Do You Need Some Help?

This week is Volunteers' week, something that seems very relevant at this moment in time. People are volunteering to shop for their neighbours, chat on the telephone to prevent social isolation, help at foodbanks...the list goes on. All great work in a time of need.

We have volunteers at the Museum. A friendly bunch who come in and help with a variety of tasks. The volunteers are crucial and we couldn't undertake many of the activities we do without their help. From research to community engagement, front of house duties to supporting activities, general maintenance to giving talks, the volunteers are such a great asset to Cumbria's Museum of Military Life. They bring their own expertise and knowledge to their volunteering role, whether about medals or the Gallipoli campaign, and their support is vital to the organisation. And we miss them all.

Infact, we wouldn't have moved to Alma Block without their help. The only way to physically move from the old building to the new pad within the Castle was manpower. A call was put out for support on a couple of friday evenings after hours in August 2014. And they came in their droves! Shifting boxes, carrying desks, moving furniture...the volunteers were fantastic. The highlight was individual volunteers carrying mannequins across the site - it did make us all laugh! Thankfully, their dedication is equalled by their sense of humour and ability to work with us, the staff team. They are patient and understanding, which we at the Museum certainly need!

Our volunteers have provided us with much needed help such as Armed Forces Day, Veteran's lunches, holiday workshops, front of house when the Poppies were at the Castle, transcribing, researching, chatting to visitors, helping at the front desk and much much more. We want to thank them for everything they do and look forward to welcoming them back to the Museum when it is safe to do so.