UPDATE: Please take the time to read our announcement. Ristorante Café Arena is open as normal.

Volunteer with
Roundhouse Birmingham

Roundhouse Birmingham has a wonderful team of enthusiastic and friendly volunteers who have a passion for the city and a willingness to learn new skills. The Roundhouse is a lively base for exploration and adventure, with our volunteers at the heart of all we do. With a range of flexible opportunities available, we’re sure you’ll find a role that suits you.

Why become a Roundhouse volunteer?

Whether you want to boost your confidence, gain some experience, meet new friends or simply give back to your community, we’d love to have you on board.

We’re an independent charity focused on showcasing Birmingham’s historic roots, bringing together people, organisations and communities with a passion for heritage and culture. As a volunteer, we will always encourage you to be bold, authentic and brave with your ideas and as part of a pioneering family, you’ll have the opportunity to shape the Roundhouse and our visitors’ experiences from the very beginning.

Training is provided with all our roles. We just ask that you are reliable, enthusiastic and ready to get stuck in.

Round picture of yellow Roundhouse smiley faces badges on white and grey chequered background

What being a Roundhouse Volunteer involves

  • Joining a team of friendly volunteers and staff that make the Roundhouse a great place to be a part of.
  • As part of the team, you will be instrumental in shaping how visitors experience our activities.
  • Committing to our training programmes will provide you with the tools you need to reach your full potential as a volunteer.
  • Opportunities to deliver innovative tours from and around the Roundhouse.
  • Flexible volunteering will ensure we can fit training, tours and activities around your schedule and other events happening on site.
  • Can commit to fulfilling at least six shifts a year.
  • We will cover your travel expenses up to £10 a day. 

How can I get involved?

To start your volunteering journey with us you’ll need to attend an Open Day. We do both in-person and online sessions.

You’ll learn more about the roles, and if you like what you see and hear, we’ll talk through next steps and book you into training slots. 

Our annual Open Days take place in Feb/Mar each year, with occasional ones taking place in late summer.

Keep an eye on our socials, to find out when our next Open Days will be held. 

You can also take a look at all our current opportunities, or sign up on our volunteering system to register your interest.

Registering your interest will take you to our volunteer registration and scheduling system, Beeple.

Yellow Roundhouse symbol on a white and grey chequered background

Volunteering FAQs

Most frequent questions and answers

We have a variety of volunteering opportunities available at Roundhouse Birmingham. More information on the type of roles available can be found on our volunteer opportunities page.

For most of our volunteer roles we don’t require people with any specific skills or experience. We’re looking for people with an enthusiasm to get involved and a willingness to learn about Roundhouse Birmingham.

Yes, all roles require an element of training. You can find more information on our volunteer opportunities page.

Our volunteering roles are flexible, so you’ll be able to work around a schedule that suits you, but we would like our volunteers to aim to do at least 6 shifts a year. More information can be found on our volunteer opportunities page.

Roundhouse Birmingham is committed to equal opportunities and welcomes all applications for volunteer roles. Please get in touch with us so we can discuss your individual needs.

Our volunteering opportunities are open to people aged 18 and over. If you are between 16 and 18, please get in touch directly with us as there may be opportunities available.

As a new charity, we’re still finding our feet. We hope to be able to offer school work experience placements in the future – watch this space!

Yes, we will cover your travel expenses to and from the Roundhouse up to £10.00 a day.

Roundhouse Birmingham is committed to equal opportunities and having a criminal record will not exclude you from volunteering. For more information please get in touch.

We’ll be happy to provide you with a character reference, once you’ve been volunteering with us for three months.

Once you’ve applied we’ll contact you with the next steps as quickly as we can and keep you updated throughout the application and selection process.

Update

The ‘Roundhouse Birmingham’ charity was set up in 2016 to care for the historic Grade II* listed Roundhouse building. Nine years on and the restored building is now used as office space and is home to a much-loved Italian restaurant.

Since 2021, the Roundhouse has also been a base for guided walks, kayak tours, boat trips and other activities. Whilst these have been well received, rising external costs mean this element of Roundhouse Birmingham is no longer providing the sustainable income we need to fund the ongoing care of this historic building. For this reason, we’ve made the difficult decision to close the leisure activity offer and visitor centre.

The office spaces will remain open as usual. Visitors can still access the site (see www.arenaltd.co.uk for opening hours) and Ristorante Caffe Arena will continue to welcome visitors.

We’re hugely proud of what the Roundhouse Birmingham team has achieved, and we’d also like to thank all of our visitors for their support. The trustees of Roundhouse Birmingham remain fully committed to caring for this important part of Birmingham’s heritage.

If you’ve already booked a tour, you’ll be contacted via email and the cost of your booking will be refunded. We apologise for any inconvenience.   

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