Get involved

Helping with setting up the room layout, helping out in the kitchen, generally helping the day run smoothly).

Time involved: During the workshop
Ideal for: First-time volunteers, those who live close to the venue

Taking photographs, videos, and audio recordings on the day; making sure those attending are asked to consent to this; passing footage to the website administrator for inclusion in the workshop report and newsletter.

Time involved: Per workshop, and any post-production time required
Ideal for: Photography/video enthusiasts

Responsible for coordinating refreshments for workshops with those attending, including home-baking; contacting those attending to organise volunteers for the day, including home-baking; coordinate who takes the tea bag to the next workshop, and replenishing anything that needs topping up.

Time involved: 2-3 hours per workshop
Ideal for: Those with practical coordinating and admin experience – home-baking is a bonus!

Working with the committee member responsible for a workshop, which could include liaising with tutor, booking venue, preparing copy for website and promotional material; helping with practical arrangements on the day; preparing venue information with transport and parking information.

Time involved: Several hours in the run up to each workshop
Ideal for: Early music enthusiast who wants to help workshops run smoothly.

Write a brief report on the day with photos/videos for inclusion on the website and monthly Digest.

Time involved: 1-2 hours per workshop
Ideal for: Writers, good communicators

Write a more detailed review of the day commenting on the music, historical background, etc. Help can be provided by tutors and workshop organisers. Best to volunteer before the day.

Time involved: 2-3 hours per workshop
Ideal for: Writers, academics, good communicators

Help spread the word about NWEMF and our workshops by contacting your local choirs and orchestras, leaving leaflets at local libraries, museums, cafes, etc.

Time involved: Work at your own pace
Ideal for: Those who want to help keep NWEMF alive and thriving

Helping to raise awareness of NWEMF in local area through choirs, orchestras, libraries, etc.; identifying possible workshop venues; compiling list of early music concerts, events and courses in their region for inclusion in our Events Listings; helping local NWEMF members access workshops, etc.

Time involved: Work at your own pace.
Ideal for: Those who know their local area well and are well-connected; friendly and outgoing, with a desire to help people.

Help compile details of upcoming early music concerts, workshops and other events to include on our website and Newsletter Diary of Events. Experience of WordPress (and Events Calendar in particular) would be helpful, but full training is given.

Time involved: Work at your own pace, but there will be deadlines for including events for Newsletters and Digest
Ideal for: Those with social media experience, attention to detail

Helping to manage Instagram, YouTube and Facebook accounts, including uploading videos of workshops, promoting upcoming workshops and other early music events

Time involved: Work at your own pace
Ideal for: Those with social media and design experience

Helping to design and prepare the members’ Newsletter published in February, April, June, September and November.

Time involved: Several hours in the run up to each Newsletter publication date
Ideal for: Those with writing experience, interest in design and layout

Helping to write and send out monthly Digest using Email Octopus; maintaining contact lists in consultation with the membership secretary; liaising with Secretary and Newsletter Editor for additional mass emails that need to go to the membership.

Time involved: A couple of hours each week to help draft the Digest in good time.
Ideal for: Those with writing experience, experience with email marketing systems, and an interest in design and layout.

Helping Treasurer with day-to-day work, recording payments received, maintaining records, helping with membership renewals in January each year

Time involved: 1-2 hours per week
Ideal for: Those with finance or admin backgrounds

Helping to keep website update with latest Workshop Reports, and other NWEMF news; working with Workshop Organisers to post upcoming workshop applications; working with Archive team to add archive material to the website, etc.

Time involved: 1-2 hours per week, but can largely work at your own pace
Ideal for: Those with WordPress experience, but full training will be given

Minuting Committee meetings to ensure a good record of proceedings is kept; circulating draft minutes to those attending; adding finalise minutes to shared folders as part of NWEMF’s archive.

Time involved: 1-2 hours per meeting
Ideal for: Those with admin experience, able to take notes and summarise discussions, attention to detail.

Helping to organise and maintain NWEMF’s central online administration in Google Workspace; making sure there are complete records of minutes, documents relating to workshops, publicity and promotion, etc; helping with succession planning for new committee members.

Time involved: 1-2 hours per week
Ideal for: Those with computer systems experience, and Google Workspace in particular.

Uploading scanned reviews, articles, etc from printed newsletters to the website.

Time involved: Work at your own pace. The project will continue until all the newsletter archive has been fully scanned and added to the website.
Ideal for: Long-standing member, or anyone with an interest in history and archiving; computer experience ideal (WordPress in particular), but full training would be given. Also familiarity with PDF software (we use Sejda).

Devising a structure with Google Workspace that can be easily used by committee members to ensure future-proofing to include:

> Migrating files, etc from a personal Google account to the Workspace account (from personal Google account)
> Devising a simple training plan for new people joining the committee

Time involved: Work at own pace, but with a view to completing the project by the end of 2026; regular updates on progress at Committee meetings
Ideal for: Those with experience of setting up computer systems, and Google Workspace in particular.

We are hoping to create a written history of the first 50 years of NWEMF which will be available both in published and digital form. We have a complete archive of newsletters which provide a wealth of information about all our activities, and it would be good to supplement these with interviews with those who have been instrumental in shaping NWEMF over the years. We need people who could help write a narrative using these resources, working in collaboration with others. It will be a fascinating exercise and would provide a documented history that will inspire others, and help shape the next 50 years and beyond.

Time involved: Work at own pace, with a view to producing a publication in time for our weekend workshop in February 2027.
Ideal for: Writers, historians, long-term members of NWEMF.  

Our weekend workshop next year takes place 27/28 February 2027 at the NCEM in York. This will involve a two day workshop, led by Gawain Glenton and David Allinson, with a sit-down meal at St Margaret’s followed by a round-table discussion with keynote speakers. The music will involve many different combinations of singers and instrumentalists, and we will have separate rehearsal spaces throughout the weekend. The NCEM will organise refreshments through the day, but we will need a team of volunteers to help make this weekend a success including:

> Live-streaming round-table discussion
> Organising music and parts per tutors’ allocations
> Setting up chairs and distributing music
> Welcoming participants and making sure everyone knows where they are going
> Video/photography of the weekend

Overall strategy; drafting agendas and chairing meetings; liaising with external organisations, including NEMA and other EMFs; succession planning and encouraging people to join the committee or help out in other ways.

Managing NWEMF’s finances; preparing annual accounts; recording membership and workshop fees.

Minuting committee meetings; giving notice of AGM to members in accordance with the NWEMF’s constitution; Charity Commission contact; compiling Diary of Events of early music concerts, events and courses in and around the North West.

Managing NWEMF’s membership records, welcoming new members; managing subscription renewals in December/January each year; liaising with Publicity to ensure mailing list matches membership list; liaising with Treasurer when subscriptions and new membership applications are received; preparing a short report on membership matters for each Newsletter.

Compiling Newsletter 5 times each year in February, June, April, September and November; soliciting articles and reviews; collating Diary of Events; writing Editorials for each edition.

Keeping website updated with workshop reports, workshop news, events listings and NWEMF news; drafting monthly Digest for members and subscribers; promoting workshops to local choirs, orchestras, etc; preparing leaflets to promote workshop to be handed out; collating early music concerts, events and courses in the North West and surrounding regions; designing and managing social media posts to promote NWEMF events; experience with Canva, Email Octopus, WordPress are an advantage and Google Workspace.

Contribute to overall strategy; organise workshops individually or with help; helping on workshop days; attending committee meetings.

Liaising with their college or university to promote NWEMF events to students