Day Volunteering

Support CAT’s work sharing practical sustainable solutions, work alongside a great team, and learn new skills as a CAT day volunteer.

What does the Centre for Alternative Technology do?

CAT’s mission is to inspire, inform and enable humanity to respond to the climate and biodiversity emergency, sharing skills, knowledge, networks and tools to help people create change.

From activities for pre-schoolers through to postgraduate degrees, we work with a wide range of people and organisations to help inspire change across every sector. Key activities include our visitor centre, short courses, school and university visits, postgraduate degrees, information service and Zero Carbon Britain Hub and Innovation Lab – all supported by an incredible network of members and supporters across the UK and beyond.

As a volunteer, you will be a crucial part of this organisation, no matter which department you work in or how long you volunteer with us for.

How does day volunteering work?

Most day volunteers come in for a full work day, which is usually 9am-5pm any day from Monday to Friday, although some departments have slightly different arrangements (e.g. gardens work 9.30am-5.30pm).

There are morning and afternoon tea breaks at 11am and 4pm, and an hour for lunch at 1pm. Lunch is provided free in our on-site cafe for any volunteer working a full day.

Day volunteering is our most flexible option, allowing you to work full days, odd days, or even odd hours (if your supervisor agrees). The frequency of your volunteering is also flexible subject to discussion with your supervisor, and can be anything from five days a week to one day a month or even less.

We also pay travel expenses for day volunteers (see below).

What does CAT provide?

• Initial and ongoing training as required.
• Support and direction from a supervisor in your own department.
• An environment in which to learn new skills and gain valuable knowledge.
• The opportunity to meet new, like-minded people.
• Free lunch in our onsite café for every full day worked.
• 40% discount on most products in our shop.
• Discounted short courses:
  • ≥250 hours service = 30% off two courses
  • ≥500 hours service = 50% off two courses
• Travel expenses:
  • Car 40p per mile
  • Motorbike 24p per mile
  • Bicycle 20p per mile
  • Train fare or bus fare
  • Up to a maximum of £16.60 per week

Who are we looking for?

We’re looking for people who:

• Are enthusiastic and keen to get stuck-in with tasks, whether alone or in a team.
• Are friendly and respectful to others.
• Are reliable and dependable.
• Will follow their supervisor’s instructions and CAT’s policies and procedures.
• Have knowledge, interest or a willingness to learn about sustainability and CAT’s work.

Departments may also have other requirements, which will be detailed in the role description pages on our website.

We can accept applications for day volunteers, also known as regular (frequent) volunteers, at any time of year.

Get in touch

If you live locally or have arranged your own accommodation nearby and are interested in day volunteering, an application isn’t need. To get in touch about day volunteering, please email volunteering@cat.org.uk.