Volunteering

Volunteer tram conductors
Workshop volunteer
Volunteer tram crew, Sarah and Rebecca

Our History

Crich Tramway Village was established over 50 years ago by the Tramway Museum Society and has since developed into a major visitor attraction with more than 100,000 visitors per year. The Village is an Accredited Museum housing a unique collection of trams and tram related artefacts and trams running in passenger service daily.

The Museum’s success has been achieved as a result of the hard work of a large number of volunteers and staff in order to provide a welcoming experience for our visitors.

Click here for the Volunteer Form

Volunteering at the Village

Thank you for your interest in volunteering at Crich Tramway Village. We have a wide variety of opportunities for you to join most areas of the Museum. Whether behind the scenes or visitor facing, we have something to offer for everyone!

We have a young members group who help with tram conducting, tram maintenance, special event days and a host of other things.

For some specific roles, volunteers must be aged 16 years, 18 years or above. Please see the individual details for each role.

We have families who span three generations, all getting involved in volunteering! We also have our own, low cost accommodation for volunteers to use (pre-booking required and small charge applies).

There is no restriction on the number of days you can contribute as a volunteer. Whether it is one day every three months, or several days a week, all volunteer contribution is valued and welcomed, every person plays a pivotal role at the Museum.

Joining our volunteer team can be very rewarding; you will meet new people, put your talents to good use, develop new skills and have fun.  We are keen to develop volunteer and staff expertise and full training is given to enable you to carry out your role.

 

Volunteering Opportunities

Seaside event

Events

We run a number of big events through the year that require lots of preparation and involvement in running.

Volunteers Richard and Duncan

Facilities

(Building maintenance, Gardening & landscape, Painting etc.) Our large museum site needs lots of care to keep it up to scratch. We welcome all levels of interest from retired professionals to keen amateurs year-round.
Volunteer Visitor Assistant

Visitor Experience

Our team of tour guides, customer care volunteers and meet & greeters all help to welcome the public and showcase our museum.
Volunteer serving ice cream

Retail & Catering

Keep our guests happy and refreshed by being involved in our catering department, or help them find a memento from their day out in our shops.
Track maintenance

Track/Overhead Line Maintenance

The line and overhead need regular maintenance to keep it operational. Could you help repair, paint and replace?

Volunteer tram crew

Tram Crew

Have you ever fancied the chance to be part of our operational team? Why not join our traffic department and become a conductor, helping to keep our trams moving and providing an important customer facing role. You can progress to become a driver of our trams.
Volunteers working on a tram in the workshop

Workshop

From painting to machining, if you have an interest in helping to restore and keep our tram fleet operational, why not volunteer in the workshop? * please note some roles require prerequisite skills & trade experience.

Library volunteers

Curatorial

As an Accredited Museum, we hold a vast collection of materials and records, we don’t just have trams!
As part of the Curatorial Team, you can help us develop and improve the information about our collections.

Current Roles

Catering Team
As part of our Catering Team, you can help in any of our catering outlets, whether that’s our newly built café, the ice cream kiosk or our very own pub, the Red Lion.
See details
Tram Conductor/Guard
As part of the Traffic Department, alongside the Tram Driver you will be operating one of our heritage Tramcars and be the welcoming face to visitors. A ride on a tram is one of the main reasons people visit us and our Tram Crew are vital for this experience. You’ll be helping to bring a small part of the past to life and make memories for our visitors.
See details
Object Handling/Visitor Demonstration Content Creator
This is a new role and project to create object handling/demonstration sessions for visitor using items from our archive and collection. We would eventually like to have regular sessions for the public and we are looking for help with both the creation stage and the delivery stage.
See details
Photographic Collections Assistant
As part of the Curatorial Team, you will be helping to digitise our huge collection of photographs.
See details
Object Handling/Visitor Demonstration Assistant
This is a new role and project to create object handling/demonstration sessions for visitors using items from our archive and collection. We would eventually like to have regular sessions for the public and we are looking for help with both the creation stage and the delivery stage.
See details
Collections Research
As part of the Curatorial Team, you can help us develop and improve the information about our collections for researchers, particularly on our website.
See details
Events Team
Working with the Events Manager and Team, you can help to create fantastic experiences for our visitors young and old. From preparing materials and creating displays to support on the day, there’s lots to enjoy and get involved with.
See details
Meet & Greet/Customer Care
Our Meet & Greet/Customer Care volunteers are part of the Visitor Experience team and ambassadors for the Museum. From providing a friendly welcome to visitors as they enter, to being a point of contact around the site, these roles are vital to the Visitor Experience team.
See details
Museum Tour Guide
Our Museum Tour Guides are part of the Visitor Experience team and ambassadors for the Museum who entertain and educate our visitors about the history of the Museum. From trams to buildings and street furniture, there’s lots to talk about.
See details
Retail Team
No visit to a museum is complete without a visit to the Gift Shop! As part of our Retail Team, you will help with a variety of tasks in the Forge Gift Shop and the Sweet Shop.
See details
Crich Care Team
Operating outside of the opening season, the Crich Care Team do many of the jobs that can’t be done while we’re open. Our ‘Care’ weekends provide the opportunity to have lots of fun while looking after the site, with a variety of roles both inside and outside.
See details

