Volunteer with us
Volunteers help run all of the Perennial gardens by offering their time, passion, support and skills. Our volunteers help maintain the gardens, welcome visitors and groups and promote the work of Perennial.
The garden was created by the late Bernard Tickner MBE (1924 - 2017). He moved to Fullers Mill in 1958 and spent over 50 years creating the garden you see today from rough scrub and woodland. In 2013, for its long term preservation, the garden was generously gifted to Perennial, the garden staff and team of volunteers help to maintain is as a wonderful visitor attraction.
If you have a few hours to spare each week and want to join our fabulous community of volunteers, we’d love to hear from you. Our current volunteering opportunities are detailed below. Please get in touch to find out more and we’ll be happy to answer any questions. If the roles below aren’t quite what you’re looking for, call us for a chat to register your interest.
You can help us to:
Look after our visitors
Volunteers who look after our visitors are essential to the gardens as they help
- Meet and greet our visitors
- Serve refreshments
We are always looking for friendly faces to greet our visitors and groups and get them set up to tour the garden and answering questions about the garden and Perennial.
- Promote the garden and the work of Perennial
- Help recruit volunteers, answer visitor questions
- Promote and sell Perennial memberships
- Sell products in the shop
Our volunteers can also help promote the crucial work of the charity and help turn a visitor into a supporter who joins our membership scheme, volunteers or fundraises for us.
What qualities are needed to volunteer with our visitors?
- A friendly attitude towards our visitors
- A great passion for the work of Perennial and a desire to promote it
- Focused on providing an engaging experience
- Confident in promoting our membership package as well as volunteer and fundraising opportunities
- Ensure visitors have a memento of their visit
Our gift shop is a big part of the to add to the visitor experience; the perfect place to find something special including gifts for the home and garden. We stock a large range of contemporary cards, stationery and giftware, including our range of Fullers Mill inspired gifts, along with tools and accessories for gardeners. We also sell our memberships in the gift shop so our visitors can then explore all of the Perennial gardens whilst supporting the charity. Jobs in the shop include, but are not limited to:
- Selling products
- Promoting and selling Perennial memberships
What qualities are needed?
- Attention to detail with the daily running of the shop
- Happy with cash handling
- Cheerful attitude to life
- Willingness to learn
- Happy to work as part of a small team in a busy environment
Benefits of this role
- Being an important part of the Fullers Mill visitor experience
- Meeting new people and making new friends
- Free annual Friends membership allowing you free entry to all three of Perennial’s gardens (Fullers Mill, York Gate and The Laskett) on all public open days and more.
- 15% off Perennial gifts and greetings cards
Work Experience and Work Placements
We are pleased to be able to offer work experience and work placements to those interested in working in horticulture. Our expert garden team will help you:
- build and develop your skills
- develop your knowledge of the industry
- grow your plant knowledge and gain hands-on experience
Please contact us using the details below for further information.
For more information or to apply please email fullersmillgarden@perennial.org.uk or call 01284 728888
