Wildlife Care Volunteer – Mornings Only

PLEASE NOTE: ALL APPLICANTS MUST BE 18 OR OVER

Ideal for people who are passionate about animals and have 4 hours of free time, at least once a week.

Volunteering at Folly Wildlife Rescue is very rewarding and includes working with a variety of British Wildlife, although we tend to have high numbers of hedgehogs and pigeons in our care all year round.

A shift outline involves:

• Being allocated to a unit or aviaries, where you will work alone or as a pair cleaning animal cages and providing them with fresh food and water. This can involve a lot of kneeling, bending, and stretching.
• Handling wildlife when required, moving them whilst cleaning and weighing them if asked to do so, and documenting this onto their care sheet. This may include hedgehogs, pigeons, gulls, crows, rabbits, and mice.
• Collecting faecal samples when needed.
• Following protocols for cleaning and maintaining them to a high standard to avoid potential cross contamination and further illness to the animals.
• Cleaning your work area when finished, emptying bins, sweeping, and mopping the floor.
• Re-stocking your work area ready for the next shift.

All morning shifts run from 9am-1pm, although we can be flexible if you wish to start a little later and you are of course always welcome to stay on later if you wish!

Due to the physical nature of the work, we do not recommend you apply if you have any previous or existing ailments or injuries, including a bad back and respiratory problems.

Due to Government guidelines, masks must be worn inside our buildings.

You don’t need any experience, but an interest in wildlife and the natural world is essential! You will start with a taster session which will include information on our health and safety policies and a tour of the hospital before shadowing a volunteer in one of our units. You will continue to shadow an experienced volunteer each week until your training is complete.

As volunteers make up a large majority of our workforce, we do ask that you commit to at least one shift a week as the role is an integral part of the smooth running of the hospital.

Availability: All year round

Please click on the button for our
"Wildlife Care Volunteer – Mornings Only" form

Afternoon Volunteer For General Duties

PLEASE NOTE: ALL APPLICANTS MUST BE 18 OR OVER

Although animal husbandry is generally carried out in the mornings, here at Folly the working day continues and there are other tasks you can help with to contribute to the smooth running of the hospital.

Duties typically include:

• General cleaning duties (inside and outside) – this may be in animal units and communal staff and volunteer areas
• Laundry
• Cleaning animal cages that may be left over from the morning shifts, especially in the summer months
• Cleaning aviaries and getting them ready for new admissions
• Topping up animal units with essential supplies

The demands of the role vary by the season – during the winter months it is much quieter and a couple of hours in the afternoon is all that is needed, however in the spring and summer there is lots to do, and hours are available from 1pm through to 8pm. We can discuss the requirements of the season and your availability with you upon application.

Due to Government guidelines, masks must be worn inside our buildings.

You don’t need any experience, but an interest in wildlife and the natural world is essential! You will start with a taster session which will include information on our health and safety policies and a tour of the hospital before shadowing a volunteer in one of our units. You will continue to shadow an experienced volunteer each week until your training is complete.

As volunteers make up a large majority of our workforce, we do ask that you commit to at least one shift a week as the role is an integral part of the smooth running of the hospital.

Availability: All year round

Please click on the button for our
"Afternoon Volunteer For General Duties" form

Student Volunteer

PLEASE NOTE: ALL APPLICANTS MUST BE 18 OR OVER

Folly Wildlife Rescue welcomes students seeking work experience placements in conjunction with animal care courses they are undertaking.

Placements comprise a working week of 5 days, over a 7-day period (to include one day at weekends), with 2 days off per week (to reflect the normal 7 day a week operation of the hospital). The work includes cleaning and setting up pens and enclosures, observations, food preparation, hand-feeding baby birds, and record keeping. Students are also expected to participate in the normal cleaning regimes undertaken by other staff and adhere to all Trust protocols.

Due to the physical nature of the work, we do not recommend you apply if you have any previous or existing ailments or injuries. Due to Government guidelines, masks must be worn inside our buildings.

Full support and training is given, so you don’t need any previous experience, but commitment, and an interest in wildlife and the natural world is essential.

Ideally applicants should live no further than a 40-minute drive from the hospital and must organise their own transport and accommodation if needed.

On receipt of your application, we will (subject to availability and approval), contact you with an offer of a provisional place. Spaces are limited, so if at any point, you are unable to proceed, please let us know as soon as possible, so that we can offer the place to another applicant.

Availability: April – October
Minimum Period of Placement: 1 week

Please click on the button for our
"Wildlife Care Student Volunteer" form

Work Placements/Internships From Outside Of The UK

PLEASE NOTE: Applications are currently unavailable due to Student Sponsor Licence requirements

Folly Wildlife Rescue welcomes students from outside of the UK seeking work placements/internships that are in relation animal husbandry courses.

