AHT Volunteering
Being an AHT volunteer is both fun and rewarding. As a charity we attend many large-scale events throughout the year, including Crufts, Newmarket Race Day, Burghley Horse Trials and Discover Dogs to name just a few. Our team of volunteers help us raise awareness of what we do at these events, and where possible, raise funds for our important work.
We also need volunteers to help us with events and activities closer to home. These include helping in the Visitors' Centre and Gift Shop, to gardening at Lanwades Park, to office-based tasks supporting our staff members. There are many ways you can help us, regardless of how much or how little time you have.
Who can volunteer? Our volunteers need to be 18 or over and can come from a variety of lifestyles. You don’t need to be an expert in our work, you just need to be enthusiastic and happy to talk to people!
What can I volunteer to do? For ease we group our volunteering activities into five categories. These are:
- Helping at events on site at Lanwades Park, Kentford
- Helping at events off site
- Gardening and site management at Lanwades
Park, Kentford - Office duties
- Helping in the AHT Visitors Centre at Lanwades Park
Number three to five tend to be ongoing activities that happen throughout the year.
CORPORATE VOLUNTEERING - CASE STUDY
A team of staff from international healthcare-giant, Abbott Laboratories, spent a day volunteering with us.
The pharmaceutical company encourages it staff to take one day a year to give back to a local charity through its ‘care in the community’ scheme.
Abbott discovered the AHT’s corporate volunteering scheme through the Forest Heath Volunteer Centre in Newmarket, and after a few phone calls their day was arranged.
Terri Hardy, Volunteer Co-ordinator at The Volunteer Centre, said: “We are delighted to have been able to facilitate the corporate volunteering day for Abbott Laboratories at the AHT. It is great when companies want to give back to the local community and encourage their staff to volunteer. The day spent at the AHT enabled the volunteers to work together as a team on a one off project in a relaxed atmosphere having fun in the process.
“I would like to thank the AHT who welcomed the volunteers and organised the day wonderfully ensuring that the volunteers enjoyed their experience. We hope to be able to organise future corporate volunteering days in the months to come. “
Seven staff from the sales team attended the volunteering day, travelling from as far afield as West Yorkshire, Leicestershire and Birmingham.
It was a glorious day and the team were able to get stuck in with gardening tasks, as well as helping out the farriers in the AHT’s onsite forge.
As a charity, the AHT is very grateful for the support of volunteers and we very much welcome small groups or companies who want to spend a day with us.
The AHT has more than 120 acres to maintain so there are always plenty of jobs to get stuck into, and you can pretty much guarantee it’ll be nothing like a standard day at your desk!
If you would like to find out more about becoming an AHT Volunteer please call 01638 555620.
You can download our Volunteer Application Form here. Please send your completed form to Visitor Centre, Animal Health Trust, Lanwades Park, Kentford, Newmarket, Suffolk, CB8 7UU.
Veterinary Services
Equine Referrals |
Small Animal Referrals |
Diagnostic Services |
DNA Testing |