Volunteering at New Hall Mill

We are always delighted to welcome new volunteers who would like to assist on our Work Days or on Open Days - or ideally both! Our volunteers all become members of the Friends of New Hall Mill, so you'll often hear us referring to each other as 'Friends'.

We welcome adults of all ages, skilled or unskilled - you do not need to be an expert on mills. We encourage volunteers to slot in where they feel most comfortable. Many of the Friends have a particular area of expertise, but we also love general 'helpers' who are willing to muck in with our more experienced teams.

Volunteering on Work Days

Work Days are held at New Hall Mill every Thursday, between 10am until 4pm, with a few extra dates at the beginning of 'Mill season'. On work days, the Friends keep up their efforts to conserve, maintain, repair, and upgrade the mill buildings and grounds, and prepare the Mill for future Open Days.

Tasks that are undertaken are many and varied, ranging from repairs within the mill building, such as replacing broken drive belts, or maintenance of the garden and grounds, such as installing or rebuilding poor quality walling, upgrading paths, repainting the woodwork around the site, and growing potted plants and garden produce.

We are also in need of people with office and IT skills to help with tasks such as administration, digitisation of archives, and to act as deputies for the maintenance of the new website.

You'll find a noticeboard in the tearoom where you can check what jobs are 'priorities' or 'in progress', or if you see something particular you'd like to do, you can simply ask whether it's ok to jump in, and someone will tell you where to find the necessary tools!

Volunteering on Open Days

Our Open Days are incredibly busy, so we always welcome as many Friends as possible to help us, whether it's by the entrance gate, inside the mill, around the grounds, in the tea room, in the gift shop, or running events in the meadow.

You don't have to be a regular weekly volunteer to help on Open Days, nor do you need to be an expert on mills! We never seem to have enough pairs of hands! Young or old, or anything in between, we will welcome you with open arms.

Introductory Volunteer Events

Throughout the 'mill season' we offer regular introductory sessions for volunteers. These events fall into two main categories:

Volunteer Welcome Days

If you are considering becoming a Friend, these informal events are the perfect opportunity to meet some of our team, and perhaps some other prospective volunteers. We'll give you a tour the mill and grounds to get a feel for the kind of work we do. Pop in at any time during these sessions and we'll give you a warm welcome.

Volunteer Training Days

If you're thinking of helping at one of our Open Days, you might like to attend a dedicated Volunteer Training Day. These are structured sessions which are geared towards training new and existing volunteers to help at Open Days. You don't need any specialist knowledge - these sessions will provide all the essential information that you need to know, so you'll be confident to move around the site freely and make a valuable contribution in any areas where we need extra help. Join us at the beginning of any of these sessions!

Ready to get involved?

To find out when we're holding our next volunteer events, please visit our What's On page. We also announce most of these upcoming events in our News section.

If you'd prefer an informal visit, simply drop in to the Mill on a Thursday between 10am and 2pm. When you arrive, you can ask any of our volunteers for directions, and they will deliver you to someone who can show you around and explain what we do.

You are also welcome to contact us for a chat about the best options for you. We hope to meet you soon!