Welcome Desk

Role summary

Welcome visitors to the Old Low Light and help them make the most of their visit to the Heritage Centre and talk to them about the Old Low Light's fascinating past and plans for the future.

What’s involved

Main Responsibilities:

· Providing a friendly welcome to visitors to the Old Low Light and helping them to find their way around the building while recognising their specific needs and interests;

· Telling visitors about the programme of current (and future) exhibitions, events and activities;

· Operating the Welcome Desk till and handling cash: taking admissions for entry to the Heritage Centre, processing shop sales;

· Promoting the Membership scheme and its benefits and helping to sign up new members;

· Understanding and communicating key messages (e.g. charitable status, not funded by Council/Museums Service, relies on volunteers to run etc.) and generally being an advocate and ambassador for the site;

· Making sure things run as smoothly and safely as possible. Getting to know health and safety policy and procedures. Liaising with the on-duty staff members and other volunteers to share good practice and feedback from visitors;

· Ensure that any important or time-sensitive information is handed-over to subsequent Welcome Desk volunteers;

· Developing a good knowledge of the Old Low Light and the surrounding areas with support and resources from other members of the Old Low Light team;

· Giving visitors a taste of the rich heritage of the area, the history of the Old Low Light, the restoration of the building and its current objectives.

Other responsibilities (can be revised according to the individual volunteer's circumstances and wishes)

· Check that event posters displayed in the public areas of the Heritage Centre are up-to-date and remove and replace as necessary;

· Promote fundraising activities (e.g. raffles and events) by encouraging support from visitors and selling tickets as appropriate;

· Contribute to the Old Low Light's promotional and marketing activity e.g. by taking photographs to use on social media, flagging up interesting stories from visitors, suggesting material for Facebook, Twitter etc.

· Help keep the lobby area tidy by removing any clutter from the area adjacent to the Welcome Desk, monitoring stocks of Old Low Light leaflets;

· During special exhibitions: check that copies of catalogues or information handouts are available and on display in the Heritage Gallery (first floor);

· Help promote any special competitions, quizzes, activities for children that are being run;

· Help with the smooth running of special events (e.g. evening concerts, public talks, book launches, car show, exhibition previews).

What skills do I need?

This role will suit you if you are:

· Someone who enjoys meeting new people and engaging them in conversation;

· Someone who is confident about dealing with a wide range of questions from visitors and is happy to find out the answer (if they don't already know it!) and continue learning about the Old Low Light and the local area;

· Someone who is cheery and positive and able to provide a warm and friendly welcome for our visitors and help them make the most out of their visit to the Old Low Light Heritage Centre;

· Someone with a passion for history who likes finding out unusual and interesting information about how people lived and worked in the past and sharing their enthusiasm and knowledge with others.

By getting involved you could:

· Join an enthusiastic and varied team and make new friends;

· Have fun and help visitors enjoy themselves;

· Play a vital role in creating a memorable, pleasurable and high-quality experience for our visitors;

· Help enhance the visitor experience at the Old Low Light by providing new ideas, taking part in research projects, suggesting topics for future exhibitions etc.

· Get valuable experience of customer care and working in a heritage attraction.

About The Old Low Light Heritage Centre

The Old Low Light Heritage Centre is a community space and gallery dedicated to telling the story of North Shields and its heritage through learning, exhibitions and events.

When do I need to be available?

	Morning	Afternoon	Evening
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday

Details

Various

Where does this role take place?