A Day in the Life: A Volunteer Visitor Guide

Volunteer Keith Macdona shares his experiences: 

I try to get to Clumber by eleven so I’m there when it starts to get busy. Some days I get in early and have a walk around the lake. It’s beautiful and so quiet first thing in the morning. I make sure I’ve read Clumber Weekly and the first thing I do is go into the Discovery Centre to find out what’s going on so I’m bang up to date. Next I walk round the Turning Yard and the Pleasure Grounds making sure everywhere is clean and tidy for our visitors.  It’s important our park looks good.

After that I’ll stay around the car park and Turning Yard areas for a while to meet and greet people.  People come to Clumber for all sorts of reasons. Some just come for a coffee at the cafe, some meet friends, some take the dog for a walk, some bring their children or grandchildren and others want the work out of a long bike ride or a walk. My job is to make sure that whatever they want to do, they have a great day out. 

Volunteer Visitor Guide Keith Macdona

As a Visitor Guide I make sure that every visitor I come into contact with gets a big smile and a warm greeting. I don’t pester people. It’s their day out. But I do keep my eyes open for people looking a bit lost or reading the information boards. I approach them and ask if they’re ok and if I can help with anything. That’s the best bit of being a Visitor Guide. You don’t need encyclopaedic knowledge of the trees, the birds or the history of Clumber Park. There are people around you who can know all that stuff. You just need to be prepared to chat, find out what our visitors want and tell them the best way to do it. I try to go the extra mile to help. If a first time visitor asks me where the cafe is I don’t give them directions, I walk with them. If someone is genuinely interested in knowing a bit more about Clumber I’ll have a stroll round with them, maybe suggesting things like a trip to the Walled Kitchen Garden or the Chapel. I’ve walked for two hours around the lake with one family.

At lunchtime I’ll go to the Mess Room at the Discovery Centre and have lunch with some other volunteers and staff.  This is a great way to find out what’s coming up in the future.

Keith's favorite area of the Park

After lunch I check everywhere is litter free again. I may help to clear a few tables at the cafe. The staff there can be rushed off their feet at busy times and we’re all in the same team. Then it’s back to welcoming our visitors again. I’ve helped people take cycles off cars, held dog leads while children are put in car seats, directed drivers to free spaces in the car park, pushed mobility scooters with flat batteries and even found a piece of string for a makeshift dog lead for a visitor who’d forgotten it. There is so much variety to being a Visitor Guide and you get out of the role what you put into it. That’s the problem with writing A Day In The Life Of A Visitor Guide. there’s no such thing because every day is different. Only one thing is the same. Our visitors really appreciate being welcomed to Clumber and enjoy having a Visitor Guide around.

I love my job. How many people can say that these days!