Renaissance East Midlands Flagship VolunteerseBook

Photograph: Newark Air Museum

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Introduction:Flagship Volunteer Providers was one of a suite of 3 flagship projects delivered by Renaissance East Midlands (REM) between 2009-11. The project had three key aims to help museums: increase their volunteer numbers; diversify their volunteers; and embrace better management of volunteers from recruitment and induction to role definition and retention.

The REM Museum Development programme led the project, commissioning the delivery of the project through 28 museums of all types and sizes, employing Heather Lomas and Emma Chaplin to facilitate and deliver the project.

The project was a great success with museums working in clusters, some focused on specific areas of volunteer development e.g. family volunteering or young volunteers, others looking at recruiting more widely. Participants experimented with methods of recruitment and approaches to management and shared experiences through the cluster groups. Paying travel expenses through the programme enabled participants to work with colleagues across the region. Grants were also awarded to help museums implement elements of action plans developed as part of the programme.

Volunteer numbers increased significantly over the period of the programme and most museums are left with a strong legacy for the future.

Due to the success of the programme it will be run in 2011-12 with a new cohort of museums.

Claire BrowneRegional Museum Development Manager Renaissance East Midlands

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Renaissance East Midlands Flagship Volunteer Providers Programme 2010/2011Heather Lomas – Heritage and Museums ConsultancyEmma Chaplin – Heritage and Museum Services

Programme overviewTo enable museums to become champions of best practice in museum volunteering with the aim of raising standards across the region.

The aims of the programme were to:

• Increase volunteering opportunities across all the museums on the programme.

• Increase the diversity of volunteers.

• Develop areas of good practice.

• Make links with relevant partners and assist the museums in thinking more creatively about how volunteers can be more involved in their work.

Participants28 museums participated in the programme:

• Woodhall Spa Cottage Museum

• Alford And District Civic Trust Ltd

• Church Farm Museum

• Louth Museum

• Leicestershire Collections Resources Centre

• Castle Donington Museum Trust

• Sir John Moore Museum

• Kettering Museum and Art Gallery

• Corby Heritage Centre

• Desborough Heritage Centre

• Rothwell Arts and Heritage Centre

• Piddington Roma Villa Museum

• Creswell Crags Museum

• Crich Tramway Village

• Strutt’s North Mill, Belper

• Erewash Museum

• Flintham Museum

• Harrington Aviation Museum

• Newark Air Museum

• Nottingham City, Collections Management Group

• Ruddington Framework Knitters Museum

• University of Nottingham Museum

• The Arkwright Society

• Wigston Framework Knitters Museum

• Chesterfield Museum

• The Canal Museum

• Millgate Museum, Newark and Sherwood District Council

• Thoresby Hall Gallery

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Programme outline and methodology

Cluster GroupsSupported by consultant facilitators Heather Lomas and Emma Chaplin, the programme focused around the establishment of four cluster groups, where museums have worked together on different aspects of volunteering, supporting each other and sharing experiences.

All the museums benchmarked their current practice against a benchmarking tool developed for the programme from the London Volunteering Charter; this enabled the museums to identify specific areas of development. Using this information museums created action plans and reported on their progress at each cluster group meeting. A small grant fund was available to support development activities outlined on the action plans.

The cluster groups, which were cross region and met four times during the year long programme, were focussed on specific areas of volunteer development; these were Young People; Families; and General Increase (i.e. they are just keen to increase volunteer numbers). The cluster group working encouraged museums to

• Work with new colleagues.

• Learn from each other.

• Share best practice.

• Try out new ideas.

• Gain in confidence.

Museums completed the benchmarking exercise again at the end of the programme; they found it a useful exercise in determining their progress.

Quotes from cluster group members:“Cluster group meetings focus ideas, keep interest in the project alive and add to the general understanding of the project.”

“It’s been good to share ideas and good practice.”

“We can move forward in 2011-12, even after the end of the flagship.”

“Baseline data and action planning at the start of the programme has helped us stay focused.”

“It’s been good to be involved with wider East Midlands heritage sites.”

“The group has jelled and the shared experiences have been very helpful.”

“The experience and skills learnt have helped us gain further funding for new projects.”

Developing links with volunteer bodiesThe programme has encouraged museums to engage with their local volunteer centres. This has been enhanced through guest speakers attending cluster group meetings, when appropriate. All museums have been encouraged to become members of Volunteering England and access the range of materials and support available to members.

TrainingThe museums on the programme identified areas of training need. Training courses in Safeguarding and Child protection, Creative consultation and Refreshing Volunteer Practice and Procedures were provided.

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Go and See visitA go and see visit to the Canal Museum and the British Museum in London, enabled programme museums to share their good practice and gain new ideas from outside the region.

Comments from participants:“ The trip was was really well planned and very useful, a great way to finish a fantastic project.” Helen Martinez - Erewash Museum

“ The opportunity to meet other people in their own environment to be able to talk about their successes and concerns for the future was most useful.

The Canal Museum best fits our voluntary run museum and proved to be most beneficial in terms of size and management strategies. The British Museum visit proved most interesting, particularly as it was clear that there are still policies that need to be put in place, e.g., handbook and induction.

The whole day was most enjoyable and proved to be a great way of rounding off an excellent year.”Gill Noble - Woodhall Spa Cottage Museum

“ I got a lot out of the trip. The Canal Museum visit was perhaps more useful to me as the scale is similar to where I work now. I think there were some good practical tips from Rachel that I can use back here in Newark.”Melissa Hall – Newark and Sherwood District Council

“T he visits to both museums were very useful but I personally gained most from the Canal Museum. I did however, spend a further two hours in the British Museum after the official visit ended and found the exhibits and how they are displayed very interesting.

I have no suggestions for improving the outing; it was all very well done.

Many thanks for providing the opportunity to see how other museums work.”Fred West - Harrington Aviation Museum

“ Thank you for all the organisation put into the day, and the whole project. As a volunteer, rather than a manager, I found the whole trip fascinating, and have been able to discuss aspects of volunteer provision with the manager of the charity shop where I also volunteer, so there has already been an outreach aspect to it. I enjoyed talking to the young volunteers from Germany and Sicily when we were at the Canal Museum. It interested me to see there are opportunities for foreign language students to take different sorts of placements (I had always tended to think of them being in schools as language assistants, or taking part of their course at a university abroad.) This is certainly something which could be interesting to follow up with local universities.”Christine Smith - Strutts North Mill

NetworkingA launch day and a Sharing Successes finale day enabled the museums to network and share their experiences from the programme.

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Headline outcomes • There has been an increase of over 300 new volunteers to museums

participating in the programme.

• Museums have used new and creative ways to attract new volunteers.

