Volunteer Hub
Join the Heaton Park Pals!
Organisation Details
Heaton Park
Sub theme: Culture, Environment, Health and Wellbeing, Heritage
Stellify Award: This opportunity is part of 'Make a Difference'
Organisation Description: The biggest and best park in the North West! Heaton Park is located four miles north of the city centre and is one of the largest municipal parks in Europe. The park covers 247 hectares of parkland and is ringed by the former mill towns of Oldham, Rochdale and Bury.
The park is a Grade II listed park on English Heritage's Register of Historic Parks and Gardens, Heaton Park contains 8 listed structures including the splendid Grade I listed Heaton Hall, and has been a Green Flag Award winning park since 2005!
Its spectacular, gently rolling scenery provides an attractive setting for leisure activities for visitors of all ages. It is also a memorable setting for many outdoor events, like summer fun days and family workshops, funfairs, concerts and other major events. There's an 18-hole and an 18-hole pitch and putt on site. There are four on-site cafes, located at The Farm Centre, the Lakeside, in the Golf Centre and the Garden Centre. All serving hot and cold food and drinks.
Manchester City Council manages the park in partnership with commercial organisations and community groups and together they make a visit to Heaton Park a great day out for the whole family.
The park is a Grade II listed park on English Heritage's Register of Historic Parks and Gardens, Heaton Park contains 8 listed structures including the splendid Grade I listed Heaton Hall, and has been a Green Flag Award winning park since 2005!
Its spectacular, gently rolling scenery provides an attractive setting for leisure activities for visitors of all ages. It is also a memorable setting for many outdoor events, like summer fun days and family workshops, funfairs, concerts and other major events. There's an 18-hole and an 18-hole pitch and putt on site. There are four on-site cafes, located at The Farm Centre, the Lakeside, in the Golf Centre and the Garden Centre. All serving hot and cold food and drinks.
Manchester City Council manages the park in partnership with commercial organisations and community groups and together they make a visit to Heaton Park a great day out for the whole family.
Description of role: Park Pals – Heaton Park
Join the Park Pals at Heaton Park and get involved in a wide range of volunteering opportunities that support our events, community engagement activities and environmental improvement projects.
Heaton Park is the biggest and best park in the Northwest, covering over 600 acres of green space in North Manchester. It combines beautiful natural landscapes, historic features like the Grade I listed Heaton Hall, and a wide range of visitor attractions including woodlands, gardens, a boating lake, an animal centre, playgrounds, sports facilities and scenic walking routes. It’s also a major events venue, hosting festivals, community activities and welcoming millions of visitors each year.
The park is brought to life by a team of staff who care for the park, its animals and the visitors. Last year Heaton Park welcomed 3 million visitors in 2025.
As a Park Pals volunteer, you play a vital role in supporting our events and activities. You’ll help us deliver engaging experiences for local communities and for visitors who join us from across the UK and beyond. You’ll also contribute to caring for the natural landscape of this beautiful green space.
The Park Pals role is fully flexible, and it is up to you to choose the opportunities that interest you as they become available. This means you decide how much time you’d like to give, while supporting the work of the Parks Team and our valued partners.
Park Pals volunteering gives you the chance to get involved in a wide variety of activities across our parks. You’ll support events and programmes delivered by the Parks Team and our partner groups, from sporting events and live music to community celebrations, environmental improvement projects, and much more!
After a short induction call, and once you’ve officially joined the Park Pals community, we’ll keep you in the loop with regular emails highlighting new volunteering opportunities. From there, you’re free to choose the events and activities that excite you most and sign up for the ones you want to be part of.
Benefits for Park Pals Volunteers
• Flexible and fun – choose the activities and events you want to support.
• Make a difference in one of Europe’s largest, most visited parks.
• Meet new people and be part of a friendly, active community.
• Learn new skills through events, conservation tasks and public engagement.
• Enjoy the outdoors in Heaton Park’s beautiful 600 acre setting.
