Gallery Engagement Guide at King Richard III Centre
Where: King Richard III Visitor Centre
When: The Visitor Centre is open from 10am – 4pm Sunday to Monday, and 10am – 5pm on Saturday and Bank Holidays. Volunteers typically do a full or half day shift, although timings are flexible. This role is ongoing, and we ask that volunteers complete a minimum of one shift per month, although we are happy to work around other commitments and term times.
Our volunteers’ role looks simple on the surface – talk to visitors about King Richard III and explain the incredible story of his discovery underneath a car park in Leicester. Our volunteers talk to all visitors, young and old, families and school children; they answer questions that range from the technical to the surreal, (‘How heavy is a suit of armour?’ ‘Where are Richard’s feet?’), and they encourage conversation, rather than just delivering lectures. They know their stuff and they love to share it.
This role is perfect for you if you are enthusiastic about history and the story of Richard III and enjoy talking to people of all ages. You don’t need to be an expert on all things Richard III, but we do ask that you have some knowledge of the story and be interested in finding out more.
Our volunteers can expect to learn even more about King Richard III as part of their training and induction process. Volunteers are stationed within the exhibition and add an extra level of interest to visitors’ experience of the story; this might be through describing the Greyfriars archaeological dig in 2012, or explaining the importance of DNA testing, or answering the question ‘how do you go to the toilet wearing a suit of armour?’
Our volunteers make our story, we know this because our visitors tell us, and our 2019 VAQAS report gave the volunteers 5 out of 5 for knowledge.
Our volunteers are part of our team, join our team and you’ll get to know us, as well as meeting visitors from all walks of life and all parts of the world. If you’re not already great at chatting to complete strangers, you soon will be, as you build up the skills to communicate effectively with visitors of all ages and nationalities.