Celebrating National Volunteers' Week

This week (from 1^st- 7^th June) is National Volunteers' week, so we’re taking this opportunity to celebrate the contribution of our wonderful volunteers at Beningbrough Hall. The National Trust is a charity, and we really rely on the skills, time and passion that our volunteers bring, without them we couldn’t make our places so special. 
 

There are lots of ways to get involved at Beingbrough, from room guides to gardeners and learning support to marketing. There are lots of good reasons to volunteer at Beningbrough, like learning new skills, making new friends and improving your CV. But I won’t just sit here and dictate- I’ll let some our dedicated volunteers do the talking…

Laurence- a room guide volunteer

 What made you want to start volunteering?

 

I took an early retirement, and went on a course that got me thinking about what I wanted to do for the rest of my life- I felt like I still had something to offer. I’ve always loved the National Trust, and it’s great as I can fit it around my railway volunteering.

Why Beningbrough?

There is so much depth here in the house as there are so many different stories to explore, for example the people that lived here, their lifestyles, the furniture and the stories that you pick up from visitors are really interesting. I‘ve had a few people who remember how the house was under Lady Chesterfield (the last person to live in Beningbrough, she was here from 1917 until her death in 1957).

What do you like about being a room guide?

I like trying to give something that I always enjoyed when I looked around places like Beningbrough- that is giving somebody an unusual story that they maybe didn’t expect. I get a great sense of satisfaction when a visitor says thank you, I didn’t actually know that. 

Tony- a Parkland and learning volunteer

What have you been doing today?

Today I have dressed up as a Butler. Today we were helping bring Beningbrough to life for a group of school children. Everyone was dressed just like Victorian children or servants would have- the children love it.

So you do two different volunteering roles?

I started out just volunteering in the Parkland, generally tidying and helping out, but a few weeks ago I was asked if I wanted to help out the learning support team. They asked me if I would consider becoming a butler for the day (apparently I looked like I’d make a good one) to help out with the school group, and after a bit of thinking I decided that it would be fun to try something different.

So you enjoyed volunteering today at Beningbrough?

Well yes, I’m coming back again tomorrow!

Barbara- an office admin volunteer (on the far right!)

What kind of things do you do in the office?

I assist with general office tasks, for example sending out complimentary vouchers, collating comments and feedback cards, and organising group bookings.

What made you want to volunteer?

I had previously worked for the trust and thought it was an excellent organisation. I had also previously worked in admin, so I had the skills and the time to help out. I had visited Beningbrough before, and thought it was a beautiful property. 

What do you like most about volunteering?

It’s a really friendly atmosphere here at Beningbrough and I like being able to help out in a small way.

Tim- a volunteer gardener

 So how did you get into volunteering at Beningbrough?

 

I’d always loved gardening and I was a member of the National Trust. When I retired I had more time, and I liked the idea of volunteering as a gardener at Beningbrough because there’s a lot more variety of tasks than in my back yard at home. There’s also not as much pressure as working on a full time job, as you can just get on with the tasks that you’re given, and do as much or as little as you want, it’s much more relaxed.

So what kind of tasks do you do?

It’s mainly things like planting, pruning and tidying, just like a normal garden but on a much larger scale. I have worked on the Parkland in the past, but now we have a separate team of volunteers who deal with that.

 Hopefully this will have inspired you to think about volunteering for Beningbrough and the National Trust. We can be really flexible here, you can come as often as you want and do as much or as little as you like, you can even try out two different roles to get really stuck in. Don’t worry if you don’t really want to be front of house either, there are plenty of things that need doing behind the scenes (that’s where I like to be!).

A massive thank you to all the volunteers who gave up their time to be interviewed! 

Click here to find out more about volunteering at Beningbrough.

Tweet #VolunteersWeek to @NTBeningbrough to share your volunteer stories

Click here to find out more about National Volunteers week and volunteering at the National Trust in general.