Skills Needed for Park Pals Volunteers
• Enthusiasm and a positive attitude – being friendly and willing to get involved.
• Good communication skills – comfortable interacting with visitors, staff and other volunteers.
• Reliability – turning up on time and following guidance from the Parks Team.
• Teamwork – happy working alongside others during events and activities.
• Basic practical skills – useful for light environmental tasks (e.g., litter picking, simple gardening or event setup).
• Flexibility – being open to different types of activities depending on the event or task.
• Willingness to learn – especially for conservation tasks or supporting heritage and animal areas.
Join the Park Pals at Heaton Park and get involved in a wide range of volunteering opportunities that support our events, community engagement activities and environmental improvement projects.
Heaton Park is the biggest and best park in the Northwest, covering over 600 acres of green space in North Manchester. It combines beautiful natural landscapes, historic features like the Grade I listed Heaton Hall, and a wide range of visitor attractions including woodlands, gardens, a boating lake, an animal centre, playgrounds, sports facilities and scenic walking routes. It’s also a major events venue, hosting festivals, community activities and welcoming millions of visitors each year.
The park is brought to life by a team of staff who care for the park, its animals and the visitors. Last year Heaton Park welcomed 3 million visitors in 2025.
As a Park Pals volunteer, you play a vital role in supporting our events and activities. You’ll help us deliver engaging experiences for local communities and for visitors who join us from across the UK and beyond. You’ll also contribute to caring for the natural landscape of this beautiful green space.
The Park Pals role is fully flexible, and it is up to you to choose the opportunities that interest you as they become available. This means you decide how much time you’d like to give, while supporting the work of the Parks Team and our valued partners.
Park Pals volunteering gives you the chance to get involved in a wide variety of activities across our parks. You’ll support events and programmes delivered by the Parks Team and our partner groups, from sporting events and live music to community celebrations, environmental improvement projects, and much more!
After a short induction call, and once you’ve officially joined the Park Pals community, we’ll keep you in the loop with regular emails highlighting new volunteering opportunities. From there, you’re free to choose the events and activities that excite you most and sign up for the ones you want to be part of.
Benefits for Park Pals Volunteers
• Flexible and fun – choose the activities and events you want to support.
• Make a difference in one of Europe’s largest, most visited parks.
• Meet new people and be part of a friendly, active community.
• Learn new skills through events, conservation tasks and public engagement.
• Enjoy the outdoors in Heaton Park’s beautiful 600 acre setting.
Skills Needed for Park Pals Volunteers
• Enthusiasm and a positive attitude – being friendly and willing to get involved.
• Good communication skills – comfortable interacting with visitors, staff and other volunteers.
• Reliability – turning up on time and following guidance from the Parks Team.
• Teamwork – happy working alongside others during events and activities.
• Basic practical skills – useful for light environmental tasks (e.g., litter picking, simple gardening or event setup).
• Flexibility – being open to different types of activities depending on the event or task.
• Willingness to learn – especially for conservation tasks or supporting heritage and animal areas.
Skills / qualities associated with the role: Administration, Customer Service, Event Planning, Oral Communication Skills, Practical Skills, Public Speaking, Team Working
Are volunteer expenses available?: No
Duration of role: Ongoing / Long term
Opportunity times: Monday Morning, Monday Afternoon, Monday Evening, Tuesday Morning, Tuesday Afternoon, Tuesday Evening, Wednesday Morning, Wednesday Afternoon, Wednesday Evening, Thursday Morning, Thursday Afternoon, Thursday Evening, Friday Morning, Friday Afternoon, Friday Evening, Saturday Morning, Saturday Afternoon, Saturday Evening, Sunday Morning, Sunday Afternoon, Sunday Evening
DBS required: Off
Can reasonable adjustments be made regarding additional needs?: Yes
Is this organisation part of the Sports Volunteering Scheme (SVS)?: No
Minimum hours commitment: 6
Location:
Heaton Park, Middleton Road
Prestwich
M25 2SW