• The diversity of volunteers has increased dramatically in the museums on the programme. For many museums there has been a noticeable cultural shift moving away from recruiting volunteers ‘just like them’ and recognising that volunteering which is more flexible and offers different opportunities will attract people from a range of backgrounds.

• There are many more young people engaged in volunteering across the region’s museums and the programme has spearheaded family volunteering within museums. On the whole, museums have attracted new volunteers from a greater range of backgrounds.

• Museums have improved their links and profiles with local volunteer bureaux and related organisations and have accessed the resources available to assist in developing good volunteer practice.

• The museums valued the opportunity to work cross-regionally with organisations they had not previously worked with; all cluster group members were keen to continue to keep in touch and share ideas with each other.

• The use of action plans has helped museums to remain focussed and to celebrate their achievements. Many of the museums will be continuing to use action planning as an integral part of their volunteer development.

• The small grants scheme has enabled museums to act immediately upon their action plans. It has encouraged museums to try new ideas and take a few risks.

• Museums have revised and improved their volunteer management, policies and procedures in line with current best practice.

• All museums are keen to share their success with colleagues from other museums across the region.

• Staff and volunteers working in the region’s museums have, increased their confidence in developing and managing successful volunteer programmes.

Quotes“ Not only have we increased volunteer numbers, we have enlarged our “volunteer profile”. Originally a team of elderly, mainly female workers, we now have a wider age-range – from teens to OAPs – both male and female. Our confidence in recruiting and in providing a rewarding experience for volunteers has been boosted immeasurably.”

“I love coming – I can’t wait for Tuesdays.” (Lucy, aged 18years. One of our new volunteers)Sylvia Bradburn, Castle Donington Museum Trust

“ Overall, I was struck by the energy and commitment of our regional museums and really enjoyed meeting everyone.”Christine Smith, Strutts Mill, Belper

“ The Centre provides a focussed opportunity for volunteers to work alongside curatorial staff. We wanted to increase the number of volunteers and widen the opportunities to work with the collections.

Different volunteering opportunities including home-based work, supporting events and the creation of a collections care volunteer team, enabled us to work with 19 new volunteers. The project allowed us to improve our protocols, procedures and facilities.”

“Volunteering for the Collections Resources Centre has opened a new chapter in my life. It is interesting, rewarding, a great way to make good friends and meet people, a great way to acquire new skills and it is fun.”Carolyn Holmes – Leicestershire County Council, Collections Resources Centre

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“ Working with young volunteers is very rewarding but very different to working with other age groups. Be flexible – young people don’t have as much spare time as you would think. Young people bring humour, great IT skills and fresh ideas into the museum. The museum experience can give young people self-worth, confidence and employability. Accept that many young people will only be with you for a short time but the experience can be worthwhile for both parties.” “I am greatly appreciative of the opportunity you have given me and thank you very much for all of your support. You are all incredible and fun people and I wish the best for you all!”“Thank you so much for all the effort you have put in for us over the weeks, we’ve enjoyed it very much and have gained lots of experience.It has been very useful to us both.”Melissa Hall, Newark and Sherwood District Council

“ The overarching aim was the development of volunteering at Thoresby, both in quantity and quality of the experience, then sharing best practice with partners.Starting with an exhibition by local community groups in our exhibition space, developing partnerships with them and through flagship support and the production of recruitment materials we have increased our numbers of volunteers. Also through flagship support we have developed good practice, defined roles, improved training, procedures, and policies and better equipped our volunteers’ room. A great opportunity to work with flagship cluster groups to develop volunteering and to get to know the local community. “Caroline Hughes – Thorsby Hall Gallery

“ Initially we intended to focus on attracting more young volunteers to the museum and whilst this didn’t fully work the project did highlight issues with how volunteers generally are recruited and managed. Thanks to encouragement from those running the project the museum is now starting to address these important issues.”Howard Heeley, Newark Air Museum

“ The flagship has helped the Foundation share its experiences with working with young people in a positive way. It has been able to encourage the active involvement of young people in its management and has set up a steering committee, has a number of project specific young people action groups and is offering a variety of opportunities for young people to get involved as consumers, critics, and creators of events and activities.

We are working towards ensuring this is sustainable in the long term and we want to ensure that young people are able to develop to the next level and become true commissioners of events and activities and opportunities for themselves.”

“ A fantastic opportunity for us to work with other museums to support, develop and encourage the involvement of children and young people.”Deana Morris – The Sir John Moore Foundation

“ The volunteer flagships programme has been a brilliant opportunity for the Creswell Heritage Trust (CHT). It has provided the impetus to put in place procedures and explore potential ideas that we had not previously considered or not had the means to develop. This has included exploring the option of family volunteering on site. The action plan points devised at the beginning of the programme are now largely in place, however a couple of points still require staff time to complete them. These are now a priority for the coming month.“Maria Smith – Creswell Heritage Trust

The following case studies focus on five key areas of volunteering best practice for museums from the programme.

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RecruitmentIntroductionAt the start of the programme, most of the museums that already had a volunteer group contributing to their organisation reported similar issues affecting them. They were:

• Volunteer numbers were gradually dwindling.

• A concern regarding a lack of succession planning particularly where the museum was volunteer run or volunteers carried out specific tasks.

• A lack of diversity amongst the volunteer group in terms of age or skills or interest.

• Any new recruitment tended to be people ‘just like us’- i.e. the existing volunteer group, rather than being more representative of the local community as a whole.

• The museums were keen to reach new audiences in terms of visitors and new volunteers.

• The museums wanted to develop new activities and needed different skills from their volunteers to do this.

The good practice benchmark for recruitment was informed by the London Volunteering Charter which states:

Recruitment procedures are fair, efficient and consistent

For many museums, their recruitment procedures were unstructured, passive and patchy in terms of standard procedures.

The approaches takenMuseums realised that they needed to open up to different ways of working, if they were to find new and successful ways of recruiting the wider range (and greater numbers) of volunteers that they required.

The solutions can be grouped into the following areas

Working with local volunteer centres/volunteer bureauxThis approach yielded several benefits including

• Access to standard good practice recruitment procedures used across the voluntary sector.

• The opportunity to discuss with the volunteer centres what types of opportunity the museum can offer.

• Establishing a proactive, ongoing relationship with the centre that should yield good advice and new volunteers.

Offering different types of volunteer opportunityVolunteering does not have to be only about a regular open ended commitment- a wider range of people are likely to contribute their time if museums can find more short term opportunities.

Advertise one off volunteer events or time limited projects.

Also bear in mind that some people might find home based volunteering tasks attractive (eg data entry, sewing).

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Creating clear and specific volunteer job rolesBeing specific about the roles you have at the museum, matched to the skills you need- e.g. photographer or IT skills to produce publicity posters.

Break tasks that may involve museum jargon down into more easily understood areas that link to transferrable skills, e.g. documentation work requires someone who is organised and methodical.

