Volunteer Work Experience
      Gentleshaw also offers work experience placements for students aged 16 and over. These must be pre booked and placements are limited. Tasks include general animal husbandry, preparation of diets, cleaning of enclosures and enrichments, keeping grounds maintained including odd jobs, painting, grass cutting etc and occasionally training and exercising of the birds of prey. Be prepared, you won’t be cuddling animals, you will get grubby and smelly! To help us cover the cost of accepting students we request a one off donation of £10 per student.
     Please Note: Anyone applying for work experience via a letter must include a SAE if requiring a reply. Also, please be aware that we do not employ anyone, and we cannot offer any money / expenses etc. as we simply do not have the funds to do so.

Should you require further information please contact Gentleshaw using the details on our contact page.

The Staff
      No sanctuary could run without people to clean ,feed, repair, build, bandage, tidy , worry, cry, sweat and clean some more. We do not pay our staff wages, they survive on coffee and the knowledge that an animals life is just a little bit better, because of them.

Volunteers
      I cannot name you all, you know who you are, the long term volunteers who come rain or shine, crisis after crisis, I cannot give you money, but you should all know how vital you are, Gentleshaw's volunteers, my extended family!

Mom (Lesley Smith) thank you are priceless.

Katie Smith (Little sis) you never complain (well not much any way) Love you.

Auntie (Rosemary Jenkins) from house wife to Zoo keeper in one easy move!

Uncle (Hugh Jenkins) Cheap accountant!

Grandad, Britain's oldest Zoo keeper and grumpiest floor mopper, what would Nanna say?!

Wendy, our longest standing helper, despite a mini zoo of her own, always there when we need her, thanks mate.

Dave (Biker) you know your worth your weight in gold, he does all the building work and only moans a bit when I change my mind!

Sandie and Steve fetch this, get that, find one of those, yep that's you pair, love xxx

Jill and Col two of our daftest helpers, not only do they give up their time and money like the others, but they travel 100s of mile to do it, mad!!

Keith Hollingworth, Dave (the zoo) Bridgeford and their patient wives, thank you for standing collecting for endless hours, with out you, we couldn't be.

Sue Steve and Ash Booker, I don't have room to list what you do, the clean towels say it all, menders of broken things, Ash I even love you, a bit!

Colin Morgan (soon to be husband of Nutty Zoo woman!) My better, and more sensible other half, You put up with creatures around the house, and what ever disaster I need to spend all night talking about, I love you xxxx

And lastly Dad (Rob Smith).. Your shoes no one will ever fill, your feet were always bigger than mine, "Do what you love and love what you do" you did, for you Dad.

I am sure someone will come in tomorrow to help out that I have missed off, if that's you, I am sorry, thank you to you, too.