Bury St Edmunds and Beyond marks National Volunteers’ Week Inspiring more people to make a difference

Bury St Edmunds is celebrating National Volunteers’ Week, Monday 3rd – Sunday 9th June, with the aim of inspiring more people to join its local visitor attractions which cannot operate without their help.

The town’s official tourism brand, Bury St Edmunds and Beyond, part of Our Bury St Edmunds BID, has launched new space on its website dedicated to those visitor attractions which rely on volunteers and the roles they offer.

The new page explains how you can get involved, what type of roles are available and who to contact.

Sue Warren, Marketing Manager for Our Bury St Edmunds BID, said: “As well as making new friends, volunteering is rewarding and can help you gain valuable new skills and experiences as well as boosting your confidence and improving your wellbeing.

“Without volunteers many of our attractions would not be able to operate or open as often as visitors would like.”

Amongst the many attractions relying on volunteers are Bury St Edmunds Guildhall, St Edmundsbury Cathedral, Rougham Control Tower Aviation Museum, Suffolk Regiment Museum and National Trust Ickworth.

“Volunteers are a vital part of our team, using their skills and time to assist in welcoming visitors, leading guided tours for adults and children, gardening, bell ringing, flower arranging and supporting services in the Cathedral. Our annual volunteers’ gathering in early June gives us a chance to celebrate their important contribution, recognising long service (in some cases over 30 years of volunteering) and the commitment of new volunteers,” Sarah Friswell, Visitor Experience Manager.

Katie Everard, Heritage Officer at Bury St Edmunds Guildhall, said: “Volunteers at the Guildhall are essential to ensuring the success of events, maintaining our beautiful walled gardens, and providing engaging guided tours. They contribute significantly to the overall experience for visitors and help preserve and bring to life our local Heritage for the community. We simply couldn’t operate without our superb group of volunteers.”

Claire Wallace, Curator of the Suffolk Regiment Museum, said: "The Suffolk Regiment Museum has been at the heart of the Bury St Edmunds community since 1935 and we rely on our volunteers to assist our visitors and help us to tell the story of the Regiment. We are going to open more often following our refurbishment and are looking for some new faces to join our team."

Take a look online at www.burystedmundsandbeyond.co.uk/volunteer-at-tourism-attractions-in-bury-st-edmunds and discover how you can help and which is best for you.