A few hours a year

Volunteer with the trust.

We are a small trust with no staff. A handful of volunteers each year make the difference between a quiet success and a stretched one. The four roles below are the ones we ask for, plainly described. We are not chasing numbers; we just need a few good hands at the right time.

A group of volunteers in navy fleeces embroidered with the trust's name gathered around the Cenotaph at first light, breath visible in cold air

All volunteers are asked for a brief chat with a trustee on the phone first. We will discuss the role, the time commitment, and any access or health considerations. We do not ask for a CV. We do not run a vetting process for occasional roles. For the Grants Reader role we will ask for a short statement about your reasons for wanting to read.

Role 1 · Annual · One morning

Cenotaph Steward

A morning of stewarding on Remembrance Sunday — usually 09.30 to 12.30 at the Memorial in Greenhead Park. Hi-vis is provided, embroidered with the trust’s name. You’ll be paired with an experienced steward, and the role involves welcoming the public, directing the wreath-laying procession, and quietly looking after older or less mobile attendees.

Commitment: one morning a year.
Location: Greenhead Park, Huddersfield.
Team lead: Rev Dr Paul T Wilcock BEM.
Access: the parade route is largely flat. We have a small reserved seating area for stewards needing a rest.

Role 2 · Quarterly · One afternoon

Grants Reader

An afternoon four times a year reading anonymised hardship grant applications ahead of the trustees’ meeting. You’ll read perhaps fifteen applications, make a short note on each, and discuss them in a group of three other readers. Discretion is essential. Lived experience of hardship is welcomed.

Commitment: four afternoons a year, around 14.00–17.00.
Location: Holmfirth Civic Hall, usually.
Team lead: Amanda Mohr.
Confidentiality: a short, plain confidentiality undertaking is signed before each reading.

Role 3 · Occasional · One afternoon

Name-Reading Volunteer

Help us read the 3,439 names cut into the Memorial drum on a single summer afternoon, so we can keep the inscription record accurate. You will be paired with another volunteer, given a clipboard and a panel of names, and asked to read each one aloud while your partner ticks the register. We take a tea break in the bandstand.

Commitment: one afternoon, usually in late April or May.
Location: The Cenotaph, Greenhead Park.
Team lead: Jim Dodds.
Access: there are benches around the Memorial; folding chairs welcome.

Role 4 · Spring & autumn · One morning

Conservation Morning Hand

Twice a year we spend a morning with the conservator at the Memorial: brushing lichen, recording weathered names, and helping with the practicalities of equipment and refreshment. No experience needed; instruction is given on the morning.

Commitment: two mornings a year, 09.00–12.00.
Location: The Cenotaph, Greenhead Park.
Team lead: Stephen Michael Armitage, with the conservator on site.
Equipment: sturdy footwear, gardening gloves. Other tools supplied.

Tell us a little

Volunteer enquiry.

A short form. A trustee will write back within five working days. No expertise required, no CV asked for.