Who are we?
Westmill Sustainable Energy Trust (WeSET) is a registered charity established by members of the Westmill Wind Farm and Solar Co-operatives. WeSET promotes sustainable energy deployment and education, primarily within a 25-mile radius of the Westmill Wind Farm and Solar Park, near the village of Watchfield, between Swindon and Oxford.
The Wind Farm at Westmill has been operating for nearly twenty years now, with five turbines that produce enough electricity to power about 2,800 homes. The Solar Park sits beside the turbines and produces electricity for about 1,600 homes.
Both projects are community-owned. In fact, the solar park was the first community-owned of its kind in the UK, and at its inception it was thought to be the UK’s first and the world’s largest co-operatively run, community-owned solar installation. Country Living has called Westmill one of the "6 most impressive solar farms around the world" to visit.
Westmill is the only place in southern England where people can see wind and solar power in action on the same site.
What we do:
One of the main ways in which WeSET connects with others is by giving tours of Westmill, where we welcome groups - large and small - consisting of members of the public, plus community groups, primary school classes and university students. Additionally, on occasion, we also welcome planners, civil servants, councillors and others involved in making decisions about renewable energy.
The opportunity
We are looking for enthusiastic individuals to join our team of volunteers at WeSET to help guide people around the Westmill site. If you are passionate about sustainable energy and a low-carbon future, and are eager to share your interest with others, then we'd love to hear from you.
As a WeSET volunteer tour guide you will interact with our visitors, telling the story of how the Westmill Wind Farm & Solar Park was created, describing how our turbines were installed and how they operate, and detailing the installation and energy generation of over twenty-thousand solar panels. You would be trained and guided on the tour content and its delivery.
On some occasions, you will be working alone in welcoming and leading groups at Westmill, and on other occasions you may be working alongside other guides.
You may also prefer to work as 'guide support' which is another volunteering role available that provides practical help to our guides during the tours.
Our team of volunteers is a small but friendly group of individuals who enjoy an engaging experience, not only through tours, but also through some internal social events that WeSET arranges.
Who we are looking for
If you already have knowledge of renewables then this would be useful. But it is by no means essential as we can introduce you! Either way, we would run you through some training and shadowing sessions to bring you up to speed.
Experience of work in a public-facing role would also be useful, but is not crucial as you will be guided on the rudiments by our existing guides, with continuing, ongoing support from WeSET's Visits Coordinator.
It's important to say that this opportunity may only suitable for people who live in north-east Wiltshire, as we are looking for people who can easily and quickly travel to the Westmill site. We can offer reimbursement for any travel expenses, usually within a 15-mile radius of Westmill, and this can be discussed in advance of any volunteering.
If you have a happy, friendly demeanour, with a genuine passion for sustainability, then this could be a great opportunity to share that passion and meet other like-minded people at the same time!
If you would like to help lead visitors around Westmill, while helping to promote clean green energy, then please contact us, detailing a little about you, where you are based, your background and any relevant experience.