Volunteer Groups in Durham

Durham runs on volunteers more than most visitors realise. The steward who greets you at the cathedral door, the person pricing jumpers in a Claypath charity shop and the people working on conservation tasks along the river are very often giving their time for free. Whether you have recently retired, moved to the city, want experience for a CV or simply fancy getting out of the house once a week, there is a good spread of options within walking distance of the Market Place. Here is our guide to the main volunteer groups in Durham and how to get involved.

Start here: the volunteer centre

Durham Community Action

If you are not sure what you want to do, begin with Durham Community Action. The charity acts as the volunteer centre for County Durham, helping people new to volunteering find something that suits them and supporting the groups that take volunteers on. It runs the County Durham Volunteering website (countydurhamvolunteering.org.uk), where you can register, then search opportunities by type and by location, including a Durham City filter and roles you can do from home.

It is the best way to see the smaller, less visible groups in one place, from befriending schemes to community cafes, and the team can talk you through options by phone if browsing a website is not your thing.

Best for: Best first stop if you want to browse everything on offer before committing.

Heritage and visitor welcome

Durham Cathedral

Durham Cathedral has one of the largest volunteer teams in the region, with more than 500 people giving their time. Roles include welcome stewards on the door, tour guides, tower and museum stewards, flower arrangers and event stewards, plus helpers for family activities at weekends and in the school holidays. The cathedral says no experience is needed, just a willingness to help, and new volunteers complete safeguarding and visitor experience training before they start. Applications go through the volunteering pages of the cathedral website.

Best for: Best for people who enjoy history and meeting visitors from all over the world.

Oriental Museum

The university's Oriental Museum takes a small number of volunteers to work alongside its curatorial team on research, cataloguing and object photography. These places are specialised and in high demand, so expect to wait for an opening and to commit to a regular weekly slot. Enquiries go to the museum by email, setting out your experience and the kind of work you are interested in.

Best for: Best for those with an eye for detail who want behind-the-scenes collections work.

Caring and community support

St Cuthbert's Hospice

St Cuthbert's Hospice on Park House Road cares for local people with life-limiting illnesses, and volunteers help in almost every corner of it. Current roles include kitchen and laundry assistants, gardeners for its award-winning grounds, administration and lottery support, parcel preparation for the online shop and retail drivers. The registration form also covers the coffee shop, reception, fundraising and events, maintenance and patient driving. Volunteers must be 13 or over for shop roles and over 18 for clinical areas.

If you prefer retail, the St Cuthbert's Hospice Shop on Claypath is a natural fit; our guide to charity shops in Durham covers the others in the city. Register through the volunteering page on the hospice website and the Volunteer Services Team will be in touch.

Best for: Best for a wide choice of roles, from gardening to the kitchen, for a much-loved local cause.

County Durham Foodbank

County Durham Foodbank is run by the Durham Christian Partnership as part of the Trussell network, with a central warehouse at Chester-le-Street supplying distribution points across the county. In the city, the foodbank operates from Waddington Street United Reformed Church near the railway station and from Durham City Baptist Church at Edge Court in Gilesgate. Volunteers keep the collection points running through the week, alongside the work of sorting donations and making up parcels. Contact the foodbank through its website to ask about current vacancies, and if you cannot give time, food and cash donations are always welcome.

Best for: Best for practical, people-facing help that makes an immediate difference.

Outdoors and conservation

Wear Rivers Trust

The Wear Rivers Trust is a Durham-based environmental charity looking after the River Wear and its tributaries. It offers volunteers hands-on environmental experience, and in 2026 its volunteers featured in Durham University's Volunteers' Week coverage for their work at the Botanic Garden. It is an easy way to get outdoors, learn practical skills and meet people, Get in touch through the volunteering contact on the trust's website to hear about upcoming sessions.

Best for: Best for anyone who would rather spend a morning in wellies than behind a desk.

Friends of the Botanic Garden

The Durham University Botanic Garden is supported by the Friends of the Botanic Garden, a group founded in 1982. Members back the garden financially and with their time, helping with events such as the spring plant and produce sale, and the group runs lectures, social events and garden visits. There is an annual membership fee, which includes free entry to the garden all year. Membership details are on the Friends' website and on the noticeboard in the visitor centre. For more green spaces worth exploring, see our guide to parks and gardens in Durham.

Best for: Best for keen gardeners who want a sociable group with a real garden to care for.

Tips before you sign up

• Be honest about time. Most organisations would rather have two reliable hours a fortnight than an ambitious promise that fades.
• Expect checks for some roles. Work with children or patients usually needs a DBS check and training, which the organisation arranges.
• Students welcome. Many of these groups are used to term-time volunteers, but say if you will be away over the summer.
• Try before you commit. Ask whether you can shadow a shift first.

Know a Durham volunteer group that deserves a mention? Let us know and we will take a look.