Cathedral Volunteer recruitment fair

Come along to our volunteer recruitment fair on Saturday 25th January (11.00am - 3.00pm) to discover meaningful ways you can contribute to your community and become a part of the Cathedral's volunteer team. 

New Year, New You! Start 2025 by exploring how you can get involved in supporting this historic Cathedral at our volunteer recruitment fair. 

Meet our current volunteers and learn more about their variety of roles. Whether you have a passion for history, a green thumb, or a love for hospitality, there's a place for you in our team. 

Areas for volunteering include the Welcome Team, Retail, Hospitality, Flower Arranging, Learning & Education, Guiding, Embroidery, Gardening, Library, Stewarding, Cleaning, and even Verging. Each role is crucial in helping us maintain the beauty and warmth of the Cathedral while enhancing the experience for our visitors.

If you're interested in giving back, learning new skills, and making lasting friendships, we invite you to join us. Your contribution will play a vital role in the life of this historic and beloved landmark.

Pre-register here and enjoy a free coffee at the event, or simply turn up in the day. All are welcome!

Also on the day:

  • Sock swap for unloved Christmas sock gifts: Following on from our successful Clothing Swap Shops in 2024, we're hosting a mini 'sock swap' with our Eco Volunteer team - bring a pair and take a pair, no money changes hands. 
  • Spire Visit for those interested in becoming a Spire Guide at 12.30pm in the South Transept (maximum 10 spaces - first come, first served).

Our volunteer roles

Explore our hospitality roles
  • Welcomers: Welcomers offer information, answer queries, and cater to individual visitor needs.
  • Stewards: Engage in a public-facing role, welcoming congregation members and visitors to various Cathedral functions. 
  • Guides: Conduct Guided Tours of the Cathedral, sharing rich knowledge and history of this 950 year old Cathedral.
  • Servers: Assist the Clergy and Vergers during the 11.00am Sunday Eucharist and at other occasional services.
  • Day Chaplains: Day Chaplains are prominently present on the Cathedral floor, offering pastoral support to visitors, volunteers and employees.
  • Retail Assistants: Retail Assistants acts as an ambassador for the Cathedral, welcoming and serving customers, providing information, operating the tills, selling tickets to Guided Tours and more.
Explore our creative roles
  • Flower Arranger: Showcase your artistic flare by creating flower arrangements in accordance with the liturgical calendar, reflecting the themes of each season, feast day or special worship event. 
  • Seffrid Guild: The Seffrid Guild collaboratively work on embroidery projects for or related to the Cathedral.
  • Bell Ringers: Bell ringing is challenging and a great exercise for the mind and body, as well as being a fantastic way to make new friends.
Explore our upkeeping roles
  • Holy Dusters: Play a crucial role in maintaining the cleanliness and overall tidiness of the Cathedral.
  • Library volunteer: Library volunteers assist the Sub-Librarian with various projects associated with the care and day to day running of the Library, including showcasing our various treasures during Library Open Day.
Explore our Creative Learning and Discovery roles
  • Creative Learning and Discovery: These volunteers play an important role in supporting families and schools to learn about and engage with the Cathedral, past and present. 
  • HomeTech Digital Helper: HomeTech is the Cathedral’s digital inclusion project, volunteers help deliver one to one sessions to help members of the Cathedral community make the most of new technology. 
Looking to find out more? Contact us!
Carolyn Atkinson
Carolyn Atkinson
Volunteer & HR Co-ordinator
(01243) 812983
carolyn.atkinson@chichestercathedral.org.uk

Volunteering FAQs

Why should I volunteer?

Volunteering at Chichester Cathedral is a unique chance to give back to the community. As a volunteer, you contribute your time (as little or as much as you wish) and passion to preserve cultural heritage. Whether guiding visitors or helping keep the Cathedral clean, every effort nurtures a sense of unity and shared responsibility.

  • Make new friends: You'll be working alongside many different people, from staff and volunteers to congregations and visitors, there's always someone to say hello!
  • Use and perfect your existing skills: Apply and improve your existing skills in a practical setting. Whether you're good at communication, organisation, hands-on work or customer service, the Cathedral offers a unique environment to put these skills into practice.
  • Develop new skills: With various tasks and responsibilities, volunteering gives you a chance to learn new skills for personal and professional development.  Any necessary role requirements will be clearly stated in the role description. All volunteers are given an induction and if necessary you will also get training for your role.
Who can volunteer?

