WE DID IT!
Buildwas Abbey Bookshop Volunteers in Shropshire have been busy transforming a disused ticket office into a second-hand bookshop.
Lead volunteer Wendy Pitchford tells us about the project.
B
uildwas Abbey is a beautiful site in the Ironbridge Gorge in Shropshire, so I jumped at the chance to lead a team of volunteers to renovate the disused visitor ticket office and turn it into the first bookshop at a free-toenter site. Having previously enjoyed the exciting times volunteering on the Iron Bridge during the conservation work, I had no reservation in accepting this new challenge.
The renovation An initial team of five volunteers started ripping out the interior and painting the inside and outside of the hut previously used as a Members’ ticket office. This was under the guidance of another Iron Bridge volunteer, Bryan Street, who fortunately had all the relevant DIY and health and safety knowledge. My home became an Amazon depot and book store, and within five weeks we were able to start recruiting more volunteers at an on-site recruitment day picnic. We were fortunate that the weather was perfect during the renovation. Meeting with each volunteer enabled 12 english-heritage.org.uk
me to understand why they wanted to volunteer, their expectations in volunteering and what support they expected from me and English Heritage. This helped me find the role they would be best suited to and happy with. In addition to running the abbey bookshop, we're also meeters, greeters, and explainers of the history of the abbey. Confidence, knowledge and friendship It has been important for me to be able to keep in close contact with English Heritage staff and our brilliant team at Buildwas Abbey – a WhatsApp group proved the perfect solution. It has been invaluable to me for problem solving and the occasional cheerful ‘off-piste’ chatter. Personally, I have gained so much more confidence, knowledge and friendship than I ever thought I might after retiring over five years ago. I look forward to meeting and greeting many more volunteers and visitors at Buildwas Abbey and the bookshop in the future, and I thank English Heritage for the opportunity and support they have given me.
I have gained so much more confidence, knowledge and friendship
