Volunteer opportunities as visitor numbers grow at Newton Abbot Museum

As visitor numbers continue to grow at Newton Abbot Museum a call has gone out for extra volunteers. Help is needed both at the welcome desk and nearby St Leonard’s Tower which opens for the 2025 season in May.

AS visitor numbers continue to grow at Newton Abbot Museum a call has gone out for extra volunteers.

Help is needed both at the welcome desk and nearby St Leonard’s Tower which opens for the 2025 season in May.

The opportunities come with full training and only a modest time-commitment, with perks of being a volunteer including meeting new people, CV boosting, being part of the museum community, attending Friends of the Museum talks for free and volunteer socials.

Curatorial Assistant Katie Petley-Jones said: ‘The museum’s continued success means we always need fresh faces and we’d really appreciate an extra couple of people for our front of house team.

‘Ideally that would be every week or on an ad hoc basis and it involves welcoming visitors, helping with sales in the shop and handing out activity trails.

‘They can explain how our Pastport scheme works, also the Curio app which allows people to scan QR codes for more information about objects within the museum collection.

‘Of course, we don’t expect new volunteers to come equipped with all the knowledge they’ll need so we’ll make sure they are fully trained and feel supported in the role.

‘We’re also a very friendly bunch and enjoy our work together.’

Nearby St Leonard’s Tower is due to open for the summer in May.

The historic structure is all that remains of a 13th century church and is the town’s best-known landmark.

It was built by the wealthy Abbots of Torre and stood at the heart of old Newton Abbot

‘In the Tower our volunteers welcome visitors and offer them a bit of information about its history,’ said Katie.

’They keep a tally of how many people come in, they go through the risk assessment and have the option to show visitors the upper floor.

‘If they’re more comfortable staying on the ground floor there’s still plenty to talk about both inside and out.

‘I’m confident that our volunteering opportunities both in the tower and the museum are truly fulfilling and we look forward to making the new recruits really welcome.’

For more information call 01626 201121 or email groups@newtonabbot-tc.gov.uk.