Richard Smith's story

I spotted a call for volunteers on the council newsletter in summer 2025, which was to help get new premises ready for Re-build Carlisle up the road from Parkhouse. They welcome corporate volunteers and I helped a team from Sir Robert McAlpine to paint the inside of the warehouse. This is where Rebuild store surplus materials to go to community groups and charities to help with their building, gardening, crafting and repair projects. They also sell nearly new and surplus materials to trades and members of the public at reduced prices.

In summer 2026 I used the Cumbria CVS Volunteering Opportunities Database to find a heritage conservation project to volunteer at. Eskdale Mill is a small visitor attraction at the eastern end of The Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway line. There were a number of roles available, but I chose to do some drystone walling with a regular volunteer.