The Devil’s Porridge Museum – Volunteers Week 2024

The success of The Devil’s Porridge Museum is attributed to our dedicated volunteers, who come from all age groups.

Our volunteers support different areas of the museum, from reception and the museum’s cafe, to supporting our collections, research projects, and clubs, as well as educational and holiday activities.

In 2023, they provided activities and events for 2340 young people, alongside our talks and clubs for adults. Our adult volunteers are exceptional, offering warm welcomes to visitors and providing engaging talks about Factory Gretna and our exhibitions.

Their support in our clubs ‘Dig for Victory’ and ‘Arts and Crafts’ have become cherished social spaces for learning, making friends, and unwinding. Additionally, we have a club for seniors called ‘Cordite Club’, where our volunteers support our operations Manager to organize a nice gathering for them.

Our Education Team, a passionate group of adults, plays a crucial role in shaping our educational programs. They facilitate school visits and in-school history sessions. Thanks to their dedication, we can offer dynamic programs that captivate the attention of young students. Their contributions have been invaluable in improving our object boxes and sharing captivating local stories of wartime.

We are very proud of our young volunteers. Our Youth Panel has exceeded all expectations. Their remarkable ideas have enhanced our operations and activities for mid-term and holidays, and they are currently working on creating an exhibition for October. Additionally, two of them participate as young trustees.

These young volunteers are also making individual contributions, helping in welcoming visitors and in the museum’s cafe, reciting poetry, and piping in our Burns Night supper, writing a blog for our website, bringing creative ideas, supporting our clubs, holiday activities and events, as well as exhibitions and projects, and creating TikTok videos to promote history, action on climate change, and our services. It is truly inspiring to witness their growth in developing new skills and the remarkable achievements they can attain.

Together, these volunteers are making a positive impact on climate change and environmental conservation by participating in recycling, energy conservation, and an upcoming litter-picking event in Summer.

Our museum owes its entertaining and captivating nature to the invaluable contributions of our dedicated team of volunteers.