About
Tewkesbury Museum is a small independent museum founded in 1962. It is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, managed by a Board of Trustees and run entirely by volunteers. In a normal year it ...
Stewards and other volunteers
Scan me or visit www.govolunteerglos.org/o/Tewkesbury-Museum/opportunities/Stewards-and-other-volunteers/58440 to join
Contact person
Summary
There’s so much to do in our museum that we’re always on the lookout for new volunteers, such as receptionists, housekeepers, cleaners, archivists & cataloguersDetailed description
Hours are very flexible, from as little as a couple of hours a month to a day (or more) a week. Some of our volunteers help us in the museum, some at home. Some have regular times, others help when it’s convenient for them. There’s generally something for everyone.
Stewards (Front of House)
Stewards act as the ‘public face’ of the Museum welcoming visitors and helping them to get as much out of their visit as possible.
This role suits people who have an interest in local history and the local community and like meeting new people. No prior experience is necessary, as induction and training sessions are provided.
In the summer (March to October inclusive) the museum is open from 11am to 4pm from Saturday to Monday and from 1 to 4pm from Tuesday to Friday.
In the winter (November to February) the museum is open from 11am to 3pm from Saturday to Monday and from noon to 3pm from Tuesday to Friday.
The role includes:
- Welcoming visitors to the Museum
- Introducing visitors to the Museum’s permanent and special exhibitions
- Assisting visitors with their enquiries
- Opening or closing the building
Archivists/Cataloguers
Our team of archivists and cataloguers work with our collection of artefacts and other objects, both those on display and those kept in our stores. Keeping records is very important, so you need to be comfortable with computers.
Housekeepers
Nearly ten thousand visitors traipse through our museum every year, and not in their stockinged feet, either, so keeping our floors, stairs, display cabinets and every other square inch of our building clean is a never-ending task. Would you like to join our team of heroic cleaners?
Handymen and women
Our building is 350 years old. Luckily, we’re not responsible for major repairs, but we do often need to make a small repair or improvement to the inside of the building. Other tasks you could help with? - our fire and security systems need checking on a regular basis, our dehumidifiers need emptying, our emergency exit needs to be kept free of weeds and debris, and our electricians, builders, PAT testers, meter readers, etc need to be organised or assisted.
We are an equal opportunities organisation and welcome applications irrespective of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity/paternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.
What we will provide to volunteers
💸 Reimbursement of costsAbout Tewkesbury Museum
The Museum’s statement of purpose is: ‘To collect and preserve objects of relevance to the history of Tewkesbury and its environs. The Museum places special emphasis on the educational potential of its collections by documenting, conserving, promoting and providing access to them.’
The Museum occupies a timber-framed building built in around 1670, leased from Tewkesbury Town Council for a peppercorn rent, and currently in a poor state of repair for which remedial plans – but not funding – exist.
There are approximately 6,000 objects or groups of objects in the collection, arranged over six exhibition rooms, and spanning every period in the town’s history. These are recorded in a ‘Modes’ database.
Two of our displays have been enhanced recently: the fairground display, which consists of a model fairground made in the 1950s together with relevant historical notes; and the Battle of Tewkesbury display, which centres on a diorama of the battle made for the 500th anniversary celebrations in 1971.
Another display, celebrating Raymond Priestley, a survivor of Scott’s Antarctic expedition, is scheduled to be upgraded over the next year or two.