General Volunteer

Swan Lifeline is the oldest registered charity devoted to the care and rescue of swans in the Thames Valley and surrounding areas.

We very much welcome volunteers at Swan Lifeline. Their input into the day-to-day running of the rescue centre and the care of swans is absolutely invaluable. Working with swans is an extremely rewarding job. Contrary to popular belief, swans are rarely aggressive and all have personalities of their own.

We would love to hear from you if you have a few hours or a day to spare a week, or a couple of hours a month. Please note, we are unable to offer volunteering roles to under 18s.

Our enthusiastic team of volunteers cover a wide variety of tasks including: preparing food, cleaning buckets and troughs and hosing down pens. All our volunteers receive thorough briefings and training on working with swans - including swan handling - and what working on site entails.

We usually start our volunteers off feeding and cleaning pens, both inside and outside. Depending on the individual volunteer, there may be the opportunity to progress to swan handling and rescuing. If not, there is the chance to get involved in a wide range of other tasks from helping maintain the gardens through to admin work. Tea, coffee and biscuits are always available of course!

If you are interested then please get in touch with us at [email protected] and we can arrange a time for you to come and meet with us, and of course the swans themselves.

What skills do I need?

Working with animals, particularly swans.

Enthusiasm to get involved with the variety of tasks.