appropriate to carry out the task.
Nearest waterway: Various across North West
Email: cassie.weaver@britishwaterways.co.uk

British Waterways - Web Designer / UX Engineer Work with British Waterways'(BW) web development team to improve websites under BW's portfolio, this includes waterscape.com, which attracts almost three million visitors a year, to make it a more interactive and user friendly site.
BW is looking for someone brimming with ideas, who keeps up with web related trends and has a passion for online design to work with the web development team to make its websites more interactive and user friendly.
Opportunities Available:
Interpretation and promotion, customer service
What's in it for you: We offer the chance to work in a busy web development team as part of the wider marketing department at an exciting time for BW as we progress our plans to move from the public sector into the third sector.
The volunteer will be able to influence our online presence so by the time we move to the third sector we have a top notch website worthy of a dynamic and forward thinking charity.
As well as working with colleagues all around the business, there will also be opportunities to engage with a wide range of audiences from boaters, anglers, cyclists to the general public who live, work and play by the waterways.
Key Skills Required: We are looking for someone who not only has a passion and a flair for design, but who can make the mundane usable and has the ability to work with existing style guides that encompass whole websites and extend them for the web.
Experience with a major graphics package would be beneficial, e.g. Photoshop, Fireworks, GIMP.
Experience and examples of any existing web focused work would also be greatly appreciated.
Training Offered: We will brief you on the existing style guidelines that exist and carry out an induction.
Nearest waterway: Grand Union
Email: Paul.morgan@britishwaterways.co.uk
This is a home-based role.

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