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. We are currently recruiting for:

Be the face of Turner’s House: Weekend Volunteer Assistant

We are looking for someone who can help us keep our museum running efficiently one weekend a month from 11.30 to 4.30 each day.

This role will require management of the ticketing system and the shop, including cash-handling, ticket reporting and reconciliation and float management.

You will gain experience in front of house management, museum operations and visitor engagement.

You will be responsible for reporting any issues upwards, as well as the welfare and pastoral care of the volunteer teams as required. This role will be managed by our LVO.

To apply, please send the below application form and CV to Rita Piglionica learning@turnershouse.org by Thursday 19th May 2022.

Download our role description: Weekend Volunteer

Share your enthusiasm: Marketing Volunteer

Our marketing team support and deliver our social media strategy and help us share news, events, and information with the wide community. Download our role description: Volunteer Marketing Assistant

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 learning@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

Work Experience

Turner’s House offers 5-day work experience (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 learning@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

Freelance Fundraising Manager Contract

Summary of services to be provided

Reports to:     Museum Director

Address:         Turner’s House, Sandycombe Lodge, 40 Sandycoombe Road, TW1 2LR

Contract:        ~ 4 days a month (flexible working from home with opportunities to visit Turner’s House) on a 6 – 12 month contract

Rate of pay:   ~£200 per day (depending on experience)

Starting Date: 1 July 2022 or as soon as possible thereafter

For expressions of interest/ initial discussion feel free to contact Romy Murray Trustee on  romy.murray@gmail.com. To apply, please send a CV and covering letter  to romy.murray@gmail.com and museumdirector@turnershouse.org including your reasons for applying and how you meet the role specifications. Interviews will be by Zoom.

The closing date for applications is 3pm Friday 17th June 2022.

About Turner’s House

Sandycombe Lodge (Turner’s House) is the only house to be designed and lived in by the great landscape artist J.M.W. Turner. Turner’s House Trust presents Turner’s architectural design – arguably his greatest 3d art work- for the public to enjoy, to promote the work of Turner and to advance education in the arts. The Grade II* listed site opened to the public after extensive restoration in 2017 and the house and garden are typically open to the public 5 days per week between February and October. Guided tours are led by knowledgeable volunteers and received consistently high visitor feedback.

Turner’s House has an active Learning Programme including working with local schools and groups accessing our Wellbeing programme as well as an Artist in Residence placement. Our Wellbeing activities are run in partnership with Richmond MIND and Age UK and centre around Turner, heritage, and local history, as well as art and gardening wellbeing activities. Participant feedback is very good. Turner’s House holds annual exhibitions showing works loaned from national institutions and delivers events, workshops and lectures.

Overall purpose of this role

To build and sustain strong partnerships with charitable trusts, foundations, and other grant makers and to support other key fundraising initiatives.

Principal duties and responsibilities:

• Working with the Museum Director and trustees on Trustees and Foundation Fundraising, which includes:
  1. Researching and preparing applications to charitable trusts and foundations for approval & submission by a trustee/ Museum Director.
  2. Producing donor narrative, project completion & financial reports as required
  3. Keeping records and systematising & embedding Fundraising tools
  4. Ongoing identification of key propositions and budgetary needs
  5. As appropriate: development plans for other income streams (onsite & online donations, Gift Aid, fundraising appeals etc.)
• Lead on the annual Big Give Christmas Challenge appeal working with staff, volunteers and trustees.
• Support Museum Director with development of Corporate members and Sponsors:
  1. Maintain lists of key local corporate prospects (in-kind and cash), including internal “Who knows Who”
• Other duties as required

 Essential requirements

• Solid experience in fundraising in the arts and heritage sector with proven track record of raising funds and excellent management of donor relationships
• An understanding of the arts and heritage fundraising market
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, ability to create engaging fundraising materials, confidence to make approaches to donors
• The ability to act with diplomacy and confidentiality
• Good IT and social media skills
• Good project management skills
• Confidence with budgets
• Education to at least degree level or equivalent work experience
• Self-motivation, self-organisation and demonstrable initiative
• The ability to work independently and as part of a small team.

Desirable

• An interest in art, architecture and community engagement

Other information

Turner’s House is an equal opportunities employer. Applications are welcome

from all.

Exhibition Curator

Summary of Role

Turner’s House Trust are seeking proposals from freelance curators for the annual exhibition at Turner’s House, for a duration of approximately 3-4 months.

The curator will decide on the theme of the exhibition in consultation with the Director and Board of Trustees, draw up a list of loans and submit loan requests, prepare interpretation, and deliver up to three talks as part of the programme.

The exhibition takes place in one of the rooms at Turner’s House, and subjects should relate in some way to the period between 1813 and 1826 when Turner lived at the house.

Exhibitions typically comprise around five to ten loans (usually paintings or works on paper), and themes must appeal to a broad audience. The timescale for the project is from approximately March 2023 to the conclusion of the exhibition in September 2023.

The fee for the project is £1,000; unfortunately, we are not able to pay additional travel expenses.

Applications are welcomed from experienced curators and emerging scholars.

