Become a CAT Gardens volunteers for a chance to work with and learn from our experienced gardens team, meet inspiring and interesting people, and become an integral part of what CAT does.

What does CAT 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.

Click here to learn more

What will you be doing?

As a member of the Gardening Team, you will help to keep the display gardens around our visitor centre interesting, beautiful and well looked after.

Residential volunteers help out from 09:00 to 17:00 five days a week, with breaks, usually working Monday to Friday. However, if you are on the weekend rota for watering the gardens, you will have a day off during the week.

If you’re interested in regular day volunteering, please get in touch to discuss days and times – volunteering@cat.org.uk

Gardening tasks include:

Summer (April-September)

• Daily responsibilities like watering, opening and closing polytunnels
• Using hotbeds to raise plants from seed
• Planting out
• Composting
• Lending a hand with children’s activities and engaging with visitors
• Keeping the visitor centre weeded and tidy (this often includes weeding paths)
• Maintaining the educational garden displays
• Providing some fresh produce and flowers for the CAT café

Winter (October-March)

• Daily responsibilities that may include watering, opening and closing polytunnels
• Last of the summer harvesting
• Getting the polytunnels and gardens ready for winter
• Lending a hand with children’s activities and engaging with visitors
• Winter maintenance and landscaping work
• Pruning
• Composting and leaf mould
• Building hotbeds and beginning sowing
• Spring tidying in the gardens

What does CAT provide?

• Initial and ongoing training as required
• Support and direction from a gardening supervisor
• An environment in which to develop new and existing skills
• The opportunity to meet new people
• Free on-site accommodation
• Free breakfast, lunch and dinner
• Free CAT membership for a year
• 40% off most products in our café and shop
• One free short course plus 50% off a second course
• A certificate for your contribution to CAT

Who are we looking for?

We’re looking for people who:

• have experience or are comfortable working outdoors (whatever the weather)
• enjoy living and volunteering with others
• are enthusiastic and keen to get stuck in
• are friendly and respectful of others
• are reliable and dependable
• will follow their supervisor’s instructions and CAT’s policies
• have knowledge, interest or a willingness to learn about sustainability and CAT’s work.

You will need the following up to date vaccinations and boosters:

• Diphtheria
• Polio
• Tetanus
• Hepatitis A

If you can’t or don’t wish to get any of these, you will be required to sign a disclaimer.

Apply to be a volunteer at CAT