Volunteering
Our volunteers take part in a wide range of projects here at East Ayrshire Leisure and we are constantly working to develop our Volunteering Programme to provide new opportunities. If you would like to apply for any of these roles, please email EALvolunteering@eastayrshireleisure.com
Download the Volunteer Handbook to find out more about East Ayrshire Leisure, our vision mission and values, what you can expect as a volunteer and what support we’ll give you.
Event Volunteers - Running Calendar
K12 UltramarathonVolunteer - Can you help East Ayrshire Leisure add a new ultramarathon to the racing calendar? We are challenging athletes to run as many loops of Dean Castle Country Park as they can in either 6 or 12 hours, either on their own or in a team. We need your help marshalling the route at key points around the Country Park, to keep runners and the general public safe and to cheer runners on up the steep slopes. Role Summary
• K6 & K12 Ultramarathons – Sunday 3 August, Dean Castle Country Park, various times.
Additional events requiring volunteers:
• Cairn Table Hill Race – Wednesday 16 July, Cairn Table, 5.30pm - 8.30pm (approx.), Muirkirk. Role Summary
• River Ayr Way Ultramarathon – Saturday 13 September, from Muirkirk to Ayr, various times. Role Summary
Outdoor Conservation Group
The Outdoor Conservation Group has been running since 2017 and has 12 spaces available on each volunteer session. This informal group meets on the first Tuesday and last Sunday of every month and tackles outdoor nature and maintenance projects in the Country Park. Read more in the Role Summary
Irvine Valley Path Warden Scheme
We're looking for volunteers to join our Path Warden Scheme - to walk, run or cycle our routes in the Irvine Valley at least twice a year and to help us with minor maintenance and with reporting and monitoring bigger issues. The paths we’re looking for help with are generally off road and start or finish in Darvel, Galston and Hurlford. We’ll be doing a training day on Friday 21 July in Irvine Valley to help you get started. And we'll provide all kits so even if you’ve never been on a walk before, you’ll receive everything you need to get you out there. Role summary
Textile Team
Dean Castle’s Textile Team are based in laundry buildings and gatehouse of the castle. They continue to work on the medieval curtains which brought the team together as well as costumes, livery and the recently completed flag to commemorate the 150th Anniversary of Kilmarnock Football Club. Visitors to Dean Castle will see their work on display throughout the Castle, in particular the banners, cushions and armoured horse in the Great Hall. The textile team is fully staffed at the moment but interested volunteers can join a waiting list, read more here
Castle Visitor Experience Volunteer
If you love castles and history, learning new skills and talking to the public, this could be the volunteer role for you. Help us tell the numerous and varied stories of Dean Castle, its inhabitants and first class
museum collections. Read more in our Role Summary. Castle Experience Volunteer Role Summary May 25
Lugar Water Path Warden
As part of our commitment to improving access we would like to inspect every path in East Ayrshire regularly, however, the Protecting our Environment Team at East Ayrshire Leisure Trust don’t have the resource to do this as often as we would like. If you walk, cycle or ride the same paths regularly – we’d like you to help keep an eye on them and let us know how they are looking.
