Volunteering
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Volunteers play a vital role at The Bishop’s Palace and Gardens and contribute to many different aspects of work here: from welcoming visitors, to conducting guided tours, providing maintenance support, working in the gardens, and community garden.
Would you like to become part of this unique place and help others to enjoy it too? Contact Gemma Palmer, Community Engagement Assistant on 01749 988111 (ext 204) or email [email protected] to discuss.
We also provide work experience opportunities throughout the year. If you are a recent graduate, looking for a change of career, or simply trying to get back in to the workplace please do contact us. Read more about what previous and current interns have been up to HERE.
We’re delighted that The Bishop’s Palace has been awarded the prestigious Investing in Volunteers quality mark.
The award demonstrates the value the Palace places on our volunteers and the care we take to ensure they have a really positive and rewarding experience here. With 192 volunteers supporting everything from gardening and visitor welcome to education and events, the Palace could not achieve all that we do without their commitment. Read more here.
Volunteering Opportunities
Drawbridge Welcomer
This volunteer role involves being a welcoming face to visitors who have crossed our medieval drawbridge. If you are interested please contact Gemma Palmer on 01749 988111 (ext 204), or email [email protected] to discuss further or complete the application form below. You can also pick up an application form from our Ticket Office. The deadline for applications is Friday, 19th June 2026.
View the Drawbridge Welcomer role description here.
If you want to apply, please download and complete our application form below.
Volunteer Update – April 2026
We have recruited 15 new volunteers this year and they are getting in to the swing of things here. Over the last few months the whole volunteer team has been completing various training, attending talks and going on tours so they are fully up to date and ready for our busy season. Last year the team contributed approx. 20,000 hrs which means that we can achieve so much more and provide a really warm welcome to our visitors. Here is a photo of our team attending a talk about the wonderful textiles exhibition we had here last month ‘ Colours For Change’. Many thanks to Emma D’Arcey from AO Textiles for offering to do this for our team.
Volunteer Trip to Doulting Quarry
Pictured are some of our volunteer guides on a field trip to Doulting Quarry. It was a fascinating and very informative day and we would like to thanks Adel Avery from The Earth Science Centre for making us all so welcome and tailoring the visit to focus on stone that is most relevant to The Bishop’s Palace. They also learnt about the history of the quarrying industry in The Mendips and how it is run nowadays.