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Background: I have an MSc in Spatial Planning. My chosen career has been in planning and architectural design, and during the last five years I have run several international projects in various urban design companies in the U.K. My academic and work experience has mainly focused on developing sustainable communities, place making, collaborative planning, and community-led regeneration. At present, I am setting up an international company to practice poverty alleviation and affordable housing based on community-focused regeneration in Central Asia and the Middle East.

Experience of Volunteering: I joined the Prince’s Regeneration Trust in November 2008 to experience heritage-led regeneration. During my time there, I contributed to various projects, as well as brushing up on my design and project management skills. The type and size of the projects that I was involved in were very varied; from producing the design and access statement for an exemplar vernacular building in Caithness, to contributing various design suggestions on retrofitting listed buildings and improving their environmental sustainability. I even helped produce the final master plan document for a unique hospital site in Gosport.
I believe that working for The Prince’s Regeneration Trust was a good opportunity for me to work with expert people, build long term relationships, and review my own abilities.

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Background: I graduated in 2008 from studying Interior Architecture and Design at London Metropolitan University. My love of the built environment was what drew me to volunteering at the Prince’s Regeneration Trust and in particular how they reuse heritage buildings in a way which makes them relevant to modern living.

Experience of volunteering: I volunteer as a photographer for the Trust, taking photos of the current and potential projects. I’ve been working closely with the marketing team to put together a set of postcards for distribution around Christmas. It’s taught me a great deal about the intricacies involved in developing photographs suitable for publishing and how to work to a defined brief.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of the role has been seeing the different locations that the Trust work in and how the proposed changes to a heritage site would, or has positively affected the local community.

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Background: After over ten years working in print journalism, I decided to follow my passion, switch career and work with historic buildings. I took an MSc in European Urban Conservation at the University of Dundee, after which I needed to do work experience to build up contacts and gain experience of the sector.

Experience of Volunteering: I worked for six weeks at the Prince’s Regeneration Trust. My work at the Trust was extremely varied and included researching and writing a detailed history of a mediaeval gatehouse, scouring archives for information about a palace in Cornwall, creating the training and education plan for a small domestic project in Scotland, including sourcing local training providers and a free website, and using InDesign to interpret a number of sketches as fair-copy PDFs for the conversion of an Irish prison.

As a result, I made friends whom I still see and contacts with whom I hope I shall work again in the future. The insight I gained into the work of the Trust was valuable enough, but I was also shown a view from another angle of the heritage development process.

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Background: I am currently in my final year at King’s College London studying for a BA in English Literature and Language. Over the summer I decided to volunteer at the Prince’s Regeneration Trust to gain experience in communications within the charity sector.

Experience of volunteering: I had a great time volunteering at the Trust; everyone was very welcoming and gave me the opportunity to work on exciting projects. I volunteered for two days per week and spent the rest of my time at another internship. During my time at the Trust I was involved in publication research, designing sustainability posters and general administration. I was also involved in the editing of a new publication for the charity which was particularly rewarding.

How has volunteering at the Prince’s Regeneration Trust helped you?
Volunteering at the Trust gave me a fascinating insight into the workings of a national charity. I gained valuable experience which has given me the confidence to apply for roles in the communications and marketing industry upon my graduation next summer.

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Background: I graduated from studying media science, art history and German literature in early 2009. After an interim period with paramedic training I went to London and applied for volunteering opportunities in the charity sector. The Prince’s Regeneration Trust was actually my favourite choice (even though they picked me...) as the field of regeneration meets my general interest in cultural heritage and ties in with my conservation classes at university.

Experience of volunteering: The Prince’s Regeneration Trust is a small charity with a personal and warm atmosphere. So far I’ve been volunteering for over two months, and during my time I’ve been lucky enough to work on an exciting publication on sustainable disposal of heritage assets.

I collect and analyse data on UK’s buildings at risk registers, do research on suitable case studies for the publication, communicate with stakeholders to find out more about the buildings’ purchases, develop a prototypic social return on investment toolkit to measure impact and do other smaller tasks on a day to day basis (like online research on donors, picture research, editing photos and summarising publications). My work is highly appreciated and if there was a lonely planet guide for volunteering I would recommend this place!

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Background: I recently graduated from studying Theology and Religious Studies at Cambridge University. I decided to volunteer at the Prince’s Regeneration Trust to improve my skills, and to add some more experience to my C.V. I felt that by volunteering with a charity I would be given the opportunity to do more than just standard ‘work experience’ jobs, and that I would be using my free time to help a great cause.

Experience of volunteering: I am really enjoying my time at the Prince’s Regeneration Trust! I’ve been here for a couple of months now. I volunteer one day a week, and spend my other four days working in another internship. During my time here I have helped organise a conference in Wales, where the delegates had the opportunity to learn about how they could resurrect their redundant rural buildings. I have also put together publicity material, researched potential donors, and done lots of administration! I like the fact that no two days I work here are the same, so I got lots of experience to write on my C.V.

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Background: I trained as an urban planner in Germany, and during my first work experience I got interested in the question of "Who takes the initiative in regeneration? Who gets a process started?". As the UK is known for its vibrant scene of proactive heritage bodies, which may be a role model for other countries too, I wanted to get to know it closer.

Experience of volunteering: I worked for four months at "Regeneration through Heritage", which was then blended into the Trust. With RTH, I was really at the centre of the heritage scene. I advised local trusts and initiatives and dealt with national bodies too, and got many contacts to friendly organisations. I learned a lot not only about heritage in the UK, but about a whole different culture in development, policy, and work as a planner in general.