The most common request we get is to volunteer at the sanctuary. To volunteer at the sanctuary you need to join the Hallswood Clean Team. From the Teen Team to the Director, cleaning is something that all members of staff do every day at the sanctuary.

When you join the Hallswood Clean Team you are given a full safety induction after which you are officially a Level 1 sanctuary volunteer and can join in with all Level 1 activities – which involves cleaning. Ensuring all volunteers start from the same place is something we do to keep both the animals and you safe  Everyone at the sanctuary started as a Level 1 volunteer.

As you embed all the sanctuary rules, you will gradually move up from Level 1 to enable you to work directly with the animals. The highest volunteer level at the sanctuary is Level 4. After full training, Level 4 volunteers can work inside the animal hospitals – you will still load the dishwasher and scrub habitats because working as a team is at the heart of Hallswood Animal Sanctuary.

The Hallswood Teen Team is a group for teens aged 14+ to learn about animal care, and helps to develop responsibility and provides a view into the world of work. Many of the Hallswood Teen Team go on to study animal related courses after leaving school.

Please note that there is sometimes a waiting list to join the Hallswood Teen Team.

Do you enjoy getting out and meeting people? If so, assisting at our events could be just what you are looking for.

At the end of each month, we have a Saturday pop-up shop either at the Dixons Shopping Centre in Norwich or at Sportlink in Taverham and we are always grateful for extra pairs of hands to help set up and man the stalls. All proceeds from these events go to Hallswood Animal Sanctuary.

Throughout the year, we also attend other events in, around and north of Norwich to help raise funds to support our work. And again, we are always looking for new volunteers to join our team and help set up and man the Hallswood Animal Sanctuary stand at these occasions.

The more event volunteers we have the more events we can attend – which results in more money being raised to help animals in Norfolk!

Do you love knitting and crafting? Can you turn unwanted fabric or knitting yarn into blankets or other amazing creations for us to sell in our shops? If so, we would love for you to join our amazing and talented Hallswood Knit & Craft Team.

One of the most popular items we sell is the homemade Hallswood catnip mouse. To make a Hallswood catnip mouse requires knitting, then stitching, then felting, then drying, then stuffing with best quality catnip, and then stitching for a final time. 

In our opinion, Hallswood catnip mice are the best cat toys around and we sell thousands each year which helps to pay our huge vet bills!

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If you are aged 16+ and live near Hellesdon, you can also join us for our monthly Friday Natter Knit & Craft Night. We make knitted catnip mice and other crafty items for sale in aid of Hallswood Animal Sanctuary and provide tea, biscuits and a warm welcome and support for people new to crafting. It’s a great way to help Norfolk’s wildlife and meet other Hallswood volunteers. Please visit our events page for more details.

Are you a cat lover? If so, then maybe fostering a Hallswood cat is for you.

We often need cat fosterers, be this short term or long term. Sometimes we require an emergency space whilst at other times we require a home where an older cat can live out the rest of their life.

For more details please visit our Hallswood cats page.