Helping with the day-to-day tasks required for looking after the welfare of our animals. These may include feeds, medication, mucking out, leading and herding animals out of pens and paddocks, grooming, and assisting with outreach therapy visits and events with our donkeys.

Provide all our animals with grooming and hoof picking after training from the farm team.

Help us by welcoming visitors, explaining the site and what we offer, handing out leaflets, quizzes, and daily information, collecting donations and gift aid information, and directing coaches and minibuses to their designated spaces. 

We are looking for friendly, confident and approachable individuals to be based at our Adoption Hub supporting our donkey and pony adoption process.  

You will need to be computer literate as you will be using our company database to input data so attention to detail is vital. This is a lovely role if you enjoy meeting people as you will be speaking to our visitors about our Sanctuary, donkeys and ponies. Full training will be provided.

Will be working with our Community Engagement Officer to provide community programmes to a variety of groups. This could invlolve both our wildlife area and our donkeys and ponies.

This will involve tasks such as helping our fundraising team with fundraising events and admin duties.

Will be around the site to inform visitors about any daily activities, point out adopted donkeys, help visitors with quiz questions and general enquiries, and assist with tours for large groups and school visits. 

School stewards involve helping to steward the larger school groups who visit the Sanctuary.  The role does not have overall responsibility for children but supports the teachers/adults who supervise their group.  It also involves education, providing some key information on the Sanctuary and our donkeys and ponies. Full training will be provided.

Will help us on event days to steward the car park, bridleways, and courtyard, help set up and break down, engage in activities, inform our visitors, and liaise with event organisers.

Will involve working behind the counter in the café. Taking food and drink orders, making and serving hot drinks, assisting visitors with menus, displaying the cakes, and keeping the area clean and tidy.

If in the kitchen, this will involve carrying out tasks such as delivering food orders, clearing and cleaning tables, and collecting cutlery and crockery for washing up.

Office admins will be assisting us in the IOW Donkey Sanctuary Office. This could be a mixture of taking phone calls and answering queries, processing adoptions, or entering information into our database.

Visitor Experience admins will be working in our busy office, involving helping the Sanctuary’s coach and school visit programmes as well as providing additional assistance in preparing for our annual calendar of events. You will need to be computer literate and have an eye for detail. If you enjoy a challenge and have good admin skills, then this role could be for you. Full training will be provided.

Wildlife volunteers will carry out tasks set by our Estates Manager and The National Wildlife Trust to clear shrub, maintain the riverbank, and control weeds, and will work alongside Green Gym and Island Riverways.

Gardening volunteers will be helping with grounds maintenance and general gardening, including pruning, hedging, maintaining the memorial garden and courtyard planters. 

Work alongside staff and volunteers engaging in all general tasks in a variety of different areas of the sanctuary.

A six-week supported volunteer programme for anyone who would like to volunteer at the Sanctuary but needs a bit of extra help. This will be in either a customer facing role or helping with our donkeys and ponies.

Please see full details here.