Reflections from a Museum Volunteering Officer – Learnings Covering a Secondment

Stepping into the role, I knew I would be supporting volunteers to contribute their time, skills and enthusiasm. What I perhaps didn’t fully appreciate was just how much I would gain from them in return.

I would describe this experience as fulfilling.

Every day brought new conversations, challenges, and opportunities to support volunteers to succeed. Whether it was helping someone take their first steps into volunteering or watching experienced volunteers develop their skills even further, there was a real sense of purpose in the work.

One experience that will stay with me is supporting a young person with learning needs to volunteer.

I felt genuinely empowered to work alongside them and others to find solutions and create an opportunity that worked for everyone. The volunteer went on to make a fantastic contribution by designing a brilliant dinosaur trail for families during the May half-term at Melton Carnegie Museum. Thank you for your T-Rexcellent work!

It has been fantastic to see the progression within volunteers and being able to know you have been a part of their story.

Seeing the volunteers always made my day better.

Even on the busiest days, there was always one thing that reminded me why the role mattered. Whether it was a quick catch-up, a shared laugh, hearing about a breakthrough in a research project, or simply seeing the dedication they brought to their volunteering, those interactions consistently lifted my spirits.

A word of thanks.

Volunteers give so much of themselves, often quietly and without seeking recognition, and being surrounded by that generosity is genuinely inspiring.

What a treat it was to attend not one, but two celebrations of volunteers, both at Leicestershire County Council’s Chairman Thank You Event and Culture Leicestershire’s Volunteer Sharing Day, alongside outstanding outings to Rutland County Museum and Oakham Castle.

I have immense gratitude to the volunteers who welcomed me, to the colleagues who recognised the value of volunteering and worked alongside me and gratitude for the opportunity to experience first-hand the difference that volunteers make every single day.

As I prepare to hand over the role, I do so with immense gratitude and wanting to advance the profession as volunteer lead.

• A blog by Denise Wilding, Museum Volunteering Officer.