Canada to Cumbria, UK

Air Transat:
Toronto-Manchester-Toronto, direct non-stop.
Most of the time there's nothing as quick that's so cheap.
And as an added bonus, there are direct trains from Manchester Airport-Windermere-Manchester Airport.

And on your days off you are in the heart of the Lakes with excellent walking from Grasmere and there is a regular bus service (Stagecoach route 555 to Keswick, Windermere and Lancaster.

LP & Rough Guide do good guides for the Lake District. In this instance I prefer the Rough Guide.

R

Agree with #1 that Air Transat to Manchester is efficient and cheap. The flight doesn't appear to be available all year round though, so it depends on when OP is travelling. Air Transat also flies to Glasgow which is also easily accessible to the Lake District.

Yeah I noticed no mention of any dates too, so just made the Transat suggestion as a shot.
OK airline for price & reliability.

The problem air travellers have is that cheap rail tickets require booking in advance and committing to a specific timed train.

OP, you have hit the jackpot! The Lake District is one of the most attractive parts of the UK, and there are plenty of beautiful and interesting destinations nearby. I write this from Lancaster, which is perhaps an hour away, interesting in its own right, and a good base for excursions. I won't bother writing about them all but will mention that there is a good and helpful tourist information office in town, and they will give you more ideas than you could possibly follow up.

The problem air travellers have is that cheap rail tickets require booking in advance and committing to a specific timed train.

In general yes, but some train companies operating airport services understand this problem and give a degree of flexibility. The Manchester Airport service from Trans-Pennine Express is a good example.

OP, you have a visa for this right?

Do I need a visa to volunteer? There is no exchange of cash other than me paying for accommodations