House Experience Volunteer - Room Guide

Our House Experience Volunteers add the sparkle to any visit - giving everyone a warm welcome, bringing stories from Basildon Park to life and helping people get the best out of their day.

By getting involved, you could...

• Spend time in our fabulous places that are packed with history
• Get to know Basildon Park and our visitors
• Be part of a varied and enthusiastic team and form new friendships
• Gain experience in storytelling and visitor welcome
• Develop and share your knowledge

What's involved?

• Creating a warm welcome for everyone who visits 
• Responding to the different needs of different visitors 
• Finding out what visitors are looking for from their visit and helping them decide how to get the best of their day
• Sharing inspirational stories, curious facts and practical information or simply the space for visitors to wander at their own pace
• Learning more about Basildon Park so you can share all that's special, inside and out
• There'll be plenty of opportunity to do the little things that make a big difference, such as opening a door to a secret corridor or room.
• Responding to the changing needs of Basildon Park - getting involved in supporting temporary exhibitions and permanent collections, researching, hosting, leading talks
• Supporting with health and safety and evacuation procedures if required
• Support security procedures in order to prevent theft and malicious damage
• Be aware of and uphold the National Trusts policy of the conservation of historic properties and their contents.
• Being part of a team that may need to adapt and change in response to local needs, National Trust priorities or changes to government guidelines e.g. Covid

What to wear: Smart casual attire and comfortable shoes; layers are advisable

Directions

Between Pangbourne and Streatley, 7 miles north west of Reading on west side of A329. Leave M4 at junction 12 and follow signs for Beale Park (not NT) through Pangbourne then brown NT sign to Basildon Park.

About The National Trust - Basildon Park

You'd also be joining Europe's largest conservation charity and the wider National Trust team proudly looking after 780 miles of coastline, over 250,000 hectares of land, over 500 historic houses, castles, ancient monuments, gardens, parks and nature reserves (including lighthouses, villages, pubs and a gold mine!). We are a unique charity welcoming millions of people each year and with a vision to open up places for the benefit of everyone, for ever.

How we get things done - National Trust values

* Love people and places
People and places need each other to thrive. We care for nature, beauty and history for everyone, for ever.
* Welcome everyone
We are for everyone. We play a positive role locally and nationally connecting and inspiring people.
* Think now and for ever
Be part of creating a lasting legacy for the future by valuing what we have, embracing change and moving forward.
* Make it happen
We move forward with purpose and focus, always aiming to simplify and improve.

How we support our visitors and each other - Inclusive Service Principles:
* Create a great first and last impression
* Put visitors' needs first, never last
* Do little things that make a big difference

What skills do I need?

This role will suit you if you are...

• Full of enthusiasm and enjoy engaging and inspiring visitors of all ages 
• Someone who loves being around people - you'll meet a lot each day!
• Interested in Basildon Park - you don't need to know all of the history, but as a House Experience Volunteer you'll enjoy picking up lots of facts and figures

All National Trust volunteers will be asked to 

• Respect and uphold the National Trust values whilst volunteering with us 
• Complete training required of all NT volunteers and any role specific training
• Adhere to relevant policies and processes including safeguarding, health and safety, and equality and diversity

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
• Be offered expenses to cover agreed travel costs between home and place of volunteering.
• Have remote access to support, news and rotas via our volunteer website

In this role you'll be personally helping to support our work around:

• Offering great visitor experiences 
• Looking after our houses & collections
• Being a welcoming and inclusive place to work, volunteer and visit

When is this role available?

	Morning	Afternoon	Evening
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday

Details

Time commitment: Preferably at least twice a month but a rota system is in operation and volunteers can put their names down and cancel on line. Guides are needed every day, 10.30 - 4.00 in winter and 10.30 - 5.00 summer.

Where does this role take place?