Fancy volunteering?

Churnet Valley we are always welcoming towards any new volunteers in all departments, especially with all our future developments due to unfold within the next 2/3 years.

http://www.churnet-valley-railway.co.uk/enthusiasts

http://www.churnet-valley-railway.co.uk/become-a-volunteer

The actual volunteering page isn't as comprehensive as it could be, but then again when we only have around 100 working volunteers people are doing multiple jobs as well as their normal day jobs / family commitments.

If people want any further info on CVR feel free to pm any one of us CVR volunteers. There's myself, Chris Meadowcroft, NeilL, 34015, p/wayman, sheff to name a few and we all do various jobs on/around the railway

 

Hi all,

New here, and am a recent newbie to the Hampshire area. I wondered if there are any MHR people on here who could give me some information on how to get involved?

Thanks

 

Have you had any luck so far?

The MHR have regular welcome days with reps from different departments to give you an insight into the opportunities available. You fill in a small form highlighting your areas of interest which are then passed onto the department managers who will get in touch with you. We have a number of people who look after the process and stay in touch with you to make sure your supported.

The next welcome day is on the 23rd February.

Some details are available from the website which is in the process of being updated with volunteer case studies and a bit more information on the process.

http://www.watercressline.co.uk/article.php/15/volunteering

If you have any problems feel free to drop me an IM and I'll do my best to help.

 

Also everyone, well most!, on the MHR are very friendly. I've been a volunteer there a while now and really enjoy it. I would say just turn up, look around and have a chat with whoever is about. Ropley is always a good start as there is always something to see even on non-running days.

There are many departments to suit whatever your interest is, hope to see you soon.

 

I tried to volunteer at the MHR through the website.

Got one phone call from someone who asked for my email address even though it was on the form I had filled in. Never heard a thing. Contacted them again and was told someone would be in touch......

 

Have you ever fancied volunteering at the Swindon and Cricklade Railway. A great way to start is to become a Guard! Though other areas are available, from the canteen to driving and maintaining all our locos, Permenant way to building works. All walks of life considered!

Please leave a message on our facebook page or here and we will get back to you.

 

Thats not good.

Will you please PM myself, and I will give you all the contacts and information that you want and need.

Looking forward to hearing from you or alternately you can drop in to Medstead and Four Marks yard any Thursday of Saturday and ask for me?

Chris Willis
Mid-Hants Wagon Group:

 

Anyone in South Wales interested?
The Gwili Railway are running a new volunteers' day on Feb 22nd
Please phone the railway on 01267238213 for further information.

 

Here's a few words for anyone else who doesn't feel thay have time to volunteer on a regular basis. In my teenage years, I helped out in the Bluebell Loco Departmenr and absolutely loved it, but life has become a lot busier since. However, when I moved to Gloucestershire 2 1/2 years ago, I signed up as a member of the Glos-Warwicks first and foremost to get a lineside permit, but when asked if I would like to volunteer, I asked whether it was possible to do so on an occasional basis, and was told I would be welcome. I only managed to squeeze in two stints on car parking duties at Cheltenham Racecourse in 2013, once for the May Gala and once for the Santas, but was made to feel part of the team and was welcomed by the regular volunteers. Although it's a fairly mundane duty - albeit necessary - I really enjoyed myself 0n both occasions and hope I can do something similar this year. I say this even though my Santa stint was Monday 23rd December,which was when we had that terrible storm which caused so much flooding. At the end of my stint, I looked (and felt) like a drowned rat in spite of wearing two waterproofs one on top of the other!

I guess the GWSR isn't the only railway to be glad of help on an occasional ad-hoc basis, but it had never occurred to me to ask before. I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone else in my position who can't volunteer regularly. The only problem is that working with regular volunteers increases your frustration that you can't help more often. Still, one day, hopefully, I'll retire and if I'm not too decrepid (I'll almost certainly be well into my 70s by then), I certainly hope I'll be able to give some more time to whatever hertiage railway I'm living near to by then.

 

If you sign up to a restoration dept like I am in C+W on the GWSR, then it doesn't matter if you find you can't make a certain day or you can only do once a month, as there is no roster or anything, you just turn up when you can and work! there's a couple of people that only come in a couple of times a year, but they are just as welcome as the rest.

Also, I know I've said this before, but if you're a young person it's still worth enquiring, I only asked on the off chance and was delighted with the reply. you certainly don't just have to join the youth group, often all you need is someone who is happy to be responsible for you, my Dad in my case.

 

Thank you for your helpful post, Alex. I'll bear your comments in mind. Absolutely chocker between now until the end of March, but if I could help on a "turn-up-when you-can" basis on other occasions besides galas and Santas, it's something to consider. I wouldn't mind giving a couple of days helping put 35006 back together, even though I'd obviously only be able to do the most menial of tasks. My particular attachment to 35006 is because quite probably I may have seen it in action, for when I was a small child, as you could see the Waterloo-Salisbury line from my grandparents' front garden, and 35006 was based at Salisbury all its working life. I was 6 years old when it was withdrawn, so you can work out from this that unfortunately, I'm probably not eligible for the youth group!!

 

I've just remembered we have a guard who only does a turn about 4 times a year, the rest of the time he is on the bluebell and that is on a roster so you could do anything really, most people are very accommodating, whichever dept. you wish to volunteer, although if you wanted to become a steam loco driver it would probably take considerably more time than those that turn up every week. Basically, if the job you wish to do needs no training or you already have it, it doesn't matter how often you turn up, all help is appreciated. plus you get a nice work permit giving you freedom of about half a dozen lines around the country

 

The idea that a Guard can remain fully competent & conversant with a particular line based on only 4 turns per year is rather stretching things even where he/she undertakes a similar role elsewhere.
Most lines require a much higher minimum number of turns per year to remain competent.

 

I'm sure it was in a cornishmam or something not long ago, the rest of the year he does the same thing on the bluebell. I shall go a digging....

 

AFAIK, you only have to work a route every six months to maintain route knowledge on the Big Railway so four turns/year over two W/E's would be equivalent. Lots of heritage railways have crews on interchange, footplate and guards being the obvious ones but even including such things as PW, Station staff, signalment and almost every job that there is. Many heritage railway have the four turns/year requirement to maintain competence. which I think is endorsed by HMRI/ORR. Not 100% sure on the latter so will have to check.

 

The Isle of Wight Steam Railway have a recruitment day on Sunday 23rd March. Details here:

http://www.iwsteamrailway.co.uk/news/volunteers-recruitment-day-sunday-23rd-march-76.aspx

 

So I should provide a bit of an update, with a bit of effort I am now very much involved up at Ropley .​

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I haven't looked back since first getting involved and would recommend anyone who is considering it to give it a try!​

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Thanks to all at the Mid Hants for being such a welcoming bunch!​

 

I got to agree with the above post I have also recently got involved with the Mid Hants lot and found them to be a great bunch of guys. The only thing I would say if your thinking about joining the wagon group it would help if your name was Dave.

 

Dave ?

 

Seriously! Its bizarre in every department (at least that I have been to) there is at least 1 Dave on the team. One on the Wednesday Gang, One on the CanPac crew theres 3 in the Wagon Group.