Digital Tote Bag

Heritage Volunteering 25 – all your information in one place:

What’s included in your Digital Tote Bag

• A link to our HVG Conference 2025 Evaluation Form
• A link to our sponsor Investing in Volunteers
• HVG Strategic Plan – Transformative Volunteering
• HVG Conference 2025 Programme
• HVG Conference Welcome from Matt Hick, Chair of HVG
• HVG Conference Sponsor, Sandra Adair, Investing in Volunteers
• HVG Conference Keynote Speaker, Lisa Ollerhead, Director, AIM
• HVG Conference Time for Impact Podcast, Chris Wade, Matt Cobble and Saskia Rinkoff
• HVG Conference Plenary Session, Professor Martin Webber and Dr Beth Casey
• HVG Conference Workshop Slides and Resources
• HVG Volunteer Leader of the Year 2025
• HVG Conference Closing Remarks from Matt Hick, Chair of HVG

Provide your feedback on this year’s conference and let us know what you might like us to consider for 2026.  Please take a few minutes to complete our Evaluation Form and help to contribute to HVG’s future plans.

Connect with our sponsor Investing In Volunteers As the UK and Republic of Ireland’s quality standard for good practice in volunteer management, IiV supports organisations in creating safe, structured, and inclusive environments where volunteers can thrive.

Review a copy of our strategic-plan, Transformative Volunteering. which is designed to enable the sector to realise the potential of volunteering to transform organisations, lives and communities.

Review a copy of the HVG Conference 2025 Programme.  To see all what conference provided and who supported us.

There was so much to learn and experience with our keynote, plenary, podcast and workshops.  Over the next two weeks, resources, slides and videos will be added below for you to review.  We will continue to add any that remain missing as soon as they are available.

 

Day 1 – Tuesday 26 November 2025

 

Welcome:  Matt Hick, Chair of the Heritage Volunteering Group, welcomes attendees to the event. Video

Sponsor: The IiV process helps you strengthen your policies and procedures, develop diverse and meaningful volunteer roles, and better understand the impact volunteers have in achieving organisational goals.  Sandra Adair, Investing in Volunteers explains how HVG aligns with their values and why they wished to sponsor this year’s conference. Video, HVG Offer

Keynote Speaker: Our keynote Lisa Ollerhead, is Director of the Association of Independent Museums (AIM). Since joining AIM in 2021, following five years as Head of Museums Policy at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, she has led major initiatives to strengthen community connections, including delivering the pioneering Connected Communities programme which we are delighted to be a part of. This project explored how volunteering can tackle some of society’s most urgent challenges such as loneliness and social isolation. Lisa also brings wider sector insight through her roles with the Happy Museum Project steering group and the Tate Liverpool Advisory Group. Slides,  Video

Workshops Day 1:

Are you Investing in your Volunteers, Janet Lewis Jones, Investing in Volunteers and Sheila Fisher, Museums Partnership Reading  Slides 1, Slides 2, IIV Standard

Building a Volunteer Community of Scale! Sarah Holloway, Heritage Open Days, National Trust Slides, Video

Creating Communities around Volunteering, Georgia Hendry and Gemma Scott, The Auckland Project Slides, Worksheet_1, Worksheet_2, Video

Making it Work : Real Steps to Volunteering, Freya Cox, Ripon Museum and Prof. Martin Webber, University of York Slides , Workshop, Video

Rewriting the Story of Community Engagement, Kay Thompson-Barker, Sealight Slides, Exercise, Video 

Live Podcast: Recorded live at our 2025 Conference, this special episode of Time for Impact sees co-hosts Chris Wade and Matt Cobble in conversation with Saskia Rinkoff, Volunteer Engagement Manager at Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre. In this episode, Saskia explores how one of Canada’s busiest cultural sites harnesses volunteering to reflect urban diversity and strengthen social cohesion. From managing a complex, ever-changing volunteer cohort to creating a sense of belonging for newcomers, she highlights volunteering as a gateway to community, connection, and civic identity. The discussion reinforces heritage volunteering as a powerful force for integration and sustainable, inclusive cities.

 

Day 2 – Wednesday 27 November 2024

 

Plenary Session:  Professor Martin Webber and Dr Beth Casey from the University of York shared lessons
from six museums and nature organisations pioneering inclusive approaches. Drawing on research findings, a community of practice, and practical tools, they’ll show how inclusive volunteering benefits individuals and organisations alike Slides, Video, Q&A, Guide, Study_Page

Workshops Day 2:

Are you Investing in your Volunteers, Janet Lewis Jones, Investing in Volunteers and Sheila Fisher, Museum Partnerships Reading Slides 1, Slides 2, IIV Standard

Building Belonging through Collection, Ash Hamoud, Multaka Oxford Slides, Video

Creative Approaches to Volunteer Recruitment and Engagement, Katie Binks, Durham University Slides

Engage, Include, Empower : Building a Volunteer Community that Lasts, Dara Howley, RAF Museum Slides, Video

From Barriers to Belonging : Inclusive Volunteering in Practice, Jess Young, Volunteer Centre Greenwich Slides, Video

Redesigning V&A Volunteering : Strengthening Foundations, Cultivating Community, Stephen Hill, Francesca Goff, Rachel Cutress, V&A Slides, Video

 

Volunteer Leader of the Year

Our Volunteer Leader of the Year Award, sponsored by Team Kinetic, celebrates exceptional individuals who have made a significant impact in volunteer leadership and management across the heritage sector. Now in its eight year, the award shines a spotlight on those who have demonstrated innovative approaches to volunteer engagement, transforming organisations, lives, and communities. This year the Heritage Volunteering Group’s Volunteer Leader of the Year. award is presented to Michele Armstrong, Head of Volunteering, The Auckland Project. Watch the video to hear more:  Video

Facilitated by Amanda Hanton, Cultural Participation Team Manager, Culture Leicestershire and HVG Advisory Member.

Judges feedback and comments were provided by Chris Martin, Team Kinetic

Closing remarks were made by Matt Hick, Chair HVG.

If you are not a member, why not join today.  Our membership is free and you can sign up here:

If you should have any issues accessing the resources above or if there is anything further we can help you with, then please contact us via email at heritagevolunteeringgroup@gmail.com