Hello everyone! National Volunteers’ Week is fast approaching in the first week of June and it is another great chance to highlight how much the volunteers here at the Mills Archive do and possibly encourage more of you to volunteer too!
Volunteers’ Week is a great opportunity for us to publicise the archives and let everyone know what events we have coming up. Obviously we have the Garden Party and for those Friends who are coming, you will get a chance to meet some of our volunteers and find out about the work we’re doing.
Also, as you probably will have already noticed, the new website is finally launched and it is something the staff and all the volunteers here are very proud of as it took months of organising and transferring every single collection, artefact and photo we have here onto the new site. They were doing it way before I even arrived at the Archive so it has really been a constant process to get it completed in time and it really does look so smart and simple I think it will attract more people to explore around it.
Being a volunteer is not just something to do in your spare time, it is a really worthy and rewarding opportunity to make new friends and work with people who share your passion. At the Archive we have such a range of characters volunteering and also across all age groups. I have met some really interesting people here with fascinating stories from when they themselves worked in a mill. Volunteering here is exciting because we discover new things and solve mysteries every day. Not only is the work itself interesting but the environment is so friendly and relaxed and now that it is summer, we can sit outside for lunch in the beautiful gardens at Watlington House.
Personally, being able to write for the blog and have my writing on the new website is so rewarding and it feels an honour to be a part of this team.
Keep your eyes peeled because next week we’ll be putting up pictures of some of the volunteers at work so you can find out about the range of activities that they’re involved in right now!