Getting consistent recruitment procedures in placeIn order that all potential volunteers are dealt with consistently, in line with best practice guidelines, it is essential to have an agreed set of procedures in place for dealing with new recruits. These range from a simple expression of interest/ application form to an informal interview process, backed up by induction and supervisory procedures for all new recruits.

Creating the right environmentMost volunteers continue to offer their skills and time for free because there is a welcoming and friendly environment for everyone. To welcome new volunteers in to the museum ensure they know where they can leave their belongings (a locker), where they can get a drink, who they can ask any questions that they have and make sure that the existing team is introduced to them and welcomes them on board. If you have an expenses scheme tell new volunteers about how it works so they don’t feel awkward about having to ask!

Volunteer drive/marketing ideasThe museums on the programme used a whole range of initiatives to be proactive about recruiting new volunteers. To make the most of recruitment opportunities, many museums chose to commission new leaflets to market their volunteering opportunities and produce pop up banners that could be used at the museum or at external events- all promoting a welcoming and professional approach to volunteering. Examples of recruitment activities included

• Attending volunteer fairs, particularly at local universities.

• Attending community events with a stand and friendly people to pass on information.

• Holding informal volunteer recruitment events- coffee mornings or evenings- no pressure on people and good refreshments.

• Using local publications to promote volunteering, e.g. parish magazines.

• Putting up banners in the show home on a new housing development to attract people moving to the town.

• Asking to be involved in courses for people coming up to retirement at local companies- promoting the opportunities you have for them in their retirement.

• Using your own website, social media and national websites- www.do-it.org.uk to advertise opportunities.

• Asking people directly (face to face) - target people with the skills you need (eg local photographic society), interested visitors- a friendly and well thought through request can be very effective.

Young people specific• You need to be seen as a ‘young person friendly’ organisation to attract

young people to be involved, so run programmes and events that will appeal to young people.

• Target 6th formers who are interested in short term opportunities that may help with their job prospects or university applications.

We previously thought we couldn’t attract young people. A 6th form student hoping to have a career in museums or archaeology came for summer holidays and now comes regularly to work on the collections (Castle Donington Museum)

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• Work with existing youth organisations (e.g. cadets, scouts, guides) either as a group or to promote opportunities to individuals.

• Run a promotional event- A free activity week for young people led to YP volunteers (Sir John Moore Foundation).

• Allow young people to take responsibility for themselves- e.g. making their own drinks.

• Target young people for volunteer tasks where they are most likely to have the skills needed e.g. helping the museum with social media, website maintenance.

• Use creative consultation with young people as a way of engaging them with your organisation.

Families specificWorking with family groups as volunteers is a different proposition to the traditional volunteering model used by museums, but can be very rewarding for all parties. Think about designing opportunities where there are clear benefits for both the museum and the families to benefit. Tips on how to involve families as volunteers include

• Organise family friendly events that allow them to enjoy themselves as a family, whilst also volunteering their time for the museum- examples include- making Christmas decorations for the museum, Christmas present wrapping, bulb planting, litter picking.

• Create volunteer roles for families as ‘testers’ for new interpretation, events and activities that are aimed at a family audience.

• Involve families in a creative process e.g. planning and selecting objects for an exhibition.

• Forge a relationship with local authority family learning services.

Challenges and problems experiencedAs a first step it is essential to have the appropriate procedures in place across the organisation (e.g. application form, interview process) so that potential new recruits can all be dealt with consistently.

A key part of this work must be ensuring that existing staff and volunteers are aware and prepared for the new volunteer recruitment initiatives.

Instant results are not guaranteed with volunteer recruitment initiatives but will reap rewards over time.

You must consider the capacity of existing staff and volunteers before deciding how many more volunteers can be involved in a useful way.

Organisations must be realistic in dealing with volunteer expectations- be honest about the opportunities you can offer and don’t promise more than is realistic.

Examples & FeedbackCorby Heritage Centre used a series of open day volunteer recruitment events to promote the opening of the new centre and to increase the involvement of volunteers.

We increased our volunteer numbers to 18 after one event and we will be holding more in the future.

Rothwell Arts and Heritage Centre involved many other local organisations in their bid to recruit more volunteers. This included working with businesses running retirement courses for their employees. The arts and heritage centre put up a stall in the canteen and also provided a talk to pre retirement employees on the volunteering opportunities available.

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Harrington Aviation Museum has produced a short volunteer recruitment video, which they are able to show in the museum and when they go out and give talks.

We have also made contact with the Northamptonshire Youth Forum and we are hoping to upload our film on to their website and publicise our opportunities to more young people.

Strutt’s North Mill have improved their marketing materials

We have purchased some pull up banners, which has made our marketing much more professional, 30 new people have expressed an interest in volunteering with us and we are holding a new volunteers event so they can find out more about us.

Woodhall Spa Cottage Museum have developed a range of new volunteering opportunities to attract young people as volunteers

We have looked at creating specific short term projects for young people to become involved in, for example 30 - 40 young people from our local secondary school volunteered for our Arnhem Day event.

Top Ten Tips for Volunteer Recruitment1. Develop a proactive relationship with your local volunteer centre.

2. Create job roles for volunteers so that you and they have a clear idea of what you need.

3. Make sure that you have consistent procedures in place to deal with interest from new recruits.

4. Create a buzz in the local community- attend events, get involved so people know they can get involved in an exciting and welcoming organisation with you too.

5. Create short term volunteer opportunities to attract people with specific skills or limited time.

6. Back up initial recruitment with a welcoming and friendly environment.

7. Create specific volunteer recruitment leaflets and banners.

8. Go to volunteer fairs (armed with leaflets and ready to chat).

9. Informal recruitment events- with refreshments- give people a taste of what they can expect.

10. Use the web and/or social media to promote your volunteer opportunities.

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InductionIntroductionThe majority of museums on the programme were providing induction to new volunteers. However, in many cases this was very informal and non standardised; in some cases induction did include some of the basic elements for new volunteers to feel at home and have a basic understanding of heath and safety and emergency procedures.

A significant number of museums used the programme as an opportunity to share best practice and revise internal policies and procedures.

Areas that museums identified as being issues with induction were:

• An unplanned approach to induction.

• New volunteers were not always sure of the policies and procedures of the organisation, or sometimes, even how to make a cup of tea.

• Processes were not in place to check if volunteers were content with their roles and doing tasks they were suited to.

The good practice benchmark for induction was informed by the London Volunteering Charter which states:

Induction: Volunteers are introduced to the work and ethos of the organisation

For many museums, induction did not always encompass the whole work of the organisation, was impromptu and unprepared, leading to new volunteers not always feeling straightaway a part of the organisation. Induction packs, which

existed, tended to contain a variety of information alongside copies of policies and procedures, which when reviewed were often found to be out of date. Packs tended to be written using a ‘top down’ approach, with a trustee or staff member bringing the information together, rather than involving current volunteers in the pack’s review or development.