Facilities Team
Working alongside other team members you can help to maintain the site, creating a safe and welcoming environment for visitors, volunteers and staff.
See details

How to Get Started in Joining our Team of Volunteers

We hold regular no obligation New Volunteer Introduction Sessions so that you can meet some of the volunteering team and staff, ask questions and see some of the tasks in which you could get involved. If you would like to attend one of our Introduction Sessions please complete our Volunteer Enquiry Form.

Volunteering if you have a disability

I have a disability – can I volunteer at Crich Tramway Village?

No volunteer is turned away due to disability, and we will work with you to determine whether a suitable position can be found for you. However, whilst we will do our utmost to find a suitable volunteer role for you, Crich Tramway Village has a lot of safety critical roles and it is not always possible to find a safe role for prospective volunteers.

Do I have to tell you about my disability?

Many of the volunteer roles at Crich Tramway Village are safety critical. This means that, where an individual’s ability to undertake a task is compromised by a disability, it may result in a significant risk to the health and safety of the individual and of others. We have a duty of care to you and to all our volunteers, so you must disclose any disability on your application form.

I need a carer / supervisor – can I volunteer?

If you need a carer or supervisor, you must provide your own nominated carer / supervisor, who must also become a volunteer and who must attend and work alongside you whenever you volunteer at the tramway. We regret that Crich Tramway Village is not able to provide a carer / supervisor for you.

I am a wheelchair user – can I volunteer?

Crich Tramway Village is a heritage tramway, and whilst improvements have been made by adding a smooth-way to the main street, there may be areas which are difficult for wheelchair users. We may be able to find a suitable volunteer role for you if your skills can be used in accessible areas.

What suitable vacancies are there?

Whether or not you have a disability, there are areas which would welcome volunteers. Some may be more suited to your needs and our Volunteer Co-ordinator will advise you on application.
For details on Safety Critical work, see the Office of Road and Rail link: https://orr.gov.uk/rail/health-and-safety/health-and-safety-laws/rogs/safety-critical-work.

Still Undecided?

If would like to find out more about becoming a volunteer, don’t be shy – email us at volunteering@tramway.co.uk or telephone us on 01773 854321, we will be pleased to hear from you.

SPRING SEASON
Saturday 15th March – Thursday 24th July
OPENING TIMES:
Weekends & Bank Holidays: 10am – 5.30pm (last admissions 4pm).
Week days: 10am – 4.30pm (last admissions 3pm).
CLOSED Thursdays up to the END OF MAY EXCEPT Thursday 10th April, Thursday 17th April and Thursday 29th May.
CLOSED Fridays EXCEPT Friday 11th April, Friday 18th April and Friday 30th May.

SUMMER SEASON
Friday 25th July – Sunday 31st August
OPENING TIMES:
Weekends & Bank Holidays: 10am – 5.30pm (last admissions 4pm).
Week days: 10am – 4.30pm (last admissions 3pm).

AUTUMN SEASON
Monday 1st September – Sunday 2nd November
CLOSED Fridays EXCEPT Friday 31st October.
OPENING TIMES:
Weekends & Bank Holidays: 10am – 5.30pm (last admissions 4pm)
Week days: 10am – 4.30pm (last admissions 3pm).

ADDITIONAL WEEKEND OPENING for Premium Event
Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th November
OPENING TIMES:
Saturday 2.00pm – 8.00pm (last admissions 6.30pm)
Sunday 2.00pm – 7.00pm (last admissions 5.30pm)

 

Crich Tramway Village is a brand name for the National Tramway Museum (Accredited with Arts Council England), solely owned and operated by The Tramway Museum Society, incorporated in England with liability by guarantee (no. 744229). Registered charity number 313615. Our ICO number is Z6700136.

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