Case Studies

Across the U.K. there’s a range of exciting volunteering projects and initiatives taking place. Here are some the most interesting examples we’ve come across. If you‘d like to submit your own case study please download our Guidelines for Submitting Volunteering Case Studies

Volunteer Bloggers at the National Science and Media Museum

Wondering how to engage with the busy, values driven volunteer of the 21st century? Find out how the National Science and Media Museum are going about it with their new Volunteer Blogger role.

Find out more

Local History Cafe at Erewash Museum

Local History Café (LHC) facilitates heritage and well-being get togethers for over-50s across the Midlands, serving up monthly local history talks and creative activities. LHC offers unique volunteering opportunities by working in partnership with heritage sites, allowing volunteers to work together with Museum staff and members of the community to tackle loneliness and social isolation. At Erewash Museum, LHC drew upon an existing pool of volunteers who work in the Museum’s highly successful volunteer-run tea room, as well as welcoming new faces.

Find out more

Free UK Genealogy Digitisation Project

Free UK Geneology is an online database containing over 32 million records relating to 19th century UK censuses. It was transcribed entirely by volunteers!

Find out more

SHARE Museums East: Volunteer Awards 2017

Share Museum East’s volunteer awards are a great example of how regional groups can work together to enhance the volunteering experience.

Find out more

Kirklees Museums & Galleries: Is Heritage Volunteering Good for your Health?

Kirklees Museums & Galleries offer a range of wide range of volunteer roles. Although they had plenty of anecdotal evidence that volunteering with them had a positive impact on people’s lives they had no formal data they could shout about. As part of an Arts Council England funded project called ‘Sustainable Collections’, they were given the opportunity to commission external evaluators to assess the health and wellbeing impacts of their volunteer programme.

Find out more

If:Volunteering for wellbeing 2013 - 2017

IWM North and Manchester Museum delivered a volunteering, training and placement programme across 10 heritage venues in Greater Manchester. The project if: Volunteering for Wellbeing, or Inspiring futures (if) for short, can be viewed as an exemplar in partnership working to tackle wellbeing inequalities. volunteeringforwellbeing.org.uk

Find out more

Ripon Museum Young Volunteers Club

We combine developing heritage specific skills such as interpretation of historical resources and object handling training with transferrable skills such as working in teams, interacting with visitors and event organisation. The Club meets one Saturday morning a month and young volunteers aged 10- 25 years are involved, mainly during school holidays, special events.

Find out more

Imperial War Museums - HMS Belfast Warship Conservation Team

The Warship Conservation Volunteers team is made up from a diverse group of people, ranging from job seekers, students, full time workers to retired professionals. The more experienced members of the team actively pass on their skills to the younger members helping them learn a range of skills for the future.

Find out more

North Norfolk Stories Young Ambassador Programme.

The HLF-funded North Norfolk Stories project aims to engage more people with heritage by establishing a large-scale Museums at Night Festival in 20 venues across 11 North Norfolk towns and villages.

Find out more