In honour of Volunteers’ Week 2024, we are celebrating the passion, dedication, and unique contributions of the volunteers we have on our team. With over 300 wonderful volunteers working at the Museum, this week we have been speaking to some of them about their roles, interests and memorable moments.
Here, we chat to Jack Seabrook who has been using his skillsets as a carpenter to help with site maintenance for over seven years.
What is your main area of volunteering at the Museum?
I help out with anything that needs to be done abound the historic houses and site, but mostly carpentry work.
What interested you in volunteering here?
After retiring and moving down here from Hertfordshire, my wife and I both decided that we needed something to do. A friend I had met in the pub, had mentioned he volunteered at the Museum and it sounded interesting so we both came along to find out more. Now eight years on, we are still here and are literally part of the woodwork!
What do you enjoy most about volunteering at the Museum?
I like meeting the different people that volunteer and work here. I’m part of the Thursday gang and we all get on well, but I also like meeting the other volunteers, staff and visitors. It is great to chat to people who come and ask what we are working on.
Have you learnt lots whilst volunteering at the Museum?
I have learnt a lot about the historic buildings I’ve worked on. I’ve been in the building trade all my life, so it wasn’t all new to me, but the historic aspects and working on such old buildings has been interesting. It has been good to learn about and see how these houses were once built.
What do you enjoy about volunteering here?
I like working behind the scenes as a team with the other volunteers to help bring something together to support the wider Museum team. It is satisfying to see these projects come into fruition and to know I played a part. Whether that is setting up for an event, installing a new office or generally maintaining the Museum site.
To find out more about volunteering at the Weald & Downland Living Museum, please click here