Volunteering at the shelter
Do you care about protecting small animals? Join us in our work to care for and rehome small animals that have been neglected, abandoned or are otherwise unwanted.
By volunteering with us, you can take an active role in animal rescue and help more animals find their forever loving home.
What to expect?
Animal Care Volunteers join us once (or more) per week from 9am-1pm. The main tasks are cleaning and feeding the variety of animals we have at the shelter. There is the opportunity to learn and do more as you progress in your volunteer position for those that show a keen interest.
What do we need?
There are a whole host of jobs to do at the shelter, so if the animal care volunteer role doesn’t suit you, then please don’t be put off! Simply scroll down to find out more.
Animal Care Volunteer
To join the animal care volunteer team you will need to be reliable and hardworking with a genuine interest in animal care and willingness to follow instructions closely. We invest a huge amount of time into training, so only apply if you are committed to helping us on a regular basis please. Please note, we are only able to accept volunteers over the age of 16.
At the shelter there are a range of tasks to complete. If you are interested in animal care volunteering then you will need to:
- Be prepared to get stuck in; volunteering is hard work
- Physically fit and able to bend and kneel
- Able to work efficiently – time is a precious resource to us
- Gentle and calm nature when working around animals
- Ability to communicate clearly and ask questions when unsure
- Unfortunately, due to the nature of our work, we can only accept individuals that can work independently
How will you benefit?
Caring for animals is a lot of physical hard work, but it’s a rewarding role, with many opportunities to meet new people, gain experience in animal husbandry and handling, build confidence, or gain employability skills. You will get to experience daily life inside a rescue centre, whilst helping to keep the doors open to more animals in need. And of course, you get to spend lots of time being around animals!
Other volunteer roles
As well is the Animal Care Volunteer, we have the following other voluntary opportunities available:
Volunteer Transporter
This may include transporting animals to and from our vets (within 20 miles of Probus), plus collecting animals being surrendered from private homes and bringing to the shelter.
Volunteer Gardener
You may be asked to weed the vegetable patch, general wedding, potting up herbs and undertake general shelter maintenance.
Volunteer Handy Person
You may be asked to repair fences, paint door and sheds, and do general shelter maintenance.
Note: The volunteer Transporter, Volunteer Gardener and Volunteer Handy Person are hours to suit during shelter opening hours between 9am and 3pm.
Fundraising Volunteer
This includes helping organise fundraising events, fundraising outside of the shelter, support the existing fundraising group by helping with online auctions and other events. The shifts are as and when required.
Student volunteers and work experience hours
We take on student volunteers throughout the year if we have vacancies to do so. However, due to the nature of our workload, amount of time invested in training and limited number of placements available, we ask that you continue volunteering with us even through college holidays. Obviously we understand absences due to planned holidays in advance etc.
What to do next?
If you are interested in the Animal Care Volunteer role please fill in an application form below and email it to masvolunteers@outlook.com. We will review your application and get back to you as soon as possible. If you have any questions or problems, simply get in touch. Thank you.
If you are interested in the other Volunteer roles (Volunteer Transporter, Volunteer Gardener, Volunteer Handy Person or Fundraising Volunteer), please email us at: masvolunteers@outlook.com stating which volunteer role you are interested in.
Application Form:
Thank you for your interest in supporting us. Your help is greatly appreciated.