This person will:

• Make a selection of around 6-10 artworks based around a theme connecting to the period when Turner owned the House.
• With the Director, prepare and submit loan requests
• Write the text for the gallery labels and interpretation panels
• Be available to talk to the press about the exhibition
• Oversee the installation of the loans and their takedown and decide the colour of the walls of the exhibition room.
• Be available to attend the official opening of the exhibition and tour the exhibition with the invited guests
• Provide up to three physical or zoom talks about the exhibition
• Work with the Learning and Volunteer Officer and deliver two educational related events.

We are looking for:

• A freelance curator, heritage professional, emerging scholar or other professional with an interest in Turner and his times
• Previous experience of curating exhibitions and preparing interpretation is useful but not essential
• Visual flair and a passion for communicating with broad audiences
• Strong attention to detail

To submit a proposal for this project, please complete the PROPOSAL FORM, together with a CV, to the Museum Director, Matthew Morgan, housedirector@turnershouse.org by 9 May 2022.

THANK YOU!

Turner’s House Trust would like to thank all the volunteers who have given their time and skills so generously over many years to help us reach the magnificent conclusion of our project to conserve J.M.W. Turner’s house in Twickenham.  This very long list includes trustees, Friends of Turner’s House committee, guides, gardeners, stewards and many others. It is a great achievement, and couldn’t have been reached without all your help.

• Nicholas Alfrey
• Mike Axford
• Julia Bailey
• Helen Baker
• Maureen Bantock
• Kate Barlow
• Gurnam Barmi
• Bronwyn Baud
• Janis Booth
• David Bowman
• Penny Bristow
• Ingrid Brown
• Robin Bullen Jones
• Chris Byron
• Susan Cain
• Maureen Carr
• Bridget Carter
• Mike Cherry
• Poonam Chopra
• Ann Clements
• Robert Clifton
• Michael Coldman
• Patrick Connor
• Vivienne Cove
• Joy Cuff
• Dianne Cutlack
• Martin Davis
• Andrew Daws
• Giles Dixon
• Richard Drake
• Diana Dunrossil
• Stephen Enthoven
• Jennifer Espie
• Suzannah Fleming
• Don Gale
• Lyn Gale
• Hilary Gerrish
• Corina Gonzalez
• Namrata Gor
• Paul Green
• Martyn Gregory
• Catharine Griffith
• Fiona Grundy
• Ann Halliday
• Gregory Halliwell
• Gill Hardman
• Ed Harris
• Jeff Harris
• Adam Harrison
• Jayne Haysom
• Yvonne Hewitt
• Martin Hewlett
• Lisa Hillier
• Alyson Hoggart
• Fiona Holland
• David Holmes
• Ken Howard
• Laura Hussey
• Karen Iredale-Lucas
• Hazelle Jackson
• Catherine Jeffries
• Janet Jennings
• Jill Jones
• Daphne Jowit
• Ann Keay
• Samuel Kennedy
• Richard Kermack
• Maureen Lambourne
• Jackie Latham
• Cliff Leach
• Mike Leigh
• Roger Lewis
• Bruce Lyons
• Shona Lyons
• Annabelle Mark
• Victor Marquez
• Joyce Martin
• Penny Martin
• John McAslan
• Tracy McHardy
• Mary McKendry
• David Meaden
• Maureen Metzger
• Jennifer Midgley
• Francesca Mills
• Mary Milner
• Michelle Moran
• Heather Morgan
• Cornelia Morrison
• John Moses
• Bill Mount
• Romy Murray
• Sheila Murray
• Margaret Myatt
• Christopher Nell
• Jane Oldfield (Wood)
• Martin Oldham
• Ken Osbourn
• Colm Owens
• Lady Panufnik
• Catherine Parry-Wingfield
• Maurice Parry-Wingfield
• Peter Payan
• Jenny Pearce
• Jan Pethick
• Linda Pethick
• Tessa Pihlens
• Frances Platt
• Derek Plummer
• Gurjit Poonia
• Colin Porter
• Hannah Porter
• Richard Poxton
• Fiona Poynter
• Vicky Price
• Heather Ravenberg
• Lynne Reeves
• Helena Richardson
• Jacqueline Riding
• Mary Rose Rivett-Carnac
• Hilary Ruddlesden
• Roddy Rugman
• Maxine Samuels
• Margaret Saunders
• Jane Scherer
• Tony Shoebridge
• Alison Shuttle
• Annie Simpson
• Katie Sollohub
• David Souden
• Christopher Squire
• Eleanor Stanier
• Tom Stanier
• Sue Stephens
• Sara Sturgiss
• Helen Sugiyama
• Sue Swain
• Eleanor Thomas
• Hywel Thomas
• Fiona Timmins
• John Tjaardstra
• Don Turner
• Ken Vaux
• Rosemary Vaux
• Beverley Waller
• Stanley Warburton
• Jo Warmington
• Ailsa West
• Allan White
• David Williams
• Elizabeth Wilmot
• Andrew Wilton
• Elizabeth Wood
• Susan Youngs
• Robert Youngs