VOLUNTEER
Are you interested in volunteering at our 2027 Singing with Nightingales season and joining our team for one week in the springtime woodland?
Volunteering with us is a rare opportunity to spend time living and working with nature, in collaboration with a wild bird, a woodland, and a community of artists, listeners, and fellow volunteers.
About SWN
Singing with Nightingales is an extraordinary series of springtime events where musicians duet with wild Nightingales in a secluded woodland setting. The events were founded by folk singer, writer and naturalist, Sam Lee, with 40-60 people participating each night.
Each evening is joined by a special guest musician and includes performances by the campfire, a nature walk in the woods, food, drink and post-dinner tales of the Nightingale’s life, songs and folklore. Once darkness has fallen, the group walk in silence through the woodland paths to find the wild Nightingales. Here, everyone gathers in close to listen to the musician’s sublime duet with this endangered and revered bird, together into the night.
Volunteering with Us
We are looking for community-minded, nature-loving and committed people to join our camp in Sussex next spring. Our volunteers are an integral part of what makes Singing with Nightingales possible. You’ll be part of a small, close-knit weekly team living on site and supporting the events behind the scenes.
We aim for volunteering with us to be a nourishing and enriching experience, where care for the land, the birds, the participants, and each other are held together. We are working in co-creation with a wild bird in a living ecosystem, and we’re looking for volunteers who are excited by this way of working.
You don't need previous experience, as we welcome both new and returning volunteers. Applications are popular and places are limited, so early applications are advised. We aim for a balance of new and returning volunteers, and a good mix of strengths and interests in each week's team.
A week with us is physically demanding as well as rewarding. You'll need to be:
Comfortable spending several days living and working outdoors, including camping with limited facilities
Able to walk at least 10,000 steps a day over uneven woodland ground, often carrying equipment or supplies
Happy with late nights (we usually finish around 1am)
Prepared for variable spring weather and cold nights
Willing to share facilities and take on practical, sometimes messy tasks
Able to work both independently and as part of a team
If any of this feels like a barrier, please tell us in your application. We'd always rather talk it through and see how we can support those who want to join the programme.
2027 season Dates
Runs typically take place midweek to weekends. Volunteers are asked to commit to one full run, arriving the day before the first event and staying until the morning of departure:
Infrastructure build: late March - early April (dates TBC)
Build: 5-7 April (dates TBC)
Week 1: Wednesday 7 - Monday 12 April
Week 2: Wednesday 14 - Monday 19 April
Week 3: Wednesday 21 - Monday 26 April
Week 4: Wednesday 28 April - Monday 3 May
Week 5: Wednesday 5 - Monday 10 May
Week 6: Tuesday 11 - Monday 17 May
Week 7: Tuesday 18 - Monday 24 May
Week 8: Tuesday 25 - Monday 31 May
Week 9: Monday 31 May - Saturday 5 June (TBC)
De-Rig: 5 - 9 June (dates TBC)
Location
Barcombe, Sussex
What volunteering with us involves
During the season, we set up a temporary camp in the woodland for several weeks. This includes:
A public fireside gathering area
A temporary kitchen
Staff and participant camping areas
Storage tents and site infrastructure
Roles
Volunteers support the smooth running of the camp and events through a rotation of practical roles, which may include:
Supporting the kitchen team (washing up, preparing drinks, assisting with meals)
Preparing and resetting participant areas
Tidying and caring for shared spaces (including compost toilets)
Welcoming and checking in participants
Preparing fires, lanterns, flowers, and herbal teas
Stewarding evening performances and night walks
Supporting artists and team members as needed
Setting up camp and packing it down
Capturing content to share with our online community
Tasks are practical and hands-on, but the pace of the days are designed with time to rest, connect, and enjoy being immersed in the woodland.
Build and de-rig are separate commitments with different working patterns.
Practicalities
What a week in the wood looks like
On a typical day you might walk at least 10,000 steps over uneven woodland ground, often carrying equipment or supplies. You'll camp outdoors with limited facilities, and evenings run late, usually finishing around 1am. The cadence of a typical day is:
Breakfast and camp reset
9am sharing circle for overnight guests, all welcome to join
11am volunteer team gathering
2pm family meal
Afternoon: preparation, with time to rest
Early evening: guest check-in and dinner service
Night: stewarding and the night walk, followed by a sharing circle
Late: closing the camp, finishing around 1am
*not everyone is doing all of these tasks in a day
Arrival & departure
Volunteers arrive the day before the first event by 12pm, with a welcome lunch together at 2pm, followed by a site tour and briefing. Departure is on the final morning, with a shared closing moment and checkout by midday.
Camping
Volunteers camp on site with the SWN team. You’ll bring your own camping equipment, but if this is a barrier, please let us know. We are able to offer equipment and outdoor gear.
Facilities
Compost toilets on site
Showers available (off site, approx. 20-minute walk each way)
Cold running water and hot water via urn
Limited power access in the kitchen
Otherwise an off-grid site
Food & drink
All meals, snacks, and drinks are provided. Our meals are vegan, healthy and balanced, and cooked to suit as many people as possible.
Clothing
Volunteers need appropriate clothing for all-weather outdoor work, including warm layers, waterproofs, and sturdy footwear. Again, if this is a barrier, please let us know and we can support you.
Support & access
If travel costs, equipment, health, mobility, dietary needs or energy levels might affect your ability to volunteer, we encourage you to let us know in your application. We aim to make volunteering as accessible as possible and are able to offer travel contributions, equipment lending, or additional on-site support.
How to apply
Please complete our application form. If you’d like to be notified with regular programme updates, please sign up to our newsletter.
We review applications in two rounds:
Priority review deadline: Sunday 22 November 2026
Final review deadline: Sunday 6 December 2026
Applying by the first date gives you the best chance, as we start to place earlier applicants first where they fit the balance of each week's team. We won't confirm places until after the second review, and will let you know by Friday 18 December. Please keep the dates you've selected free until then.
Applying doesn't guarantee a place, including for returning volunteers. New applicants are asked to include a short video (2 minutes max) and those who are shortlisted will be invited to a short call (around 15–20 minutes) before final decisions are made. If we can't offer you a run initially, you can join our reserve list in case a place opens up.