Museum closes for a day due to a lack of volunteers

A town's museum has had to close temporarily due to a lack of volunteers.

Chatteris Museum in Cambridgeshire, which is usually open for three days a week, is desperate to attract more volunteers – particularly those who can work front of house.

The museum has 23 volunteers, but not all of them want to work as "meet and greeters".

The situation meant it was unable to open on Friday last week.

Andrew Spooner, part of the museum's management team, said that without more volunteers, its future could be in doubt.

Mr Spooner's wife Sue, 68, who is also part of the management team, said: "Last week was a unique situation for us in that we didn't have any volunteers to open the museum to the public in the role we call 'front of house', where they meet and greet visitors.

"I think it is difficult for people [to volunteer], particularly on Friday mornings and Saturday afternoons, with [their] other commitments."

Mrs Spooner said volunteers needed to give the museum only two or three hours a month.

The youngest volunteer is 16 and the oldest is in their mid-80s.

Mr Spooner, 70, said: "One thing that is talked about a lot today is mental wellness, anxiety, loneliness and isolation. Volunteering at the museum gives people a chance to meet and engage with others.

"It is a chance to do something worthwhile [and] give something back to the community... You don't need to be an expert on local history – you just need to able to engage with visitors and be enthusiastic."

He added that the museum was "an important pivot for the community, not just for looking back into the past but [for] looking to the future as the town grows".

Visitors to the museum can see a wealth of unusual objects, including mobile stocks from 1774 and an early "boneshaker" bicycle.

Other exhibits illustrate traditional aspects of Fenland life and the waterways, the railway boom and the wealth of a prosperous 19th Century market town.

The museum is open on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

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