The approaches takenMuseums realised that a review of their induction procedures and a consideration of best practice was a good first step in improving induction for the future.The solutions can be grouped into two main areas

Consult current volunteersThis approach was beneficial because:

• It enabled all volunteers to contribute to the review process.

• Those who had gone through an induction process were able to say if it had met their needs and been adequate.

• The views of volunteers did not always reflect the views of those managing the organisation, for example, at Woodhall Spa Cottage Museum, where following consultation on induction the museum revised how it communicated with all its volunteers.

Review of current induction materialsThis enabled museums to update the induction materials and handbooks. Museums shared induction material with each other, so re-inventing the wheel was kept to a minimum.

Several museums took the opportunity to consult with their current volunteers to help inform and improve the induction process.

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Some museums created an ‘Induction Form’, which also acts as a registration for new volunteers. This enables specific areas to be ticked off a pre determined induction list, once new volunteers were familiar with them.

It is good practice to combine induction with a probationary period, to enable review of a volunteer role, from both sides. Museums on the programme have implemented probation and review periods for new volunteers and have found that it is working well, allowing volunteers to comment on their roles and for any issues or misunderstandings to be easily resolved.

It is much easier to have a standardised induction process for all volunteers; everyone involved understands the museums aims and objectives and the basic operational activities of the organisation.

It’s important to keep policies and procedures clear, concise and friendly - you don’t want to put off potential new volunteers.

Feedback & ExamplesWoodhall Spa Cottage Museum realised their induction procedure required revising

We used the benchmarking exercise to evaluate where we were with our policies and procedures. We then consulted with all our volunteers to review the museum’s strengths and weaknesses. We have revised our induction pack and procedures; issues which needed addressing included clarification on expenses, channels of communication amongst all volunteers and directors and identifying areas for training. Everyone now is much clearer about all aspects of our operation.

Creswell Crags Museum also took the opportunity to review their policies and procedures

All our volunteer documentation is now branded and updated. The procedures of induction are now more formalised with introduction of an interview before the placement commences.

Roles are now more defined and the interview enables us to assess where a volunteer would be useful for us and what experience would benefit them. A probationary period of 6 months has been put in place. The volunteer is made aware of this at the induction meeting. This makes dealing with any issues that may arise from either party easier to address.

Harrington Aviation Museum have revised their volunteer policies and procedures, including creation of a volunteer induction pack, which pulls together information about the museum, role descriptions, expenses forms, plus key tips for providing tours and customer care to visitors.

Leicestershire County Council Collections Resources Centre consulted with their current volunteers

We worked with the current volunteers to develop current induction packs to be site specific - volunteers commented on current procedures and the revised induction pack is an excellent tool for volunteers and staff.

Erewash Museum have implemented a new induction procedure, it includes a full tour of the site, an introduction to the department and to staff and the wider council.

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Challenges and problems experiencedImplementing new policies or procedures within a well established team can take time. Museums need to ensure they have all current volunteers and staff on board and that everyone understands any new induction procedures; some training maybe required for existing volunteers and staff.

The main challenge is to produce an induction pack that provides all the necessary information, but is written in a friendly, accessible and appealing way.

It is important that induction policies and procedures evolve as the museum develops and that information contained in packs is regularly updated to reflect this.

Museums found that designating an individual as ‘volunteer manager’ with overall responsibility for policies, procedure and induction helped to provide a standardised approach to volunteering practice, including induction.

Top Ten Tips for Volunteer Induction1. Consult volunteers about your induction process – is it what they need? Do

they think it is adequate?

2. Review induction methods/handbooks regularly.

3. Have a New Induction form, which can also act as a registration form.

4. Produce a checklist for induction and signing to ensure volunteers have covered basics, such as health and safety, emergency procedures and how to find the toilets.

5. Having a standard process for induction, which the museum follows for all new volunteers.

6. Keep policy and procedures clear and concise and not intimidating.

7. Create a buddy system for new volunteers; using an established volunteer to help a new volunteer settle in is a very effective way of developing the volunteer team.

8. Make sure all staff are on board and up to date with any changes in induction procedure.

9. Include a probation period as part of induction. This is valuable for the museum and the volunteer as you can both review the volunteer role.

10. Ensure that all volunteers have clear roles and responsibilities, outlined when they start at the museum.

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Equality and DiversityIntroductionThe London Volunteering Charter states that organisations should aim to work to the following benchmark:

Volunteering is open to all; volunteers are treated with fairness.

The museums in the programme were not consciously putting up barriers to volunteering and they all strived for fairness, but consideration of the issues involved revealed areas where it was felt improvements could be made. They included:

• Changing attitudes and preconceptions/stereotypes about certain groups of people as volunteers- e.g. young people, unemployed people, people from particular local areas, people who can’t commit to regular open ended volunteering.

• Getting the balance right and adopting acceptable standards for working in different environments for example with young people.

• Being clear about roles for volunteers, where there were fears about them replacing paid employees.

• Improving physical access for people with disabilities.

• Creating volunteer roles that cater for people with disabilities.

• Ensuring that there aren’t restrictions on volunteers where there don’t need to be. (e.g. access to key codes for doors so that volunteers do not have to ask a member of staff every time they go through a particular door).

The approaches takenMuseums discovered that many simple and often small steps could go a long way to opening up volunteering more widely. Clear and agreed procedures for working with volunteers also ensure that all volunteers are treated fairly. Much of the work in this area made a positive contribution to creating a welcoming, friendly and open environment for volunteers.

• Working to encourage younger volunteers when previously the museum had an older group of volunteers.

• Encouraging specifically disadvantaged young people to participate in volunteering.

• Reaching out to different audiences - SEN.

• Looking to explore working with ethnic minority groups who are part of the community, but not represented in the volunteers (and under represented in audiences).

• Emphasising that the museum needs volunteers who have transferable skills from other work.

• Creating volunteer roles that can be done at home too.

• Increasing volunteer responsibility for all, putting systems in place that allow volunteers to access keys where appropriate and make their own tea and coffee.

• Providing tea/coffee rather than alcohol for staff/volunteer events.

• Showing positive images in recruitment materials of a mix of different volunteers.

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• Being flexible with times you can offer for volunteering and short term projects- from 1 day upwards.

• Creating a space and facilities for all volunteers to take breaks and lunch.

• Providing locker facilities for volunteers so they know their belongings are safe at the museum.

• Ensuring that information about the procedures for claiming expenses is given to all volunteers as part of their recruitment and induction so that people do not feel awkward or embarrassed about claiming expenses.

