Schools Workshop Volunteer, Shakespeare Birthplace Trust

School’s Workshop Volunteers contribute to the delivery of established and high quality educational programmes for Primary School children (5-11). This includes setting up and packing away the learning spaces, interacting with teachers and pupils, leading small group work and preparing learning resources.

Skills we are looking for:
• Experience of, or an interest in, working with children
• A desire to bring Shakespeare to life for school groups and visitors to the Trust
• Good people skills with the ability to talk confidently to both individuals & groups from different age groups, varying backgrounds and with a range of needs
• Willingness to learn and share information about Shakespeare and his family homes
• Willingness to undergo training in facilitation, customer service, accessibility and health and safety as appropriate
• Ability to ensure health and safety guidelines are followed and be responsible for their own health and safety
• They may be asked to undertake a DBS check as part of this role

Register to volunteer, Black Country Living Museum

Register your interest in volunteering with Black Country Living Museum (BCLM).

About BCLM

Throughout its 44-year history, Black Country Living Museum’s aim has always been clear: Inspiring your discovery of the Black Country. It ensures that the revolutionary story of the Black Country’s industrial landscape – the first ever of its kind in the UK – is celebrated by generations.

With its bostin’ seasonal, themed and high profile events, as well as being regularly used for TV and Film locations, BCLM is one of Europe’s most successful open-air museums.

BCLM is currently embarking upon its largest development ever, with a multi-million pound investment bringing its story into the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s.

Based in the heart of the Black Country’s regeneration zone, BCLM is within good commutable distance from many of the surrounding counties.

About the roles

We have many volunteer opportunities across all different teams here at BCLM, that vary in skill level and interests.

About you

BCLM is interested to hear from candidates who are:
– Friendly and positive
– Eager to learn new things or develop existing skills
– Willing to share their knowledge with others
– Keen to help re-tell the story of the Black Country and our local heritage
– Empathetic towards the aims of BCLM

Begin your Black Country Journey

Submit an expression of interest online via the BCLM website. If BCLM has a role come up that they think you might be interested in, they will contact you with further information.

Dialect and Heritage Project – Oral History and Dialect Fieldworker volunteer, Avoncroft Museum

Would you like to learn new skills and contribute to important University-led dialect research?

Avoncroft Museum is one of five partner museums working with the University of Leeds on the Dialect and Heritage Project to explore and record the richness of dialect around England and how it may have changed over the last 70 years.

What the role will entail: Volunteer Oral History and Dialect Fieldworkers will carry out interviews and collect new in-depth oral history and dialect recordings through conducting individual interviews and/or facilitating group interviews.

Supervision: Volunteers will be supervised by the Dialect and Heritage Project Engagement Officer based at Avoncroft Museum.

Who will this role suit? Volunteers are not expected to have specialist skills or experience at the outset to fulfil these roles (though some may have) as full training and information will be provided. The Oral History and Dialect Fieldworker volunteering role would suit volunteers who:

• Are confident, friendly and have good verbal communication skills in English
• Enjoy meeting and talking to new people of all backgrounds
• Are reliable and can commit to collecting at least 4 interviews over the course of the project
• Are willing to develop new skills and commit to training for the role
• (desirable) Have a full driving licence and access to own transport preferred but not essential if alternative arrangements can be made

Skills, training and support: via specialist training programme (co-developed with the Oral History Society) and online support and e-learning materials

Role-specific training may include: project context; an introduction to dialect; how to conduct successful oral history interviews; ethics and best practice guidance; health and safety; copyright and permissions; good interviewing technique; and using recording technology and equipment.

Expenses will be paid.

Museum Volunteers, Claymills Victorian Pumping Station

Claymills Pumping Engine Trust operates a unique working steam museum – Claymills Victorian Pumping Station – and, as such, cares for a wide range of operational steam machinery and ancillary equipment from 1885 onwards used in the pumping station, and also an extensive archive including original documentation and other records, including photographs. Claymills Victorian Pumping Station is an Accredited Museum and aims to care for and conserve its collections to professional standards. Claymills is entirely volunteer-led and has no employees.

Claymills is always seeking volunteers to support the museum – everything from engineering to catering, from front-of-house to tour guides, from administration to gardening, from catering to cleaning. If you have a skill, Claymills can probably use it!