VOLUNTEER

Key Information

  • The 2025 season will run from April 10th to May 28th.

  • Generally Thursdays to Sundays (some Weds and Mondays nights do happen too)

  • 4-5 days per week  

Singing with Nightingales is a one-of-a-kind experience. An act of immersive theatre and ritual, both otherworldly and yet something we might collectively have done since the dawn of humans. This communion with the more than human world reminds us that we are nature and nature is in us all. Singing With Nightingales events are hosted by folk singer, writer and naturalist, Sam Lee for a group of 40 people a night.

Each evening is joined by a special guest musician and includes musical performances by the campfire, an ecological tour of the woods, food, drink and post-dinner tales of this majestic bird’s life, songs and folklore. Once darkness has fallen we walk in meditative silence through the woods to reach the birds’ habitat culminating in our signature and famous finale: To hear the human-avian musical duet under the stars.

Find out more about what Singing With Nightingales involves here.

THe Volunteer Role

We are looking for community-minded, nature-loving, outdoor proficient and joyful people to join the SWN camps this spring. We would like people of all walks of life to be part of our camp family for a stint of several days.

Camp Volunteer Job Description

We are looking for enthusiastic outdoorsy people from all walks of life to come and help support the SWN staff team. The team comprises of the Camp Manager, the front-of-house team, our cooks and Sam. So together with around two volunteers a week, we will be a cosy unit there to look after each other, support the making of the events and enjoy the night gatherings. 

The volunteer role requires a bit of helping out and around the site, support in the base camp, stacking wood, tidying the site, making home, gathering herbs for our teas, keeping the fires burning and some food prep help. During the events, you will be required to help look after guests and be part of the nightingale experience. Duties are small with lots of time off to enjoy being a resident in the most glorious woods and land. All your food is covered and you will need your own tent.

Responsibilities

There will always be more than one volunteer, with the tasks being manageable. The overall intention of our volunteer roles is to support the core team in maintaining the camp environment and in our evening session, carrying out audience check-in and dinner service. One volunteer per night will be needed to act as support on the night walk. This entails uneven terrain, no lights and a group of 40 individuals to be kept together. It’s a magical and exhilarating experience to facilitate this and you’d be carrying this out alongside our Front of house team member and Host for the night.

In an ideal world, we’d like availability for the week so as to integrate with the team and make the most of the time spent in the woodlands. Shorter stints are also to be considered where possible.

Key tasks

  • Camp prep during day time (1 volunteer - this will be minimal, 1-2 hours)

  • Audience check-in, early evening (1 volunteer - for 1 hour or so, very easy work in a beautiful setting)

  • Dinner service, helping Camp manager to get food finished off and ready to serve and serving the food. (1 hour or so, both volunteers present for this)

  • Assisting the Camp manager in washing up post-dinner (2 volunteers - 30 mins or so)

  • Supporting host and front of house in envigilating the Night walk, where the magic happens!

Applying for the role

We are asking people who are keen to take up this role to apply as follows:

1. Video Recording

Please record a short video message of who you are, why you would like to do this role, what makes you a good fit, and some background information on similar sorts of experiences you have had. Videos must not be more than 4 minutes long. This video can be sent via a YouTube link, a Wetransfer, Dropbox, Google Drive link or another file-sending service. Only videos less than 700 MB in file size.

2. Written INTRODUCTIOn

Please share briefly a bit about yourself and why you’d like to volunteer. Remember to let us know why we need to have you as part of this hard-working and tight-knit community.

Additional Information

What to Expect

Working on the Singing With Nightingales project is truly a beautiful experience but it comes with its challenges. As a member of the team you will be camping in our camping ground in the woods near the venue, conditions are such that you’ll spend the days on-site living off-grid. There’s running water and cooking facilities at our main camp (a shelter and tree house) where there will be sustenance and snacks available for you. Weather conditions can be unpredictable, meaning that you’ll be required to bring appropriate clothing and camping gear for your time on-site.