Volunteer Open Day

Name: Volunteer Open Day
Start: 2025-05-20T11:00:00+01:00
End: 2025-05-20T15:00:00+01:00
Location: Dorset Museum & Art Gallery

Thinking about becoming a volunteer? Now is the perfect time to explore the many rewarding opportunities available in Dorchester!

Join us for a special event where you can meet representatives from a variety of local organisations and charities that are currently looking for volunteers. This is a great chance to learn about the different roles on offer, ask questions, and discover how you can make a difference in your community.

Our Dorset Museum & Art Gallery team will also be there, ready to share insights into the diverse volunteer roles we have available. Whether you’re passionate about history, art, or working with people, we have something for everyone.

No need to book—just drop by the Victorian Hall anytime between 11am and 3pm to find out more.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Other events happening here

Roman Dorchester Walk

Join our trained guides to step back in time and immerse yourself in the historic Roman town of Durnovaria...

Tue 20th May - 10:30am
and 3 future schedules

VIEW

Fairy Folk Tales

Step into the enchanting world of Dorset folklore and immerse yourself in the magical tale of "The Singing Barrows at Bincombe Bumps".

Tue 27th May - 10:00am
and 3 future schedules

VIEW

Store Tour

Join our Collections Team for an opportunity to explore behind the scenes in Dorset Museum & Art Gallery's Collections Discovery Centre.

Wed 28th May - 2:00pm
and 7 future schedules

VIEW

Hardy Women: Mothers, Sisters, Wives, Muses

Join Paula Byrne for a talk exploring Hardy Women which offers a fresh perspective on Hardy’s life, exploring it through the lens of the women who shaped him—his formidable mother, devoted sisters, first loves, long-suffering wives, and inspiring muses. Through their eyes, we see the man behind the novels, a figure both enthralled by and at odds with the women around him.

Fri 30th May - 6:00pm

VIEW

Quiet Opening

Explore the Museum and take part in drop-in activities during our Quiet Openings. Especially suitable for visitors with autism or other sensory conditions, and their siblings, parents and carers. The sessions are also suitable for any group or individual who would like to visit our museums and galleries at a quieter time.

Sat 7th Jun - 10:00am
and 5 future schedules

VIEW

Jane Austen: Down to the Sea exhibition

Celebrating the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth in 1775 this exhibition will explore the sea as a setting for Austen's fictional worlds and its influence on her.

Sat 14th Jun - All day
and 92 future schedules

VIEW

No ice in Weymouth! – Eating ice cream with Jane Austen (and a bit beyond) | Dr Annie Gray

Food historian Dr Annie Gray takes us back to the Regency to eat ices with jane Austen and her friend and family cook, Martha Lloyd.

Thu 26th Jun - 6:00pm

VIEW

Empire, the West Country and Thomas Hardy | Corinne Fowler and Rena Jackson

This joint talk explores the British Empire's impact on the West County, examining Dorset's colonial connections, imperial wealth, and literary responses, including Thomas Hardy's portrayal of global influences in Wessex.

Fri 4th Jul - 6:00pm

VIEW

‘The Shadow on the Stone’: Hardy and Archaeology | Mark Damon Chutter

Join Mark Damon Chutter, the Chairman and Academic Director of the Thomas Hardy Society, for this special talk as part of our Festival of Archaeology programme.

Wed 23rd Jul - 11:00am

VIEW

Bone builders: can you construct a human skeleton?

Meet the archaeology team from Bournemouth University and piece together a full skeleton made of life-like cast bones.

Thu 24th Jul - 10:00am

VIEW

Fraught with high tragedy: new insights on the Maiden Castle Iron Age ‘War Cemetery’ | Dr Martin Smith

This talk presents new work by archaeologists from Bournemouth University, that has used radiocarbon dating to arrive at new conclusions regarding the dead of Maiden Castle and why they were laid to rest within the ramparts of this iconic site.

Thu 24th Jul - 6:00pm

VIEW

Jane Austen and the Sea | Lizzie Dunford

Join Jane Austen's House Director Lizzie Dunford for this illustrated talk exploring the connections of Britain's greatest writer with the coast that surrounds our islands.

Fri 1st Aug - 6:00pm

VIEW

Writing Jane Austen | Gill Hornby in Conversation with Tracy Chevalier

Join bestselling author, Gill Hornby for a captivating evening as she discusses her writing inspired by the world of Jane Austen with writer Tracy Chevalier.

Fri 5th Sep - 6:00pm

VIEW

Volunteer Open Day

Next events

Location

Other events happening here

Roman Dorchester Walk

Fairy Folk Tales

Store Tour

Hardy Women: Mothers, Sisters, Wives, Muses

Quiet Opening

Jane Austen: Down to the Sea exhibition

No ice in Weymouth! – Eating ice cream with Jane Austen (and a bit beyond) | Dr Annie Gray

Empire, the West Country and Thomas Hardy | Corinne Fowler and Rena Jackson

‘The Shadow on the Stone’: Hardy and Archaeology | Mark Damon Chutter

Bone builders: can you construct a human skeleton?

Fraught with high tragedy: new insights on the Maiden Castle Iron Age ‘War Cemetery’ | Dr Martin Smith

Jane Austen and the Sea | Lizzie Dunford

Writing Jane Austen | Gill Hornby in Conversation with Tracy Chevalier