Volunteer roles

Be part of the incredible team that brings J.M.W. Turner’s house and garden to life. Engage with art and local history, experience working at a heritage property, be part of a friendly team and gain new skills.

At Turner’s House in Twickenham, volunteers engage in a wide variety of tasks. The four main volunteer roles are:

Be the face of Turner’s House: Steward

Our stewards provide a high quality, friendly and informative engagement for visitors. They deliver our front of house services and make Sandycombe Lodge accessible for as many people as possible. Download our role description: Volunteer Steward Role

Share your enthusiasm: Guide

Our guides provide a high quality, friendly and informative engagement for visitors by giving tours of Turner’s House. Download our role description: Volunteer Tour Guide Role

Inspire the next generation: Learning

Our learning team provide exciting and engaging workshops for both primary and secondary school pupils as well as weekend holiday workshops for families. Download our role description: Volunteer Learning Facilitator Role

Lend us your green thumb: Gardening

Our garden team maintains the appearance of the garden of Sandycombe Lodge and helps us to make the garden of Sandycombe Lodge accessible for as many people as possible. Download our role description: Volunteer Gardener Role

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Download our volunteer application form:

Volunteer Application Form TH 2020

To apply please send a completed application form to info@turnershouse.org or post to:

Volunteer Team, Turner’s House

Sandycombe Lodge, 40 Sandycoombe Rd

Twickenham TW1 2LR

Volunteer Policy

Download our volunteer policy: THT Volunteers Policy June 2020

Placements

Turner’s House offers 4-day work placements (Tues-Fri) for students at the end of Year 11-13 who have an interest in history, art and heritage and who aspire to pursue careers in this area. Work placement students will learn about the day-to-day running of an historic house, as well as the behind-the-scenes work that takes place in planning our public programme and caring for the house and the collection. If you are interested in a work placement at Turner’s House, please fill in an application form  and send it to info@turnershouse.org

Please be aware that we need a minimum of a months’ notice in order to organise a placement and we may not be able to accommodate your desired date-range.

 Duke of Edinburgh Award

If you would like to volunteer with Turner’s House in Twickenham for your Duke of Edinburgh Award, please email learning@turnershouse.org with the following information:

• Name
• Age
• Name of DofE Centre, and if applicable supervisor
• Number of hours of volunteering you would like to do
• Special interests

Arts Award

If you would like to volunteer with Turner’s House in Twickenham for your Arts Award, please look at the Arts Award page under Learning.

TRUSTEES FOR TURNER’S HOUSE TRUST

We are looking for two or three additional trustees to join the Board of Turner’s House Trust.

Turner’s House Trust is the registered charity responsible for Sandycombe Lodge, the house which J M W Turner designed and built in Twickenham, and in which he lived with his father. Following an extensive conservation and restoration project, the House opened to the public for the first time in 2017, its garden opened in 2018, and it is now one of the leading small cultural attractions in South West London.

As a pdf please click here: THT Trustee

Principal responsibilities of the Trustees

• Provide strategic oversight of the charity, ensuring that it fulfils its responsibilities and operates within its charitable objectives
• Ensure that systems are in place to evaluate, manage and mitigate the risks the charity faces
• Ensure that the Board maintains the sound financial health of the charity, with appropriate financial accountability
• Help develop the House through involvement in marketing, fund raising and promotional activity
• Act as an ambassador and spokesperson for the cause and the charity, and represent the charity at external functions, meetings and events
• Support and guide the full-time House Director

What difference will you make?

Since opening to the public in August 2017, Turner’s House has already attracted over 13,000 paying visitors, and has run an ambitious programme of activities and events to reach out to local schools and the wider community.  We are looking for Trustees who can secure the future of the House by helping us to make it a long-term success.  This will involve advising and contributing on matters including volunteer engagement, fundraising, marketing and the role of the House in the community.

What are we looking for?

 Personal Qualities

• A strong commitment to Turner’s House Trust and its objectives
• Excellent management skills
• Being comfortable in an ambassadorial role in public
• Tact, diplomacy and powers of persuasion, able to listen and engage effectively
• Strong networking capabilities
• Willing to go the extra mile in committing time to the charity.

Experience

• Experience of working at a senior professional level
• Active interest in, knowledge of, and understanding of, the cultural and heritage sector
• Successful track record of achievement and making a difference through his or her career
• Candidates with professional experience of business development, marketing and/or fundraising would be of particular interest

What’s in it for you?

Turner’s House is a small gem which occupies a distinctive place on London’s cultural map. The role of Trustee offers the opportunity to play a leading role in enhancing the life of the local community and to celebrate the outstanding artistic achievement of J M W Turner.  In return for your commitment, you can be assured of a personal sense of satisfaction and of the support and encouragement of the eight existing  members of the Board of Trustees, the professional staff of the House and the enthusiastic volunteer team, who will all be excited to welcome you. We will provide a tailored induction.

The Commitment

 The Board meets six times a year. Some trustees also have regular meetings with the full-time House Director or with other Board Members to discuss specific topics and may represent the charity at various public events and meetings, and in the media. Board members serve a three-year term and are eligible for re-appointment for one additional term. Trustees are not remunerated and the commitment is estimated to take up around two to three days a month. In the Board’s view the Trustee roles are best suited to individuals living within an hour’s travelling time of Twickenham.

To apply, or for more information, please contact the Vice-Chair, Michael Deriaz: mderiaz@btinternet.com.  Closing date 30th September 2020.