Challenges and problems experienced• The need to reassure existing volunteers that they are still valued and that

changes in relation to how new volunteers are recruited or how they will be integrated into new roles, will be of wider benefit to the museum.

• Need to challenge preconceptions about who can be a valuable volunteer (e.g. young people, people who volunteer for a short period, people with physical disabilities and people with special educational needs).

Feedback & ExamplesPiddington Roman Villa Museum have worked hard to publicise the opportunities on offer at the museum through inserts in local publications and development of a leaflet focussed on volunteering opportunities.

We needed to make it more obvious that volunteering is open to all and our new publicity does just that.

The Canal Museum has focussed on opening up new volunteering opportunities for young people.The museum has developed new marketing material (leaflets and pull up banners) to attract young people to the museum and we have met with V-involved and attended

a recruitment fair at Northampton University – both of which have been successful in raising our profile with potential young volunteers and helping us to develop projects for them to feed in to.

Leicestershire County Council Collections Resources Centre used the programme to consider new ways of promoting access to volunteering.

There is now a much greater awareness of what we can offer. We have volunteers doing a range of activities, including home based volunteering and more opportunities for involvement in one off events.

Crich Tramway Village have addressed issues of volunteer diversity though a review of membership criteria.

A review of membership and volunteering has enabled the organisation to now accept that it is not necessary to just be a member to get involved in volunteering.

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Top Tips1. Consider how you treat your existing volunteers in terms of equality and

fairness- e.g. are all volunteers given the same induction, supervision and access to opportunities?

2. Volunteer recruitment is the first step in ensuring that ‘volunteering is open to all’ - create opportunities that will appeal to a wide range of people and promoting them in a variety of places and to a variety of groups.

3. Having clear procedures in place for volunteers (including policies for dealing with grievances) ensures that all volunteers can be treated equally and fairly in line with previously agreed policies.

4. If you want to start working with new volunteer groups e.g. young people - discuss the reasons for this with existing staff and volunteers and the benefits it will bring to the museum. Encourage empathy- seeing the museum from the perspective of different volunteers.

5. Look for solutions to problems rather than automatically assuming things won’t work (e.g. finding a way of working with a potential volunteer for whom the usual workspace isn’t physically accessible).

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Personal developmentIntroductionPersonal development for volunteers is an area that most of the museums in the programme had not previously considered in any detail. The assumption was that volunteers were equipped to do a specific task and opportunities for training and development were largely ad hoc and not tailored to the needs of volunteers.

The good practice benchmark for recruitment was informed by the London Volunteering Charter which states:

Identified needs are met by relevant training and development opportunities

Considering the personal development needs of volunteers is an important element in ensuring that volunteers feel valued, engaged and equipped to carry out their roles and to keep up their enthusiasm for volunteering. It is not a case of simply insisting that volunteers carry out a range of compulsory training. Some museums did offer volunteers the chance to attend external training courses and many volunteers were keen to attend, but others did not feel comfortable or confident about travelling away from their museums to attend training with ‘professionals’. The key to success is not finding one solution, but in having an ongoing dialogue with volunteers to discover their own development needs, how their roles might develop and to discuss ways in which the museum can work with this.

The approaches takenThe starting point for most museums was to ask volunteers about how they saw their development needs - for example- were there different areas of work at the museum that they would like to get involved in? Did they have any particular skills that they felt would be useful for the museum? The way museums approached this and the solutions they found included:

• Ensuring that all volunteers receive appropriate training for their role.

• Asking questions about any development needs/interests at regular chats with the volunteer’s supervisor.

• Programming one year’s worth of workshops to take place on site at the museum to slot in with volunteering.

• Introducing training questionnaires to find out what volunteers want and what other areas of work they might be interested in (Desborough Heritage Centre have found that some volunteers were keen to try out new roles alongside existing ones).

• Using contacts from other museums in the Flagship Volunteers Programme cluster groups to develop training opportunities.

• Offering volunteers the opportunity to take responsibility for projects.

• Offering Renaissance and EMMS training to volunteers.

• Developing sustainable on the job training for volunteers by asking existing volunteers to help with training up new ones (Creswell Crags).

• Setting up peer to peer on the job learning (Strutt’s Mill found that they had a volunteer who was happy to lead a computer training session for their fellow volunteers).

• Realising that some volunteers come with the desire to learn new skills and others wish to utilise their skills (or both).

• Creating an environment where volunteers are encouraged to go on courses and treated the same as paid staff.

• Train the trainer scheme, offering young people opportunity to learn from tutors.

• Young person volunteers invited as part of tutor meeting groups.

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Challenges and problems experienced• Some volunteers are very nervous about ’training’, particularly if they lack

confidence and think it might be some sort of test. It needs to be approached with a light touch.

• It is easy to forget to ask long term volunteers if they have any particular needs or interests that they might like to pursue in the museum - they might like to try something different.

• It can be hard to fix times for in house training and development that will suit all staff and volunteers - you might need to be flexible about repeating sessions.

• Training can be expensive - look to colleagues in other museums for support or the chance to share costs.

• Managing expectations- be clear what types of development you can realistically support your volunteers in.

Feedback & ExamplesDesborough Heritage Centre has a co-ordinated approach to training to ensure all volunteers can benefit.

The heritage centre has a training co-ordinator who manages all the courses and we have a notice board for exchanges of information about what is available. We have good attendance from volunteers on training courses, both in house and outside.

Creswell Crags Museum has established an integrated training system for all volunteers.

We have also been able to set up a sustainable training system for the volunteers, particularly in collections management. Volunteers are offered training through

programmes like Renaissance and are provided with assistance when looking for employment in the heritage sector. Two of our volunteers have found temporary employment through their voluntary experience at the Crags.

The Sir John Moore Foundation has developed excellent links with young people and increased the number of young people volunteering in the organisation.

We are working to involve young people in all areas of the Foundation and ensuring this is sustainable in the long term; we want to ensure that young people are able to develop to the next level and become true commissioners of events and activities and opportunities for themselves. We make sure we identify training opportunities for all our young helpers.

Top five tips1. Discuss training and development needs at regular (at least annual) informal

reviews with your volunteers.

2. Remember that development doesn’t have to be all about external training courses.

3. Your volunteers probably have lots of skills that could be useful to the museum you don’t know about yet, as you haven’t asked about them.

4. Integrate volunteer development needs into the organisation’s workforce development plans.

5. Talk to your volunteers about how they can help you train up new volunteers when they join the organisation.

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Resolving difficultiesIntroductionResolving difficulties with museum volunteers can be a cause of stress and difficulty. The programme cluster groups provided opportunities for museums to talk through issues and problems in a wider environment; many museums found that difficulties they were facing were replicated throughout the region.

Particular areas which the museums identified as issues included:

• Keeping volunteers.

• Management spread too thinly, so unaware of difficulties.

