Volunteer Room Steward

**Room Steward Role at Picton Castle Gardens**

Picton Castle Trust is a heritage charity dedicated to the conservation of and access to this important piece of Welsh heritage. The castle is 800 years old and is a Grade 1 historic house with a fine collection of original antiques and art, some of which are exceptionally rare. The majority of our visitors are those who are interested in historic houses and gardens and are looking for an informative and enjoyable day out.

**Role Title: Castle Room Steward**

As a room steward you would be responsible for welcoming visitors to the castle and supervising in room. You will need to learn about the history of the castle and the room. Stewards need to be willing to engage with the public and answer questions from the public about the castle, and the room and it’s collection.

**Purpose**:There are two important elements to this role both of which are vital to our charitable purposes of conservation and access to the castle. The first is to assist the visitor experience by answering questions and helping them learn more about the castle and gardens. Helping to make the history of the castle come alive. An equally important aspect of the role is to act as a custodian of the collection: ensuring that visitors actions are not detrimental to the collection (for example, asking visitors to refrain from taking photographs with a flash).

There will also be opportunities for getting involved in supporting temporary exhibitions and permanent collections, leading guided tours and research. Another important element is supporting with health and safety and evacuation procedures if required (under supervision of staff).

**Time scale**:The castle is open every day from 1stMarch to 24th Dec each year. We are looking for people who can commit for one afternoon on a weekly, bi-weekly or even monthly basis. The opening times of the castle are 1-4pm every day, including bank holidays and weekends.

**Location**:Picton Castle Gardens

**Support and supervision**: We want all our volunteers to feel welcome and to have an equally positive experience when volunteering with us. So, volunteers will be provided with the necessary induction, training, equipment and reasonable adjustments to do this role well and safely. Volunteers will work in a small groups with support from staff. We provide full training from tour guides and the Director of the Trust.

**Qualities**: This role requires someone who is enthusiasm and enjoy engaging and inspiring visitors of all ages, you do need to enjoy being around people - you’ll meet a lot each day It is important to have a strong interest in history and historic buildings, although you don’t need to know lots of history beforehand, but as Room Steward you will enjoy picking up lots of historical facts and snippets.

We ask all volunteers to respect and our values, complete any required training and adhere to relevant policies and processes including health and safety, and equality and diversity.

**Benefits**: We offer travel expenses and the opportunity to participate in a monthly lottery to win a family season pass. Volunteers are also entitled to 10% off in our gift shop and are invited to join in with all of our activities, such as specialist history tours. We also have monthly tea and cake afternoons in the Great Hall.

Volunteering at Picton Castle offers a wide range of ways to develop your skills or to and CV as well as offering rewarding volunteer work for those who are retired or on a career break.

**Job Type**: Volunteer

**Salary**: £0.01 per hour

**Benefits**:

- On-site parking

Ability to commute/relocate:

- Haverfordwest, SA62 4AS: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)

Work Location: In person