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Get Your Bearings Volunteers

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Home Authority Volunteering Volunteering Opportunities Get Your Bearings Volunteer

Get Your Bearings (GYB) is our internal outdoors skills programme, providing navigation and leadership training and assessment to a wide range of volunteers to enable them to safely undertake their volunteering activity.

We are proud to operate these courses entirely in collaboration with volunteers, who share their own outdoor skills and experience with their peers.

FAQs

Our Get Your Bearings Trainers:
  • Act as supportive and encouraging role models, modelling the leadership skills the programme instils.
  • Facilitate navigation and leadership training and assessment for volunteers.
  • Carrying out recces of routes ahead of the training season.
  • Contribute to the ongoing process of reviewing course’s contents.
  • Attend relevant meetings and training events.

Our GYB Trainers are asked to volunteer approximately once a month when courses operate, between March and October, and to attend relevant training and meetings throughout the year. This generally equates to a time commitment of between 10 and 12 volunteering duties a year.

This role will suit you if you have:

  • excellent navigation and outdoor skills (Mountain Leader award or equivalent)
  • strong group management and interpersonal skills
  • experience of walking in the Lake District fells
  • a good level of hill fitness and comfort out in the fells

Ongoing training and support will be provided by the Volunteers Service. Training pathway will
include:

  • First Aid
  • Pre and post season meetings/ training
  • CPD day annually with an external provider
  • Induction and learning about the National Park

How do I apply?

Due to the nature of the role, we select volunteers based on their technical skills, experience, and qualifications, and their ability to relate to and communicate with a wide range of people effectively and positively. Please ensure that you give as much detail as possible when applying.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and applicants may be invited to attend an informal interview to chat about the role. Please apply by completing an application form below

Any more questions?

If you have any questions about volunteering in this role then please contact the Volunteers Coordination Team at volunteers@lakedistrict.gov.uk

Get Your Bearings Volunteer Role Profile 2026

Get Your Bearings Volunteer Role Profile 2026 (PDF)

Application Form

Your details

Do you have any medical issues or allergies that may affect your volunteering?
Please note all information collected on this form is held in confidence.

Your Volunteering

What is your usual volunteering availability; for example, are there particular days of the week or times of year you are unable to volunteer?
Are you able to commit to a minimum of 10 days of volunteering per year?(Required)

Your Skills and Experience

Do you hold a Summer Mountain Leader Award?
Are there any reasonable adjustments we can make to aid you in volunteering e.g. access, communications, etc.?

Emergency Contact Details

For insurance purposes we need to hold details of an appropriate emergency contact.

Using and storing your information

GDPR Permissions(Required)
In order for us to continue to store and use your information we need you to read and agree to our Personal Data and Privacy Policy for how we use and store your data. A copy of this Policy can be found on our website - https://lakedistrict.gov.uk/authority/volunteering/privacy-for-volunteers/ . Please check the box below to confirm that you have read and agreed to this policy.
Photo Permissions(Required)
Occasionally you may be photographed or videoed during your volunteering activity. Maintaining a library of images for us to use online and in print, highlighting and celebrating what our incredible volunteers achieve is essential. We hope that you will give us permission to use photos and videos that may include you in order to achieve this, but you can opt out.
Sharing Your Details(Required)
In the normal course of volunteering we may need to share your contact information with other volunteers to facilitate effective working. Examples of this may include car sharing, mentoring or coordinating activity. Please check the appropriate box below to confirm that you give permission, or otherwise, for us to share your contact details with other volunteers in the normal course of your volunteering.

Diversity Information

Do you have a disability as recognised under the Equality Act 2010?
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Submit your application

Submission(Required)
Before submitting this form, please make sure that you've completed all the boxes correctly. We'll be in touch shortly to outline the next steps in the process.