• The structure of the organisation e.g. contact and communication from trustees to volunteers.

• Particular blocks to volunteering , for example being required to be a ‘member’ of the museum society to volunteer.

• No defined procedures for dealing with problem individuals.

The good practice benchmark for resolving difficulties was informed by the London Volunteering Charter which states:

Resolving difficulties: Volunteers are aware of how to raise a concern and how it will be handled.

On the whole, volunteers in museums on the programme are a happy and harmonious crowd. However, some issues do arise and museums on the programme employed a range of methods to deal with difficulties arising amongst their volunteer workforce. It was felt that the most effective means of resolving difficulties with volunteers was to strike a balance between informal solutions and formal policies and procedures.

The programme provided a refresher training course focussing on general volunteer management, policies and procedures. Delivered by Voluntary Action Leicestershire, the course also addressed issues of resolving difficulties; as the participants discovered, many of the issues are not museum specific, but arise in all sorts of volunteer run organisations.

The approaches takenThe museums understood the need to have written guidelines for everyone to follow in case of difficulties and that by firming up other areas of their volunteer management, a more integrated approach to problem solving could be taken.The following steps have contributed to improved confidence in resolving difficulties.

Written guidelinesMuseums produced written guidelines to ensure clear lines of reporting and issues of conflict could be dealt with effectively and efficiently. It’s important the guidelines are readily accessible for everyone in the museum to read.

Improved communicationIn many case it was felt that general difficulties could be resolved by improving communication within the organisation. This could be as simple as ensuring there are regular meetings to keep people up to date, or ensuring hand over notes are made if issues arise at the end of a shift.

Roles descriptions for volunteersIntroducing clear role descriptions for volunteers has enabled museums to be clear about the responsibilities of everyone in the organisation and the skills and experience required to fulfil each role.

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Informally resolving issuesSome issues can be successfully resolved by informal means. Regularly chatting to volunteers, understanding their concerns and explaining the issues of the wider museum were seen as good ways to prevent issues developing.

Introducing a formal grievance procedureHaving a formal procedure in place, should the need arise, has proved valuable for all concerned.

Mentors for new volunteersProviding new volunteers with mentors for an initial period at the museum is an effective way of ensuring volunteers get to know the ropes.

Membership issuesSeveral museums on the programme are membership organisations, where only members could be involved in volunteering. This was considered a difficulty, especially in increasing the diversity and roles of the volunteer workforce. The museums concerned used the programme to revisit their constitutional and organisation aims and objectives and explore ways to make volunteering more accessible.

Challenges and problems experiencedIntroducing new procedures can be difficult, especially if the consensus is ‘well if it isn’t broke why fix it?’, however the museums on the programme have found it worthwhile to have written policies and procedures in place.

Inconsistent communications within an organisation can lead to misunderstandings and factions developing; implementing written guidelines and generally improving communication channels has proved successful.

Feedback & ExamplesLeicestershire County Council has well developed policies and procedures.

We have a written grievance procedure in place for volunteers in our new induction pack – we’ve not had to use it yet!

Desborough Heritage Centre has a designated individual to deal with any arising issues.

We have a manager readily available to resolve any issues that require attention and focus and regular volunteer evenings, which have been very successful. The Heritage Centre also uses a Daybook to ensure continuity of service between all volunteers.

Woodhall Spa Cottage Museum has developed a mix of formal and informal consultation and feedback.

The museum has developed roles and responsibilities for volunteers and a team structure, which means volunteers, have an informal but agreed means to feedback any difficulties.

Thoresby Hall Gallery has ensured all volunteers are provided with the information they require.

All volunteers are given clear guidelines and the volunteer co-ordinator works closely with them

Creswell Crags Museum has formalised policies and procedures throughout the organisation.

Our grievance policy has now been discussed with the director and has been updated and is ready for distribution with our general volunteer pack.

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Newark Air Museum have started to address the issue of access to volunteering.

As a membership body providing opportunities for new volunteers is an issue. The programme has been a stimulus for the trustees to ask questions about the overall structure of the museum and we are working to change our current practice. We want to encourage new volunteers and especially wish to work with young people; we recognise our current policy on volunteering conflicts with this and we are working to improve it.

Top Ten Tips for resolving difficulties1. Regular meetings to keep people up to date.

2. Involvement days when all volunteers meet at the museum, these could be cleaning, gardening or general planning days.

3. Informally resolving issues.

4. Ensure that volunteering is fully accessible to anyone who might like to offer their services.

5. Introduce a new grievance policy, before you need to use it!

6. Dealing with minor difficulties quickly and in house.

7. Have clear policies and procedures for everyone to follow.

8. Provide buddies or mentors for new volunteers.

9. Improving general communication within the museum to enable clear lines of communication.

10. Sharing experiences with other organisations to seek solutions or asking the local volunteer bureau for advice.

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Key resources for volunteeringThere is no shortage in resources of advice, guidance and support for volunteering. Some is held within thewider voluntary sector e.g. through volunteer centres and some have been developed specifically for the sector.

Examples of volunteer centre adviceNottingham CVS has a range of guides freely available that cover a range of volunteer management issues e.g. recruitment, training, induction etc.www.nottinghamcvs.co.uk/help-groups/useful-information/managing-volunteers

Voluntary Action Leicestershire also has a similar range of publications and advicewww.valonline.org.uk/orc/volunteers

Model policies and procedures are available from the Volunteer Centre Derbywww.communityactionderby.org.uk/volunteering/working-with-volunteers-good-practice

Volunteering England- has some free advice sheets and more available to members (NB membership is free for organizations with income below £30k)www.volunteering.org.uk

National Council for Volunteering OrganisationsNCVO supports voluntary organisations (as well as social enterprises and CICs) of all kinds, whether you’re a large national body or a community group working at a local level. Membership provides access to a range of resources and support.www.ncvo-vol.org.uk

Young peopleVoluntary Youth Services for Northamptonshirewww.vysn.org.uk/home

Northamptonshire Voluntary Youth Actionwww.nvya.co.uk

Museum specific adviceThe Association of Independent Museums (AIM) has a focus paper on “Working with Volunteers- an introduction to good practice”www.aim-museums.co.uk/pages/pg%2D5%2Daim%2Dfocus%2Dpapers/

Renaissance London has a publication entitled “Getting the most out of your local Volunteer Centre”www.mla.gov.uk/what/programmes/renaissance/regions/london/News_and_Resources/~/media/London/Files/2009/Publications/5680Volunteersbooklet10.ashxalong with a publication on “Working with volunteers in collections care” www.mla.gov.uk/what/programmes/renaissance/regions/london/News_and_Resources/publicationsand publications in the London Hub Volunteer Training Bank- course material for training programmes with volunteers in a range of areas including an Introduction to Museums, Customer Care, Object Handling and Working with Childrenwww.mla.gov.uk/what/programmes/renaissance/regions/london/News_and_Resources/volunteer_training_bank

