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Roster
Sheets Explained
(See
4th panel below)
BUCKINGHAMSHIRE
RAILWAY CENTRE
The
Centre is open from
10.30
a.m. until 5.30 p.m.,
last
admissions 4.30.
For
more information, visit the Centres web site:
www.bucksrailcentre.org, or telephone 01296 655720 (weekdays, 9.30
> 4.30) |
Volunteering
at the Bucks Railway Centre (Commercial Section)
The
following text is mainly directed at people who might come across
this web page by chance. It could be of equal value to existing
volunteers who may not be aware of different activities in which they
have been involved and this may lead them to consider other things to
do. Some volunteers only come in when it is a big event day like
Thomas the Tank Engine but most weekends in the summer other jobs
need to be filled and vacancies need to be filled.
Station
Masters This is a key and pivotal role at the Centre
during public open days. Without a qualified Station Master for the
day the Centre just cannot open. A good deal of experience working in
other roles around the Centre really is required along with an
established relationship with the many other active members who would
not be comfortable with a stranger in their midst directing their
activities. Having said this the reality of the situation is Quainton
urgently needs extra Station Masters and full training including
Track Certification will be provided for the right candidates. Don't
be shy if you are interested we can provide a familiarisation path to
follow with final training to complete the qualification. Contact
either Roster-man Ray or Adrian Ayleward in the office to further
your interest.
Reception
(Gate) Staff This is a much misunderstood key position in
the Centre where, it appears, rumour has spread that working the
entrance till is a black art reserved for retired accountants and
bankers. Well if you have ever wondered why checkout staff at
supermarkets don't appear to be graduates you may understand it is
because the till systems are actually quite simple. It is just a
question of familiarity. The only complication is it takes a little
time to learn but volunteers who might otherwise be interested in
helping visitors get into the Centre will find it a rewarding
experience. Visitors constantly return to say thank you for their
enjoyable visit and Gate staff carry on their work indoors and at
least in the dry if not entirely warm. Learning to do this work
generally consists of assisting experienced volunteers starting with
the credit card machine operation which takes only a few minutes to
understand but take a lot of time when dialling out to the
authorisation centre. So helping with this device enables the 1st
Gate person to deal with the next customer promptly.
Car
Park Attendants - This is a very important role required only on
large event days when increased numbers of vehicles are arriving in a
constant flow. The Centre has to be aware that many of these event
attract families with small children and maintaining control of the
car park is crucial to the safety and well being of young ones eager
to get in. Too many cars jockeying about in the same area can be
dangerous for all concerned. Quite apart from this visitors are
impressed if a well organised car park is in operation as they arrive
and first impressions count. Brief, on the job, training is available
for new attendants as mostly it is common sense and teamwork that
wins the day. When mentioning the day actually most event days only
require attendants until about 2:30 pm so time is left for volunteers
to enjoy the Centre for themselves.
Platform
Attendants This is another role not dissimilar to the Car
Parking job as again it is usually only required on bigger event days
especially those days when children are likely to be prevalent. Those
of us old enough to remember slam door carriages are aware of how to
use them but the younger Mums and Dads may have never experienced
these type of stock in their everyday commuting routine. Little and
even big fingers can easily be in the wrong place when a gust of wind
tries to shut a door or even a sibling wants to have a go. Eagle eyes
are a great asset when acting as a Platform Attendant but, again, it
is quite rewarding when visitors show their appreciation. There are
also fun times when Thomas the Tank Engine is in town as we have to
help the little ones fill the water tank so you may not be too dry by
the time of the last train. Oh! And don't forget to kiss the Teddies
at their picnic or when Paddington Bear is about. You might also get
a kiss from a grateful Mum or a Dad if you are a lady attendant.
Centre
Activities Apart from Catering and Gift Shop attendants
which are covered by details available from the Centre Office the
volunteer jobs covered by these rostering web pages also take in some
fun jobs which range from children's entertainments like badge
making, colouring table supervision story telling etc. which are
required on Thomas the Tank Engine days in order to comply with the
standards set by the Thomas Franchisors. We also often have other
popular open wagon rides which require an attendant
within the wagon or brake vans as they are operated.
The
Centre also benefits if the museum has a Steward to keep an eye on
the premises and exhibits held within these large building. Normally
the exhibits are treated with great respect by our visitors but the
presence of a Steward adds professionalism to activities of the
Centre. Quite apart from this visitors often like to be able to ask
simple questions or for directions to other parts of the site or even
where the toilets are located.
Alongside
the Museum is the Second Hand Bookshop where additional volunteers
will be most welcome. This is a warm, dry and cosy environment in
which to volunteer and may suit a more sedentary individual who likes
meeting people and maybe talking about books. This bookshop has a
vast range of differing books like any other bookshop with, perhaps,
just a little bias towards railway and transport publications. The
revenue derived from the bookshop makes an important contribution to
the Centre and with a few more volunteers a greater number of opening
days could be achieved.
A
host of other volunteering jobs are available too numerous to
mention on this page ranging from working parties keeping the gardens
neat and tidy, painting bits of the buildings and the more specialist
jobs like trackwork and crewing the trains that run on steaming days.
For details on training to be guard, fireman, driver or any task
related to operation of the trains contact the Centre office. |
Try
me
http://www.qrs.me.uk
|
Those
of you presently reading these pages which are tacked onto my
business web site will be pleased to know that shortly I should have
all of this stuff duplicated onto our very own web site called
http://www.qrs.me.uk. This is a precursor to a fully interactive,
"unofficial", membership web site where two way
communication might be set up and other volunteers encouraged to join
our ranks.
25/03/13
Anyone
who has checked this little insert before may be wondering why our
new web pages have not become active as suggested earlier. Well,
apart from the above, I still have to crack the way to set up a
password entry for members to use and keep prying eyes away from your
intended absences from home. I will let you all know when these new
pages are available which should not be too long and these might be a
little easier for everyone to find. |
> |
Open
Steaming Days |
> |
Thomas
Days |
> |
Special
Events |
> |
Children
Events |
> |
MET
1 Days |
> |
Evening
Events |
* |
Volunteers
not needed |
|
Near
the top of this page are the months of the year and by clicking on
any one of them will take you to the display for that month. Each
page is laid out in monthy grid with weeks shown across the page. You
will notice I have started each week on a Wednesday as this allows
the Weekend and Bank Holiday days to be grouped together within the
displays and so more clearly seen. The commercial task list is
displayed on the left of each week with enough spaces for very busy
active days.
On
the left of this message is the colour key for these web pages. I
have tried to follow the same colours as that shown in the Annual
Programme Guide and as far as possible only the boxes coloured in on
the pages are the critical indicators of volunteers needed. These
will show how many tasks still remain Unfilled and those that
have volunteers already allocated. This is not to say others in
excess of the coloured squares are not welcome. Extra volunteers on a
day allow everyone some time away from the tasks to enjoy the centre activities.
These
web pages are entirely private and cannot be accessed except by
volunteers who receive e-mails from me or other authorised staff at
the centre. |