What: The Society was founded in 1829 as a charity to promote and encourage the study of natural history, protect the wildlife in the North-East, and care for and extend its library and collections at the Hancock Museum. We are looking for volunteers who are passionate about natural history for a number of roles.

We operate seasonal activities such as field trips to Holy Island and the Pennines and an indoor lecture series. Our Society has five ‘main’ sections; Ornithology, Entomology, Botany, Mammals and Geology. However, we also provide activities and lectures for other areas of natural history. Our lectures have previously been exclusively for members, however this year we are trialling opening the lecture series to the public.

A major asset is our ownership of the Great North Museum: Hancock building, land and a proportion of the collections within. The Society manages a nature reserve, accessible only to our members

Volunteer Roles:

1. Event volunteers
We are seeking volunteers to attend our stand, distribute promotional literature, talk about our activities and the benefits of supporting/joining the Society with the public. We attend around 8 events a year, mainly during the summer, and require 3 to 5 volunteers on the stand. Events vary from small indoor displays to festival marquees, to a stand at a freshers fair.

Skills needed: Enthusiasm: a must at all times! The ability to smile and be a friendly face is essential, team work, communication and people skills, selling and promoting our charity. May be required to help assemble/take down event stand. Interest in natural history preferred but not essential.

2. Refreshment/ Catering volunteers
Our esteemed Friday evening lecture series (October to March, 7pm until 9pm inside the Great North Museum: Hancock) is evolving. We would like to offer tea, coffee and biscuits in the half hour prior to a lecture. Volunteers would be expected to set up the refreshment table, pour out drinks, talk to lecture attendees, and tidy the table away afterwards. The volunteer would be allocated seating at the lecture if (s)he so wished. The lectures are of a natural history theme, from beginner to postgraduate level.

We run events during the year that would require volunteers to assist with running a drinks reception or finger buffet.

Skills needed: Enthusiasm, people skills, basic food hygiene, and excellent communication. Interest in natural history preferred but not essential. We would like you to be a friendly face to welcome people to the Society’s lecture with a beverage.

Skills/benefits/experience:

Skills
No official skills or qualifications necessary, although knowledge or interest in scientific or creative natural history would be helpful. None of the roles require specific training, but volunteers will be asked to an informal meeting to assess their suitability for working with the public.

Benefits in skills and experiences:
- Team work
- Develop people skills and communication
- Interacting with the public
- Selling (memberships, publications)
- Raising the profile of a charitable learned Society
- Access to a network of natural history experts and academics
- Work within the Great North Museum: Hancock, which has recently undergone a £26million refurbishment
- Experience of working within a learned organisation
- Experience of working within a charitable organisation
- Promoting and making natural history as a subject more accessible to the general public

All opportunities will be based around natural history, so volunteers would ideally have an interest in this. The academic nature of most of the roles will mean volunteers may get to meet leading naturalists in natural history and natural history enthusiasts etc. This would be most suited to applied sciences, biology, ecology, zoology or environmental students, or students with an interest in nature.

There will be opportunity for volunteers to learn more around their subject area and use the resources of the Society.