History Research Volunteer

General Information

The National Lottery funded ‘A Wilder Walkmill’ project aims to improve Walkmill Community Woodlands, near Moresby, Whitehaven for people and wildlife and encourage greater use of this fabulous community resource. Walkmill Community Woodland is a vital and much-loved open space and is important because of its significant natural and industrial heritage. ‘A Wilder Walkmill’ aims to improve access for all, create new and improved habitats to support nature recovery, increase volunteering opportunities, events and activities for the local community, and provide education sessions and forest schools. In order to tell the story of the site to all its visitors we are looking for a volunteer(s) to help us research the local history its mining days and beyond.

Volunteer Role Summary

Help us to uncover the history of Walkmill Woods and Walkmill Colliery so that we can use this information to share with the local community through the display boards, website and walks and talks. Tasks may include:

- Online research.

- Reading and interpreting old maps and other material.

- Gathering historical materials such as maps, photos and documents.

- Visiting the County Records Office in Whitehaven.

- Collating information gathered for use in project activities.

- Working with Records Office staff to obtain high quality copies of original materials.

- Working on the interpretation for the site with the project team.

- Meeting people with connections to woods and recording their stories.

Skills/Experience/Health criteria

This volunteer role would suit someone who is:

- Interested in history and historical research.

- Able to read old maps and old documents.

- Able to work on their own and as part of a team.

- Be willing to comply with vulnerable people protection procedures.

Benefits

- Learn new skills and gain new experiences.

- Feel more connected to the local heritage.

- Enhance your CV.

- Satisfaction of uncovering the local history and sharing it with the community.

Supervision and management

Supervision and training will be undertaken and arranged by the project’s Learning and Engagement officer. You will be required to submit a record of your volunteer hours and activities to the officer for monitoring, health and safety and as a requirement of project funding.

Subsistence and expenses

Travel expenses will be reimbursed upon receipt of a volunteer expenses claim form.

Other

This post is subject to a Basic Check by the Disclosure and Barring Service.

This role description reflects the hopes and intentions of the volunteer and the Trust, and is not contractually binding in any way on either party.

To apply

We are ideally looking for people who can volunteer with us between May 2024 and December 2024. Timings can be flexible to suit the needs of the volunteer.

Please contact Laura below.

Please get in touch if you have any queries or would like further information.