Liverpool Irish Festival is proud to work with volunteers. Their volunteers help them talk about the Festival; give audiences a great experience and help venues to deliver a wide variety of activities and shows, ensuring each is of great quality and enjoyable.
If the idea of joining their volunteer team appeals to you, read their Volunteer Pack.
Types of volunteering
In 2021 they have two types of volunteer: Festival volunteers and History Research Group members. You can apply for one, the other or both, though each has a specific focus.
Festival volunteers
Their Festival volunteer cohort, will help to deliver #LIF2021, this year’s Festival. You will come to their events at agreed times to help set up ahead of our audience joining us; as well as meeting our artists and venue partners and meeting and greeting audiences. You’ll help us to gather infomation and pack events down. This is a public-facing role and you can find out more about it in the Volunteer Pack.
Volunteers whose references reply positively will be invited to a preliminary orienteering session, to hear about the programme, pick up some materials and select their shifts. This will be arranged with you nearer to the time and will take place in Liverpool.
Heritage Research Group
Whilst recruiting for their front-of-house team, they are also recruiting an History Research Group Lead (funded via a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant) and a supporting volunteer group.
It is intended this group will start meeting in October, with the intention of meeting for 10 two-hour sessions in which they will build up research, digital content and information for the Liverpool Irish Famine Trail.
In particular, the group will access, review and digitise the work done by the Great Hunger Commemoration Committee; transcribing plaques and assisting the Lead with the research work they set. You do not need many specific skills in order to volunteer, but you will need:
- good literacy and written English skills
- an ability to use basic Office and online packages
- access to Office and online packages (e.g., access to a computer, even if this is via a library).
This may involve working form home or visiting the Liverpool Records Office at Liverpool Libraries, which will be confirmed with successful candidates by the Hestory Research Group Lead. This will happen nearer to the time and following the application deadline. As with the front-of-house volunteers, History Research Group members, will be invited to an initial meeting to meet the group, receive a project overview and hear task outlines.
Want to apply for either of these roles (or indeed, both!)? Read the Volunteer Pack below, which links you to the simple (mainly multiple choice) application form.
The Volunteer Pack
Their Volunteer Pack contains all you need to know (initially, at least!) about volunteering with us and it contains a link to a short, online application form. There isn’t a separate section on the History Research Group. All you need to know about this group is above.
How to apply
They have an online form for applications. Most of it is checkbox selections or short quick text answers.
The application form is arranged in clear sections. Initially it takes you through eligibility questions, so that if you are ineligible, they don’t waste your time collecting details they will not be able to use. Then they require:
- your contact details
- an emergency contact
- a bit on why you want to volunteer with the Liverpool Irish Festival and how you found out about the opportunity
- your medical history (only aspects that may affect your ability to perform volunteer duties)
- equality and equity monitoring
- two referees you will allow us to approach.
Monitoring questions about gender, ethnicity, nationality and age are important for them to share with stakeholders and funders to demonstrate how we work equitably with our communities. They have tried to make this as easy to complete as possible. Such sections are not used as part of your recruitment; but they build evidence about our working practices. Please complete as much as you can. You will not be able to move on to the next question unless an answer is complete.
Closing date for applications is Sun 26 Sept 2021. After the deadline, they’ll issue reference checks, before bringing the recruited volunteers together ahead of this year’s festival.
You are not able to access the form, unless you open and scoll through the PDF.