Placements/Internships comprise a working week of 5 days, over a 7-day period (to include one day at weekends), to reflect the normal 7 day a week operation of the hospital). The work includes cleaning and setting up pens and enclosures, observations, food preparation, hand-feeding baby birds, and record keeping. Students are also expected to participate in the normal cleaning regimes undertaken by other staff and adhere to all Trust protocols.

Due to the physical nature of the work, we do not recommend you apply if you have any previous or existing ailments or injuries, including a bad back and respiratory problems.

Due to Government guidelines, masks must be worn inside our buildings.

Full support and training is given, so you don't need any previous experience, but commitment, and a keen interest in wildlife and the natural world is essential.

Folly Wildlife Rescue are unable to offer accommodation, and for students without their own transport, it's rural location necessitates a 1.5 kilometre walk from the nearest bus stop. Students are therefore required to organise and fund their own accommodation and transport. Buses are frequent, and the nearby towns of Tunbridge Wells and Crowborough offer the best opportunities for accommodation.

On receipt of your application, we will (subject to availability and approval), contact you with an offer of a provisional place. Spaces are limited, so if at any point, you are unable to proceed, please let us know soon as possible, so that we can offer the place to another applicant.

Availability: April – October
Minimum Period of Placement: 2 weeks

Applications are currently unavailable due to Student Sponsor Licence requirements

Wildlife Collection Driver Volunteer

Wildlife casualties are normally brought to us by members of the public, but this isn’t always possible, and where we can, we will collect from veterinary surgeons, the elderly, or people without any transport, and this is where our Wildlife Collection Volunteers come in.

Using their own vehicles, WCV's collect pre-boxed casualties (usually from the area where they live) and bring them to the Broadwater Forest Wildlife Hospital during our opening hours between 9am up until 6pm in the peak season. We maintain a comprehensive list of drivers, covering the whole region (but always need more!), and when a pick-up is required, our receptionists will phone around until they find someone who is free. It’s all absolutely at the volunteer’s convenience and there is no obligation whatsoever.

It’s a great way of helping to save lives!

Please click on the button for our
"Wildlife Collection Driver Volunteer" form

Hospital Reception Volunteer

The role of receptionist can be a very demanding one, so you do need to be cool in a crisis – but it is a very important role too, helping our staff by co-ordinating collections of casualties, answering general phone enquiries and giving advice, seeing in admissions from the general public, processing donations, and keeping the working area clean and tidy.

Shifts are mornings or afternoons and tend to be three or four hours long depending on the time of year. No experience is required, and you will shadow an experienced receptionist until you are confident to work on your own. However, you will need to be able to work well as a team, adapt in a calm manner to varying workloads, have good communication skills and a pleasant manner. The role is based within a working animal unit so you will need to feel comfortable around a variety of animals and birds. If you enjoy a challenge, and like working with people (and animals!), it could well be the option for you?

Please click on the button for our
"Hospital Reception Volunteer" form

Folly Fundraisers

Our small fundraising team fill one of the most important roles at the Trust.

Being a charity, it does NOT receive any local or government assistance, or lottery funding, and relies almost entirely on its own fundraising endeavours. We are constantly looking for fresh ideas and ways to raise the funds that Folly needs in order to continue its work.

We are a small friendly team. Get in touch if you are interested and we can show you around the wildlife hospital and the projects that we are raising funds for. Once you’ve joined, you can opt-in to email communication or join our dedicated fundraising page on Facebook, where you will be informed about upcoming events asking if you can spare a couple of hours. We always work in pairs or small groups and there is no obligation at any time.

Please click on the button for our
"Folly Fundraisers" form

Folly ‘Land Army’

Our small group carry out management work and routine repairs in both the hospital, and on the surrounding nature reserve.

Situated on 6 acres, in the beautiful Broadwater Forest, just outside Tunbridge Wells, we are currently engaged in a 5 year project to restore the area back to its former heathland state, at the same time, creating a nature reserve to help protect the wide range of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates that live there.

Part of this work involves removing and controlling invasive species such as birch, rhododendron, bramble and ragwort, and encouraging the re-generation of native heathers and other plants. We’re helped in this work by our flock of hebridean sheep, and on a sunny day, it’s a great place to be.

The team also carry out small maintenance works, such as ditch clearing, landscaping, and re-painting the outside of the hospital, so never a dull moment!

Please click on the button for our
"Folly Land Army" form

Online Donation

You can make a secure online donation via our CAF page.
Click on the button below and a new page will open with a variety of options with which to pay online.
Your kind and generous donation will directly help injured wildlife.