Volunteer Voices

My volunteering career started at age 15 with helping run a Scout campsite near Wigan - skills learned ranged from forestry to drain cleaning to staffing a shop to first aid.  But most memorable is meeting a wide range of people and making lifelong friends - a theme that has been consistent across my whole volunteering "career".  Many years as Scout Leader followed until family and work pressures forced a step back - but I kept up the volunteering ethos by regular blood donations.

Trains formed a large part of numerous holidays - my wife Jennifer and I have been fortunate to enjoy some of the world's greatest rail journeys - the trans Canada, the trans Alpine in New Zealand, the Oslo-Bergen line, most of the major (and many minor) lines in Switzerland and never forgetting the Rocky Mountaineer nor the Settle-Carlisle.  So it was no surprise that on retirement to Minehead I found my way to the West Somerset Railway and volunteer roles - I also found a very sad looking Dinmore Manor parked up with a banner asking for help to overhaul.  Though with no steam engineering skills I was welcomed to come along, clean bits, fetch and carry and learn!  I now know more about steam engines than I ever thought possible and can even be trusted to do some technical things.  With a Civil Service background I was able to take on the role of Company Secretary for Dinmore Manor Ltd and later help set up the charitable trust to take on the restoration of 2874.  The admin roles and continuing hands-on work keep me well occupied (and often out of Jennifer's hair).

There is immense satisfaction in seeing something you have had a hand in putting together working as it was intended - a steam locomotive has a real presence with the sight, sounds and smell of steam - to be able to say "I put that bit together" is a real thrill.  The comradeship is great - its not just working together, its being able to put the world to rights over a cup of tea that keeps us all coming back week after week.  There is always something to do at Toddington that makes the 200 mile round trip worth the effort

David