Museums Galleries Scotland has a toolkit for Training, Learning & Development for our Volunteer”www.museumsgalleriesscotland.org.uk/publications(search for ‘volunteers’)

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Research/resourcesCultural volunteering in the East Midlands, 2009, Diamond, A., Davies, E., Baldwin, K., commissioned by MLA, ACE, English heritagewww.research.mla.gov.uk/evidence/documents/cultural-volunteering-east-midlands-july-09.pdf

English National Youth Arts NetworkENYAN is a free membership body designed to create connections throughout the diverse youth arts sector at national, regional and grass roots levels. ENYAN aims to raise the profile and support for youth arts within England, and by doing so create more opportunities for the creative and personal development of young people, especially young people at risk,.Registering is free, there are a range of resources on the website, including a Creative Youth Consultation and Participation Toolkit.www.enyan.co.uk

The Family Friendly InitiativeProvides advice and information for venues to help them be more child and family friendly. The free Guidelines include suggestions and ideas relating to all aspects of running a family friendly arts venue or event. Checklists and action plans are also available to help you assess how family friendly you are and where improvements could be made. Guidelines for consulting with children and young people are available to download from their website.www.family-friendly.net

British MuseumThe Marsh Trust Award - This exciting award recognises best practice and the innovative ways in which volunteers work in museums and galleries to engage the public with collections.www.britishmuseum.org/the_museum/museum_in_the_uk/marsh_trust_volunteer_award.aspx

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Alford Manor HouseFollowing the garden restoration, volunteers are to be trained to identify plants and to maintain the garden with the ultimate aim of better interpreting the site for visitors.

Alford Manor HouseWest StreetAlfordLincolnshire LN13 9HT01507 463073www.alfordmanorhouse.co.uk

Castle Donington Museum TrustWe were very pleased to join a “Cluster Group” in this programme.The group represented a varied spectrum of museums: volunteer run or professionally; independent or local authority and the programme well designed, well presented and we gained a great deal from it.

Not only have we increased volunteer numbers, we have enlarged our “volunteer profile”. Originally a team of elderly, mainly female workers, we now have a wider age-range - from teens to OAPs - both male and female. Our confidence in recruiting and in providing a rewarding experience for volunteers has been boosted immeasurably.

Other results include an illustrated leaflet, placed at various locations – Library, Parish Rooms, Volunteer Bureau, local shops etc. and, with a grant from the programme, an in-house training programme for volunteers old and new, with professional leadership.

Thank you Renaissance, Heather and Emma and thanks to all the participants – networking is always a large element of these things!

“I love coming - I can’t wait for Tuesdays” Lucy, aged 18years. One of our new volunteers

Castle Donington Museum Trust4 Apiary Gate,Castle Donington,Derby DE74 2JASecretary: Mrs Sylvia Bradburnsylvia113@btinternet.com

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Church Farm MuseumChurch Farm Museum recognised that volunteers were core to the museums aspirations and future. Audience research had shown that a significant number of people stopped on the street would be interested in volunteering, yet by the end of 2009 numbers or volunteers regularly supporting the

museum had dropped to only two. The flagship volunteer scheme allowed the museum to gain expertise in developing its volunteering program. A number of changes were initiated such as setting up a management board that included volunteers and staff of all levels. Increased recruitment was promoted through highlighting volunteers work through high profile projects, a volunteer newsletter, and graphics around the museum featuring volunteer opportunities. Teams of volunteers were also set up with specific tasks such as working collections, grounds maintenance, costume development and interpretation.

Owing to the success this program the museum has a future independent of the local authority, run by the volunteers and intends to open in April 2011.

01754 766658churhfarmmuseum@lincolnshire.gov.ukwww.lincolnshire.gov.uk/churchfarmmuseum

Corby Heritage CentreCorby Heritage Centre is due to open on the 5th June 2011, it will be a new venture in telling the history of the Borough of Corby.

There will be one paid member of staff and the rest will be volunteers and is this will be the beginning of Corby Heritage Centre’s visitor life it was decided that Corby Borough Council would like to be part of the Flagship Volunteer Programme and that instilling best practice from day one would be better than trying to bring it in at a later date.

The cluster group meetings allowed a useful dialogue between seasoned volunteer groups and those new to recruitment and retention of valuable volunteers.The Flagship programme also financed two volunteer events which have now brought our volunteer numbers from18 on the first event to 25 at the second.Corby Heritage Centre has found the programme invaluable and very user friendly.

Corby Heritage CentreBilly Dalziel - Heritage Development WorkerCorby Borough Council75 - 77 High StreetCorby Old Village NN17 1UU01536 464284billy.dalziel@corby.gov.uk

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Creswell CragsThe site focused on developing family volunteering with the overarching aim to increase community involvement in the site. A volunteer pack was produced to attract new volunteers to the range of volunteering opportunities, a family volunteering event was held before Christmas to prepare for Crags Christmas; preparing Santa’s Grotto, wrapping presents etc. and work was undertaken with local partners including the HLF Connecting Families project in Shirebrook and the local Home Education Groups.

Crags RoadWelbeckNear Matlock S80 3LH01909 720378www.creswell-crags.org.uk

Desborough Heritage CentreVolunteering numbers have increased significantly during the period of this project through the centre focusing on improving facilities used by volunteers and by promoting volunteering opportunities at the centre through the production of a portable information stand that is used at local events but has also had a place in a nearby show-home of a housing development to appeal to new audiences.

72 Station RoadDesboroughNorthants NN14 2RS01536 765734www.desboroughheritagecentre.co.uk

Crich Tramway VillageA family volunteering leaflet was designed and produced containing information about volunteering opportunities and the museum joined Volunteering England.

Crich MatlockDerbys DE4 5DP01773 854321www.tramway.co.uk

Erewash MuseumThe Renaissance flagship volunteering project has enabled us as an organisation to learn more about recruiting volunteers, and improving their experience at the museum. We have increased our volunteer numbers, made improvements to the facilities we have for volunteers and improved our procedures. This has enabled us to ensure that the opportunities we have for volunteers are more rewarding and sustainable.

The project has given us the support to not only increase our volunteer numbers, but also improve the experiences that volunteers have with us as an organisation.

Erewash MuseumHigh St, IlkestonDerbyshire DE7 5JA0115 9071141museum@erewash.gov.ukWebsite www.erewashmuseum.co.uk

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Kettering Museum and Art GalleryAn exhibition at the museum in 2010 took a new approach to involving volunteers in working closely with families to help create their responses to the exhibition as well as preparing and running associated workshops.

