Following the recent appointments of Rachel and Bill as our 'Project Engagement Co-ordinators' for Wingfield Station, we're excited to say that we've now got a full team in place, with Victoria Dickerson starting as our 'Volunteer Coordinator' intern on the 6th January.
The Volunteer Coordinator role was advertised as a paid internship via the Student Employment Agency at the University of Derby. Victoria will be working 10 hours/week and will support the team by undertaking admin relating to volunteer recruitment, monitoring and scheduling.
Victoria can be contacted at: wingfieldstationvolunteering@gmail.com or 07774517740 and will be pleased to answer any volunteering related queries.
To get to know Victoria a little better, we asked her to tell us a bit about herself and why she was interested in the role.
About me
I graduated from the University of Derby with a BA (Hons) in History and I'm currently in my final year studying for an MA in Public History and Heritage.
I’ve worked as a volunteer at Kedleston Hall as a room guide and museum host and at the moment I’m involved with the reinterpretation of Derby Museum and Art Gallery’s Egyptian collection. This has been a fascinating opportunity to explore the museum’s collection and research local links to the objects and their provenance.
As part of my MA programme I worked alongside a group of volunteers at Kedleston Hall to help identify resources and training opportunities for the new role of museum host.
My academic areas of interest are India under the East India Company and later the British Government and heritage engagement and interpretation.
In my spare time I play rugby for my local women’s team.
What interested me in the role?
Firstly, the opportunity to be involved with such an interesting project, I find railway history and trains in general fascinating, even if I don’t know much about it. Far too many older and historically significant buildings have been allowed to fall into disrepair, becoming lost to their local communities. As both Rachel and Bill highlighted when they became involved with the project, stories and histories of places such as Wingfield Station are important both locally and nationally. For local heritage to be sustainable in the long term, its vital that local communities and those with an interest are supported in their volunteer roles. Without the generosity of volunteers who give up their time to share their passion, knowledge and interest, the general public would often be unable to visit or appreciate many of Britain’s heritage sites.
What am I looking forward to doing?
I’m really excited to get started and meet everyone. As Bill is on holiday I’ll be joining a few volunteers at the Derbyshire Record Office on Wednesday 18th January and I’m looking forward to meeting everyone and learning about their research and areas of interest. I’m also keen to get on site and get to see the station and grounds in person, hopefully I’ll be allowed to get hands on and do a little bit of maintenance too. Whilst my gardening skills leave much to be desired, I think I’d be OK with removing undergrowth and wielding a spade, I’m very good at following instructions.
What will I be doing?
As the volunteer coordinator I’ll be here to support the project’s volunteers in achieving both theirs and the Trust’s aims. I’m here to make sure all the volunteers receive the support they need allowing them to focus on the important things like research, maintenance and public engagement activities.
