NYMR says thank you to volunteers

To mark this year’s upcoming national Volunteers’ Week (June 1-7), The North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR) is highlighting the vital contribution of its 1000+ volunteers and thanking them for their continued hard work and dedication.

The NYMR welcomes over 300,000 passengers to its Yorkshire attraction during a normal operating season, and needs at least 200,000 volunteering hours every year – an average of 22 hours per person every month – in order to operate its heritage services and bring its fascinating story to life.

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One of the most popular roles is, of course, driving locomotives; however, there are many vital ‘behind the scenes’ roles that keep the railway operating safely. These include the NYMR’s Infrastructure and Motive Power departments, assisting with the full breadth of civil engineering, building, electrical and mechanical work – not to mention the maintenance, repairs and overhaul of its fleet of steam and diesel locomotives.

This year a key focus for volunteer recruitment is expanding the NYMR’s new Volunteering and Community department, where those with experience in education and learning as well as community engagement can really shine by helping to enhance passenger enjoyment as well as the storytelling element of the heritage railway. Analytical and data work is another area the NYMR needs support with and a role which could be for home-based volunteers. 

Other roles include travelling ticket inspectors, signalling and telecommunications, customer service, retail, catering, administration, fundraising and education.

To raise awareness of these vital roles, the NYMR is running a social media campaign to highlight the valuable contributions that volunteers make to keep this popular attraction steaming on into the future.

 Marcus Aldrich, head of volunteering and community engagement, said: “Our volunteers are the life and soul of the railway, without whom we simply wouldn’t be able to run; it’s a challenging but hugely rewarding opportunity – with the offer of experiences that money just can’t buy. This week is a time to really honour our volunteers and thank them for helping to keep us on track.

“As an organisation, we’re heavily reliant upon volunteers and welcome hundreds of invaluable helpers up and down the line who get involved with a variety of hands-on roles. However, we still need more. You don’t need to be a train enthusiast or know all the lingo, and we’d love a whole cross-section of people to apply. We’re particularly eager to recruit more female volunteers – for every department.”

Start your volunteer journey on one of the most popular UK heritage railways, helping to deliver the aims of the charitable trust – one of which is providing education for all ages.

Get on board today – apply to be a volunteer at nymr.co.uk/volunteer

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