Anyone with a passion for preserving Manchester’s heritage and using technologies of the past to inspire solutions for the future is invited to join the award-winning volunteer team at the Science and Industry Museum.
The museum is hosting a volunteering open event on Thursday 9 April from 11am – 1pm, offering visitors the chance to discover how they can help operate and demonstrate historic machines that powered Manchester’s world-changing industries.
Devoted to inspiring visitors through ideas that change the world, from the Industrial Revolution to today and beyond, the Science and Industry Museum is home to a world-class collection of historic working objects. These include original machines from Manchester’s 19thcentury mills in its Textiles Gallery, and a huge number of engines as well as steam locomotive, Pender, which offers a unique view into its inner workings through its cut away side, in its recently reopened Power Hall: The Andrew Law Gallery. This iconic gallery tells the story of how industry in Manchester has shaped the world as we know it. Now, the museum is looking for anyone enthusiastic about helping to tell these stories and inspiring the next generation of engineers, technicians, makers and creators to join them by getting hands-on with Manchester’s industrial past.
The museum is particularly seeking Volunteer Historic Machinery Operators, who will work alongside its expert Technical Services team to bring these engines and machines to life for visitors by supporting with live demonstrations and conversations about how they work and their impact.
Katie Powell, volunteer manager at the Science and Industry Museum, said: “The support of volunteers in helping us to run historic machinery is incredibly important.
Nothing inspires our visitors quite like seeing our historic machinery in motion. By volunteering with us, you’ll help us to bring these extraordinary machines to life, share their stories with visitors, and inspire the next generation of engineers, technicians and innovators.
“Volunteering opportunities are open to everyone aged 18 and over. You don’t need to have specific technical skills, we provide all the training, but it’s important to have an enthusiasm for communicating with our visitors, working with incredible collections that started life in the region and went on to change the world, and helping secure a more sustainable future for industrial heritage skills.”
Many engineers experienced in working with the types of technology on display in the Science and Industry Museum are retiring. The museum’s volunteer programme is ensuring these skills don’t disappear, helping to preserve the city’s cultural heritage by keeping the historical machines running and inspiring the next generation to become catalysts for change in the 21st century.
The volunteering open event will allow prospective volunteers to gain insights into the museum’s live engineering displays, discover more about working with iconic objects and meet with the museum’s Technical team.
Visit the Science and Industry Museum’s website for more information (www.scienceandindustrymuseum.org.uk/about-us/support/volunteering). Anyone interested in attending can sign up via the website or by emailing [email protected],uk with their name and contact details.
