- Effects of volunteering on health
- Volunteers with learning disabilities
Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire is a spectacular Tudor treasure house, built for 'Bess of Hardwick', Elizabethan England's second most powerful and wealthy woman. There are:
- Outstanding 16th and 17th-century tapestries and embroideries
- Fine historic parklands, orchard and herb garden to explore
- Rare breeds of cattle and sheep
Within the National Trust there is a well established volunteering programme and Hardwick Hall has worked with a wide range of volunteers, including
- people with physical disabilities
- people with learning disabilities
- Education to employment programmes
- Offenders or people at risk of offending
Many of these people volunteer as part of a group, organised through the local special school, or groups such as Mencap or NACRO, and contribute to the maintenance of the grounds and parklands. The base camp for this work is wheelchair accessible and there is residential accommodation with good access for people with disabilities, for weekend volunteering activities.
All National Trust volunteers receive a ‘tools talk’ at the beginning of each session of volunteering, to ensure they are conversant with the tools they are going to use. Within Hardwick Hall there are always a wide variety of tasks to be done to maintain the building and grounds, so there is no difficulty finding volunteering opportunities for people with limited abilities, or mobility. For example, there are meadow areas next to the car park which need to be weeded on a regular basis, and areas of woodland that need to be thinned using loppers and bow-saws. Most volunteers with disabilities learn to use this equipment without difficulty and contribute to the maintenance of the property.
At the same time volunteers get some physical exercise and spend time in the open air in a beautiful setting, something that contributes to everyone’s health.
Further details
Ted Edwards
Head Warden
Hardwick Hall
(01246851787
ted.edwards@nationaltrust.org.uk
