Drop in at a weekly session
We welcome new volunteers at our weekly drop-in sessions. These are a great way to get involved at Holly Hagg, meet the animals, and help care for our community farm. ✨ Please note: drop-in sessions are for volunteers who can work with a reasonable level of independence. If you are under 18 and not attending with a parent/guardian or need additional support, please see our Placements page.
Saturdays 2pm-4pm
- Main focus on routine farm tasks and animal care.
- Suited to adults who can work independently, and young people on agreed placements want to learn and share animal care skills.
- Feeding and mucking out chickens, ducks, pigs and sheep.
- Mucking out alpaca/llama shelters and meadows.
- Refilling feed bins and water troughs and other practical farm jobs.
- Basic animal health care and husbandry.
- Some gardening tasks such as weeding, watering and moving compost and manure.
- Numbers may be limited to keep sessions manageable.
Wednesdays 2-4pm
- A mix of farm care and gardening with a permaculture focus.
- Welcomes adults who can work independently, students, retirees and young people on agreed placements who want to learn and share gardening and animal care skills.
- Feeding and mucking out chickens, ducks, pigs and sheep.
- Mucking out alpaca/llama shelters and meadows.
- Basic animal health care and husbandry.
- Watering, planting, weeding, harvesting, composting and garden maintenance.
- Maintaining meadows, forest garden, willow patch and hedgerows.
- Maintaining ponds and water systems.
Getting started
- To join our drop-in sessions, please email us first at info@hollyhagg.org.uk with a short introduction about yourself and what you’re looking for.
- We’ll reply with more details and a link to our sign-up form.
- Once registered, you can come along to any Wednesday or Saturday drop-in session.
Information for volunteers – please read
- Age guidance
- Minimum age: 14.
- Under 18s must either attend with a parent/guardian, or take part through an agreed placement with us. See our Placements page for more information.
- Independence
- Drop-ins are suitable for volunteers who can follow instructions and work with a reasonable level of independence.
- If you need additional support, please see our Placements page.
- Accessibility & the work involved
- Our farm is on a steep hillside with rocky and muddy ground.
- Tasks are physical and outdoors in all weathers: e.g., mucking out, barrowing manure, digging vegetable beds or moving hay bales and feed sacks. We only have few light tasks each week.
- It is suggested (but not essential) that volunteers are capable of at least barrowing medium to light loads on a hillside, carrying a bucket of water and/or digging with a spade or trowel.
- What to bring
- Sturdy footwear, outdoor clothing, a drink and a snack if needed.
