Volunteering / Work Experience
Day to day llama care is usually quite low maintenance, and therefore we are able to cope for the majority of time at the sanctuary with a skeleton crew of staff.
Over the years we have welcomed many volunteers, apprentices, and those seeking work experience. Some of these individuals have been a huge help, and some have become good friends who visit and help the sanctuary regularly.
Others require more support and supervision, and regrettably we do not usually have the time to spend overseeing them day to day - volunteers need to be making our lives easier, not harder! We always endeavour to be a supportive environment and always appreciate help, but it is important to us that anyone spending time here is confident and capable of performing tasks without too much oversight.
Volunteering with us is not for everyone, as it requires a reasonable level of strength and fitness. Much of the day to day responsibilities expected of volunteers are quite hard physical labour - such as shovelling animal waste, wet hay, and mud, and wheelbarrowing it up and down hills to appropriate areas of the sanctuary. It is hard thankless lonely never ending work!
Most daily activities are quite mundane, such as collecting firewood and stones, cleaning chicken and llama stables, shovelling up wet muddy heavy hay, and manually clearing brambles and invasive plants. A lot of the work can be quite solitary and lonely and the only company for long periods may be the animals (this can also be a positive!)
There are two large loud boisterous dogs on site, so volunteers need to be quite confident and tolerant around dogs (or willing to learn!). These are farm dogs, not domesticated pooches. They do not have an off switch and can be quite forceful. Likewise with geese, who can be quite aggressive at certain points of the year. It is essential that volunteers are very diligent about keeping all gates closed at all times, and have consistent awareness to ensure no spirited animals attempt to barge past them when opening / closing gates.
Our facilities are very basic / non-existent for volunteers, with little in the way of shelter other than nearby trees. We work in all weather conditions.
On the plus side there is a chance to be around the llamas and possibly come along on some llama treks with the public, depending on demand and time of year. We are flexible on hours and days. If we are spending the time to teach a volunteer about how the sanctuary operates day to day, we do expect a certain level of commitment in return.
If we haven’t put you off, send us an email with a little bit about yourself and we can review your situation and go from there. Thanks for your interest and reading!
Testimonials
“Every single day on the farm was filled with joie de vivre and interminable fun, which to me is not surprising when you are surrounded by 100+ animals of all kinds and people whose taste and way of looking at things is identical to yours. Sometimes I would wonder how it was feasible to meet your настоящих друзей when you were not even looking for any. But somehow it was meant to be, and now I think of it as my true home, and everyone and everything (I am talking to you, Old Tree on the Hill) that inhabits it or is related to it - my family. Reminiscing about this adventure that I'll never be able to forget while sitting in my room, thousands of miles away from that place is heart-rending, that is for sure, but it makes me look forward to return as soon as possible.” - Sasha, Ukraine
“Matt and Aleks are the kindest and most accommodating hosts you could ever have and the menagerie of animals never leaves a dull moment! I throughly enjoyed the different personalities of the Llamas as well as helping with the feeding, training and grooming. I also learned a lot from Matt about general animal management, and now consider myself a bit of a pig whisperer / chicken hotel manager / llama lady extraordinaire. The Llama Sanctuary will always be my 'happy place' and I highly recommend!'“ - Brigida, Tasmania
“Being there was like being part of a family. There are so many animals and everyone had their own personality be it the llamas or the chickens or the pigs or Fintan the dog. The owners are both patient, loving, super fun, and joke around a lot. They also realize and respect that everyone has different strengths and weaknesses, and put a lot of effort into ensuring that work is assigned accordingly. Matt is very chilled, pragmatic, and easygoing. I had dozens of amazing experiences on the farm but it was the people that made it possible. I am very grateful to both of them for having me over.” - Sahil, India
“It was an amazing and unforgettable month with Matt, the llamas, chickens, cats, pigs..! I get a big smile on my face when I think of you some moment, see pictures or tell somebody about this positive crazy time with you! All the llamas were a funny experience just like all the other farm jobs. I have learned so much important stuff in this time! I felt myself welcome from the first day, you have always something to laugh about. It was really hard to leave this lovely place. I’m not good to write down my thoughts in words. Thank you for all!!.” - Teresa, Germany
“I had a wonderful experience at The Llama Sanctuary at this beautiful farm! I couldn't have expected better! There is a lot of work to do at the farm, but time was flying while we were making satisfying and fun work! They made me discover the local food and culture with such generosity and enthusiasm that I didn't want to leave. I warmly recommend you to apply at this wonderful farm if you want to discover Britain and helping out at the farm in a fun way, while having adorable (human & animal) company! I've had the most amazing experience I could possibly wish for, and I hope you will too!” - Marion, Belgium