Kettering Museum and Art GallerySheep StreetKetteringNorthants NN16 OAN01536 534219www.kettering.gov.uk/museums

Leicestershire County CouncilCollections Resources CentreThe Centre provides a focussed opportunity for volunteers to work alongside curatorial staff. We wanted to increase the number of volunteers and widen the opportunities to work with the collections.

Different volunteering opportunities including home-based work, supporting events and the creation of a collections care volunteer team, enabled us to

work with 19 new volunteers. The project allowed us to improve our protocols, procedures and facilities.

“Volunteering for the Collections Resources Centre has opened a new chapter in my life. It is interesting, rewarding, a great way to make good friends and meet people, a great way to acquire new skills and it is fun.”

01509 815514museums@leics.gov.uk www.leics.gov.uk/index/leisure_tourism/museums.htm

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Newark Air MuseumWe entered the Volunteer Providers programme with the aim of widening the involvement of younger volunteers at the museum. It was hoped that this would include attracting new younger volunteers; widening involvement with existing young users like local Air Training Corps Squadrons; and formalising the relevant policies / documentation associated with such activities. The project enabled us to meet some of these challenges but also identified other aspects of our volunteering policies.

“Initially we intended to focus on attracting more young volunteers to the museum and whilst this didn’t fully work through to the project did highlight issues with how volunteers generally are recruited and managed. Thanks to encouragement from those running the project the museum is now starting to address those important issues.”Museum Trustee, Howard Heeley

Newark Air MuseumDrove LaneWinthorpeNewark NG24 2NY

Newark & Sherwood Museum ServiceWorking with young volunteers is very rewarding but very different to working with other age groups. Be flexible - young people don’t have as much spare time as you would think. Young people bring humour, great IT skills and fresh ideas into the museum. The museum experience can give young people self-worth, confidence and employability. Accept that many young people will only be with you for a short time but the experience can be worthwhile for both parties.

“I am greatly appreciative of the opportunity you have given me and thank you very much for all of your support. You are all incredible and fun people and i wish the best for you all!”

“Thank you so much for all the effort you have put in for us over the weeks, we’ve enjoyed it very much and have gained lots of experience. It has been very useful to us both.”

Newark Millgate Museum48 MillgateNewark NG24 4TS01636 655730 museums@nsdc.info www.newark-sherwooddc.gov.uk/museums

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Piddington Roman Villa MuseumWe printed leaflets, to encourage people to volunteer, particularly for front-of-house and distributed them widely.

Registering our opportunities on the national Volunteering database and with Northampton and Towcester Volunteer Centres, has also proved successful and we are gaining one new volunteer per week on average, including some younger people, not only for front-of-house, but to join the Education Group and to participate in excavation and post-excavation work.

The programme also funded new water heaters, which have proved very popular with our volunteers.

“It makes such a difference to have plenty of instant hot water!”

Piddington Roman Villa MuseumChapel End,Piddington,Northampton NN7 2DD01604 870312piddington.museum@tiscali.co.ukwww.unas.org.uk

Rothwell Arts and Heritage CentreThe centre held a volunteer open day to promote the need for different types of volunteers and as a result volunteer numbers increased significantly.

Rothwell Arts and Heritage Centre14-16 Bridge StreetRothwell NN14 6JW01536 711550www.rothwellheritage.org.uk

Ruddington Framework Knitters MuseumAs a result of participating in the programme the museum reviewed its future with staff, trustees and volunteers through a series of facilitated sessions, involving everyone in future planning in a structured way.

Ruddington Framework Knitters MuseumChapel StreetRuddington NG11 6HE0115 9846914www.rfkm.org

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Sir John Moore FoundationThe flagship has helped the Foundation share its experiences with working with young people in a positive way. It has been able to encourage the active involvement of young people in its management and has set up a steering committee, has a number of project specific young people action groups and is offering a variety of opportunities

for young people to get involved as consumers, critics, and creators of events and activities. We are working towards ensuring this is sustainable in the long term and we want to ensure that young people are able to develop to the next level and become true commissioners of events and activities and opportunities for themselves.

“A fantastic opportunity for us to work with other museums to support, develop, and, encourage the involvement of children and young people.”

Sir John Moore FoundationTop Street,Appleby MagnaDerbys DE12 7AH01530 273629 deana@sirjohnmoore.org.ukwww.sirjohnmoore.org.uk

Strutt’s North MillStrutt’s North Mill wanted to focus on both the recruitment of new volunteers and also on improving the quality of experience for established volunteers. The museum was able to launch a recruitment action plan which has produced a number of committed new volunteers. The museum also created several successful volunteer projects to

engage established volunteers, including; new guided walks, a new school activity and a project making costumes for mill-worker teddy bears to be sold in the shop.

“An inspiring way to encourage best-practice working with volunteers!”

Strutt’s North MillBridgefootBelper DE56 1YD01773 880474manager@belpernorthmill.org.uk

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Thoresby GalleryThe overarching aim was the development of volunteering at Thoresby, both in quantity and quality of the experience, then sharing best practice with partners.Starting with an exhibition by local community groups in our exhibition space, developing partnerships with them and through flagship support, production of recruitment materials. Also through flagship support, developed good practice, defined roles, improved training, procedures, policies and better equipment for a volunteers room.

“A great opportunity to work with flagship cluster groups to develop volunteering’ and to get to know the local community.”

Thoresby GalleryThoresby Courtyard OfficeThoresby ParkNr OllertonNewark NG22 9EF01623 822365 caroline@thoresby.comwww.thoresby.com

Nottingham City Museums & GalleriesA two year project involving each of the Keepers with two or more wards in Nottingham. Each keeper is responsible for recruiting up to 8 volunteers per year to work 4 half day sessions over 4 weeks, using material linked to their area and contributing to a current curatorial project. On completion, those who wish to, are encouraged to participate within the museum service and other related organisations.

“Direct engagement with our immediate communities has established many local ambassadors for the museum service.”

Nottingham City Museums & GalleriesBrewhouse YardCastle BoulevardNottingham NG7 1FB0115 9153620 ann.inscker@nottinghamcity.gov.ukwww.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=172

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Woodhall Spa Cottage MuseumWith the support of the Young People’s Flagship cluster group the museum has concentrated on the development of active links with young people and have developed a volunteer management policy. From a standing start we now have the regular involvement of a young reporter, a

young film maker and web site developer, Duke of Edinburgh award students university placements and two local cadet groups. It pays to value even the smallest member of the team! Evil Ian (the ferret) said “it was a very tiring day but that Jackie lady was very nice to me.”

“The Cottage Museum and its volunteers have been hugely supportive and given me the chance to develop both my people skills and media skills in realistic situations. It’s great to be part of projects and events that aim to bring the Museum to a wider audience and support the community as a whole.”James Ritson

Woodhall Spa Cottage MuseumThe BungalowIddesleigh RoadWoodhall Spa LN10 6YY