Why should I volunteer?

As a small museum, we can give a more personal volunteering experience.

Our friendly team of volunteers makes us perfect for making new friends, and you can learn new things in a calm and informal space.

You can also volunteer knowing you’re playing an important role in keeping the House open to the public and passing on Elizabeth’s story to more and more people.

What our volunteers think

“(Volunteering) gives me something to look forward to every week and I have formed positive connections with others. It offers a balance to my working week which makes me much happier and able to cope with work.” – Tracy, current volunteer

“Elizabeth Gaskell’s House is a great place to volunteer no matter what experience you have. While working with an amazing team, it is also fulfilling to assist in sharing Elizabeth Gaskell’s legacy.” – Lauren, former volunteer

“Volunteering has had a huge impact in my life. Starting to volunteer as a teenager, I learnt a breadth of skills which I then applied to future jobs and applications. I learnt front-of-house visitor facing skills from the front desk and Tea Room as well as more behind the scenes work helping at events and projects. I learnt about how an independent historic house works and what it takes to maintain a building open to visitors. The small team at the House makes it easy to get to know everyone and access a breadth of knowledge and experience, which is often harder to reach at bigger organisations.” – Rana, former volunteer

“The volunteers and staff were all very warm and welcoming, and always enthusiastic and motivating to work with! I always looked forward to chatting to them in the morning briefings.” – Ben, former volunteer

“In my ten years there has rarely been a day’s volunteering that hasn’t been enjoyable and interesting. If you are prepared to be enthusiastic and flexible about the tasks you are asked to do you will quickly become part of a friendly team.” – Jane, current volunteer