We welcome volunteers from all faiths, or none, and all backgrounds to foster an inclusive and welcoming environment for all. We look for our volunteers to be:

  • Open-minded and inclusive.
  • Approachable and confident in interacting with others.
  • Positive, adaptable and willing to help.
  • Punctual and dependable.
  • Empathetic of the Cathedral's mission.

Equal Opportunities

We value the diversity of our community and we are committed to ensuring that Chichester Cathedral plays an active role in promoting greater diversity and equality within the Church of England. To achieve this goal, we are working hard to diversify our volunteer base and welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, identities and needs.

How do I apply for a volunteer role?
Want to join us? Great! To apply, please complete the Volunteer Application Form below and send it to E: carolyn.atkinson@chichestercathedral.org.uk or call 01243 812983. Volunteers will be given an induction with training and support for their role.
Additional information
To find out more or have an informal chat, please contact our Volunteer and HR Co-ordinator Carolyn Atkinson below:

carolyn.atkinson@chichestercathedral.org.uk
Who can volunteer and how do you select?:
  • Anyone can apply to be a volunteer with us. Our decisions on who we involve and the role they do is based first and foremost on their skills and experience, matching motivations, and expectations, which we assess when we meet you for an informal chat. We welcome applications from people of all interests, abilities, backgrounds, and communities.
  • Volunteering is open to individuals aged 18 and above, except for work experience, where we will require a discussion with your school and parent/guardian.
Do I need a particular skill set to volunteer?
  • It all depends on which role you wish to take on. Our Welcome team need to have great interpersonal skills; our Retail team must have solid customer service skills and our Outreach team need to be well organised and able to help families to get the most out of Cathedral events. We are always willing to help upskill our volunteers but the number one criteria you must tick to volunteer with us is being willing to give it your all!
Volunteering for all:
  • We want to make the Cathedral a welcoming place for everyone who wishes to volunteer with us. If you have any questions or concerns about the role, working conditions or the environment, especially if you have an impairment, condition, mental health issue, learning disability or neurodiversity, please contact E: carolyn.atkinson@chichestercathedral.org.uk  T: (01243) 812983. We may not be able to meet all your needs, but we will do our best to work with you and make reasonable adjustments that would enable you to volunteer with us.
What is the expected time commitment?:
  • Each role description includes the recommended time commitment, providing you with a general idea of what might be expected in the role, we aim to be as flexible as possible, it could be a one-off, short or longer term commitment.
Do you offer expenses?:
  • Chichester Cathedral values the contribution of time that our volunteers’ gift to us and recognises that their contribution is central to our Vision. But our finances are limited and we are immensely grateful to those volunteers who gift their time but also expenses which they do not claim. However, we are conscious that there are some people who would like to volunteer with us but who feel unable to do so because they are existing on limited means. If this applies to you, please contact: E: carolyn.atkinson@chichestercathedral.org.uk  T: (01243) 812983.to discuss.
I’m receiving benefits, am I able to volunteer?
Will I need references?
  • Yes, we will ask you to provide details of two referees. Your referees should be an employer, a colleague or someone else who knows you well. A member of your own family or someone already associated with the Cathedral (i.e., another volunteer or paid member of staff) cannot act as a referee.
Criminal Records(Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974): 

  • We are required to ask you about any unspent convictions as part of our duty of care to other volunteers, our staff, members of the Cathedral Community, visitors to our Cathedral and others.  A criminal conviction will not necessarily prevent you from becoming a volunteer; the decision will depend on the type of offence and its relevance to the volunteering role. Some roles will also require full criminal record checks.


    If you do have any unspent convictions please include details in a sealed envelope. If you would like to discuss any convictions you may have, please contact the HR Manager:

    val.timlin@chichestercathedral.org.uk

Safeguarding

Chichester Cathedral is committed to equal opportunities and to the safeguarding and protection of all children, young people and adults, and the care and nurture of children within our church communities. We will carefully select, train and support all those with any responsibility within the organisation, in line with Safer Recruitment principles.

For further details, please contact the Volunteer and HR Co-ordinator

carolyn.atkinson@chichestercathedral.org.uk

read our Safeguarding information