Get Involved

Ways to get involved

Jobs

Volunteering

Become a trustee

Donate an object

Job Vacancies

We’re currently recruiting for a Senior Visitor Services Assistant for the 2026 season. 

We’re looking for someone to provide a warm welcome to visitors, process sales in the shop and work as part of our team for 2 weekends a month. 

Please complete the Job Application Form and the Diversity Monitoring Form below and return by email to [email protected] or by post to Hannah Highsted, Ryedale Folk Museum, Hutton-le-Hole, North Yorkshire. YO62 6UA. 

Application deadline – midnight, Sunday 25 January

Diversity Monitoring Form

Senior Visitor Services Assistant 2026

Senior Visitor Services Assistant Job Application Form

Become a Trustee

Help make a difference

Ryedale Folk Museum exists to make a positive difference to people’s lives across the North York Moors – and you could help us.

The Museum tells the stories of ordinary people from the area, through its historic buildings, collections and activities. It is a popular visitor attraction, and a place that works to benefit the local community. 

The current trustees are looking for new members that are willing to work together and use their own experiences to support the Museum. We are looking for people who care about the future of Ryedale Folk Museum and have an enthusiasm for supporting the communities of the North York Moors.

You don’t need any previous experience of being a trustee or serving on a board or committee. We welcome people from all walks of life, who have varied knowledge and experience to share.

Trustees help to decide what the Museum should be doing now and, in the future, and support the staff who manage the Museum on a day-to-day basis.

Being a trustee can be very rewarding! Current and previous trustees have told us that they: 

  • Valued the opportunity to make a difference in their local area
  • Enjoyed doing something new and being part of a team
  • Learned new skills related to setting strategy, managing risk and negotiation

We are specifically looking for people who live and work in the North York Moors.

For more information please see the Trustee Recruitment Pack.

To apply, please complete and submit the application form by midnight on Sunday 8 February 2026.

 

Chair of Trustees

Ryedale Folk Museum is looking for a new Chair of Trustees. This is a rewarding opportunity for an experienced leader to support the board and team. We want to recruit a Chair of Trustees who is forward thinking, open-minded and willing to contribute their time and effort.

As Chair, you will build on the work already undertaken by taking a strategic approach to ensure the Museum can deliver its purpose to make a difference to people’s lives. You should have a passion for the work of the Museum, and an enthusiasm for the people and communities of the North York Moors.

The museum has recently prepared a new Forward Plan, setting out our activities for the next three years. As Chair, you will lead the board and support the Museum Director to deliver our planned activities, which include major capital repairs to our heritage buildings, fundraising initiatives and community-focused projects. The key focus is to ensure a thriving and financially sustainable future and expanding public benefit.

For more information please see the Chair of Trustees Recruitment Pack.

To apply, please complete and submit the Chair of Trustees application form by midnight on Sunday 8 February 2026.

 

If you would like to discuss the role of the museum trustees (including the Chair’s role) please email Karen Tyerman (current trustee) with your contact details to [email protected] 

Volunteering

There are always opportunities to volunteer at Ryedale Folk Museum. So if you have a few hours a week or a month and want to join our dedicated team, please get in touch.

We are currently looking for volunteers who would be willing to:
– Join the front of house team on a Tuesday; working with a member of staff on admission and retail
– Spend time in the 1950s village store, chatting to visitors about the displays and selling retro sweets
– Organise and catalogue our collection of library books
– Demonstrate traditional skills and crafts while chatting with visitors e.g. rag rugging, spinning
– Cook on the Victorian range allowing people to see how it worked and the types of food that was made

If you’d like to find out more and get involved, please either:

Call us on 01751 417367 and ask to talk to Hannah Highsted

Or email us at [email protected]

 

Donate an object

We are very fortunate to have an extensive collection of objects, archives and photographs that have almost entirely been donated by local people over the last sixty years.

If you would like to consider donating an object to Ryedale Folk Museum, then we would be delighted to hear from you. We cannot accept all objects that we are offered and normally we take-in only around half of the things we are so generously offered by people.

This is normally because objects we are offered don’t meet some basic criteria that we have for deciding whether we accept an object into the Museum’s collection.

The first thing we normally want to find out is where is your object from or where was it made (the object’s origins and history). We collect items that originate from or have a history in the area approximately 10 miles around the Museum. After that, we will normally ask you a few other basic questions e.g. general condition etc. We always ask you to see the item before it is donated or supply a range of good quality photographs of it.

If you would like to talk to someone about a donation, then please call us on 01751 417367 and ask for Helen Mason, or send us an email to [email protected] 

We are unable to accept items ‘over the counter’ and without an appointment. Thank you for your understanding.