ABOUT US

The Thames Path and Ridgeway National Trails are part of a family of sixteen National Trails. National Trails are managed to provide the public with high-quality long-distance walking, cycling, and horse-riding experiences. We are a small but friendly team looking after the trails with the aid of our fantastic volunteers. We maintain and install signage, gates, and small bridges, as well as carrying out extensive summer mowing. We also engage with local communities and explore new and exciting ways to promote and enhance the trails and the environments they traverse.

A rare opportunity has arisen, and we are looking to appoint an energetic, personable, and resourceful person with experience in working with and supervising volunteers carrying out practical countryside work. The postholder will be responsible for managing our Volunteer Scheme to ensure that the two National Trails meet Trail Quality Standards and that volunteers feel safe, motivated, and adequately trained and equipped.
The role involves working in scenic farmed countryside along the rural Thames Path, from the source in the Cotswolds to the edge of London, as well as along The Ridgeway in the chalk hills of the Chilterns and North Wessex Downs National Landscapes. The postholder will have access to their own work truck and manage a workshop space and equipment dedicated to the Volunteer Scheme. The role includes attracting and retaining volunteers to promote, maintain, and enhance the Trails. Tasks include conducting surveys, making signs, clearing vegetation, installing gates, mowing, and carrying out surface patch repairs. There will also be opportunities to develop new initiatives and contacts, such as attracting different types of people to volunteer with us.