Helping Us

In 2025 Countryways celebrated its ten year anniversary and we are looking for some talented people to help take us forward.

Countryways is a care farm based on a working farm outside Great Missenden who supports people of all ages and stages with additional needs,  mental, physical health challenges, isolation, schools and special interest groups.

If you would like to help at our care farm, or are interested in any of the specific volunteer opportunities below, please do contact us. You do not have to be outside: it’s helpful to have someone to make a cup of tea and be involved with arts and crafts, let alone other paperwork! We do have an application form for our volunteers and often require you to have a Data Barring Service check.

Director Role x 2 (volunteer post)

We are looking for 2 more talented Director’s to help lead us and take us forward. To apply for the volunteer director role(s) please email Wendy, at office.rfcountryways@gmail.com with your cover letter and CV.

Responsibilities and Duties

• Strategic Direction: Define and drive Countryways CICs mission, vision, and strategic goals.
• Legal Compliance: Ensure Countryways CIC acts within its governing document, charity law, and relevant regulations.
• Financial Oversight: Oversee financial management to ensure resources are used effectively.
• Public Benefit: Ensure Countryways CICs activities further the enterprises aims.
• Governance & Risk: Manage risks, uphold policies, and monitor performance.
• Support & Challenge: Provide guidance, support, and constructive challenge to other trustees and chair.

Personal Skills and experience required 

• Commitment: Dedication to Countryways CICs mission and ability to attend meetings (approx 5 board meetings per year, and AGM), potentially other subcommittee project meetings, and time reviewing papers and preparation in advance of meetings.
• Strategic Thinking: Ability to analyse information, think strategically, and make sound decisions.
• Integrity: High ethical standards, including objectivity and a willingness to avoid conflicts of interest.
• Collaboration: Working effectively as part of a diverse team.
• Specialist Skills: We would especially welcome people with experience in education, health, fundraising and HR
• Common Time Commitment
  Trustees usually attend quarterly or monthly board meetings, plus an annual AGM, along with reviewing papers and potentially acting in subcommittee roles.

Remuneration: This is a voluntary, unpaid position.

We are seeking an experienced person to support young adults with special needs to attend Countryways CIC weekly and participate in real life farm experiences and learning. In this role, you will be positively supporting young adults (and their key workers) in undertaking activities on the farm.

This volunteer role is mainly outdoors or in barns, all weathers, all year.  It requires calm and patient individuals who are able to provide non-judgemental encouragement, be confident alongside farm animals and able to make quick decisions.  We are looking for people who can commit to a regular weekly time slot so that our Farm Helpers can be reliably and consistently supported.  Experience of this client group is highly desirable, but in-house training will be provided.  Nearly all our Farm Helpers bring their own a support worker with them to ensure our safeguarding and risk assessments can be safely met.

This post would ideally suit someone with a background or interest in working with people with special educational needs; previous experience in an educational or care setting, and/or prior knowledge of occupational therapy, physiotherapy or speech therapy.

Time required: regular 2.5 hours per week (morning or afternoon sessions, to be discussed, either 10am – 1 or 1-3pm)
Overall Commitment: Minimum 6 months
This volunteer role is subject to a satisfactory enhanced DBS check.

If this is of interest to you, please email Amina at vols.rfcountryways@gmail.com

• Bookkeeping
• Liaising with schools and encourage outdoor learning linked to the curriculum
• Adult sewing activity planner – We need someone with an interest in sewing to generate some simple, meaningful sewing projects for our young people to build their skills.
• Admin and website maintenance
• Food preservation – We need help with reducing waste from our orchard and we’re planning a few more simple activities which young people could be involved in but need someone with jam/chutney/preservation enthusiasm and expertise they are willing to share. Requires existing skills and preferably a Hygeine certificate (although this can be arranged).  We also have a demonstration fruit mill, press and dehydrator, not to mention goat’s milk and honey!
• Cleaning – help keeping our internal spaces clean and tidy
• Helping at specific events, such as Open Farm Sunday