● Get Involved at The Retreat
Volunteering (and Other Ways to Help)
At The Retreat, we rely on volunteers to exist. If you would like to get involved, please read the rest of this page before getting in touch.
Alternatively, see our Donate page for more information, or click the button below to run a Fundraiser for The Retreat via JustGiving. These are just as important as regular volunteering!
● Commitment & competence
Who Are We Looking For?
The Retreat is looking for volunteers who can offer commitment & competence. Volunteering can be fun but is also difficult work, often involving manual labour in many different weather conditions.
No two days are the same, with activities as diverse as feeding, cleaning out, performing home checks for potential adoptees, rescue work, and fundraising.
We also have volunteers working in catering in the restaurant-cafe on site as well as helping tackle the mountains of administration work that running an animal rescue necessitates!
If you have a few hours spare each week (ideally 4+ hours) and have some skills that you feel we could use, please get in touch!
● How do I get involved?
The Process
Getting involved at The Retreat is quite simple. First of all, get in touch at the bottom of this page.
Then, if we feel there’s a task at The Retreat that you could take on, we will invite you to an interview undertaken by two members of The Retreat’s team.
This interview is important because it shows us whether you will be a fit at The Retreat; not everyone is suitable for life here, unfortunately, as we are such a tight-knit team.
Please be aware that we are looking for what you might be able to offer The Retreat, rather than what The Retreat might be able to offer you.
● What do we expect?
Conditions of Volunteering
The Retreat is very busy, and almost every day there is a new intake or two.
If a volunteer receives a placement, they are expected to commit to at least 4 hours per week. Failing to attend your placement for three consecutive weeks means the immediate termination of your placement.
At The Retreat, we expect you to treat your placement like paid employment, with commitment and respect, not only to the animals but to your team.
After a probationary period of three months, if your placement is confirmed, you may pick and choose and move from post to post. Volunteer work does not include dog work of any kind, and The Retreat does not have dog walkers.
● Contact
Request Information
