My experience as a volunteer at Lyme Park

Nick Bostin

I started working as a volunteer for the Trust in 2008. After a short interview I was taken on as a room guide and a year later became a day organiser (designation later changed to day leader). I completed a rota on a weekly basis to assign volunteer room guides to certain locations in the house and on the day (Monday: I volunteered one day a week) gave the volunteers a briefing then walked round the house regularly, conversing with visitors and volunteers and generally ensuring that all was running smoothly. I was asked to interview prospective room guide volunteers and given the responsibility of deciding whether to take them on or not. This stopped abruptly a few years later when a new general manager arrived at the property but I was never given any explanation.

I got on well with the Trust staff at the property and regularly attended day leader meetings. I made many suggestions during the fourteen years I volunteered. Almost all of these were rejected by the management with no explanation given. As several were aimed at making the visitor experience better I was regularly disappointed that my ideas and suggestions were given short shrift. Other suggestions were aimed at improving the situation for volunteers.

I made many friends with the Monday volunteer team and organised regular get-togethers and end-of-term meetings. As day leader I emailed the Monday volunteer team regularly with details of meetings with management when no minutes were issued.

When another general manager was appointed at the property in 2018 there was a noticeable difference in the relationship between Trust management and volunteers. It became much more an "us and them" situation. This general manager kept herself to herself behind closed doors and never bothered to walk round the house and speak to volunteers as her predecessors had done.

The new management was also mean-spirited, as the following examples illustrate:

1. We used to be given sandwiches and cake on Bank Holidays in recognition of volunteering. This ceased a few years ago when we were told that no other NT property did this (untrue I believe).

2. Room guides used to be given biscuits in the house every day. This ceased in 2020, Covid being given as the reason. When I questioned the House and Collections manager about this, she said that the biscuits posed a risk of infection. When I suggested the provision of wrapped biscuits I was told that this would create too much litter. I started taking in biscuits myself for the Monday team.

3. For National Volunteers' Week last May, Lyme did nothing.

4. Traditionally, Lyme has thrown a garden party for volunteers each July, providing a barbecue or hog roast with wine and beer and desserts. The standard of the food and drink on offer had been on the decline for several years. However, the ultimate kick in the teeth came last year when we were told to "bring your own food and drink”.

5. I was told that "something special" would be provided for volunteers at Christmas. This turned out to be just one mince pie and a plastic cup of mulled wine.

We didn't volunteer at Lyme in order to be given food and drink, but in my mind this was a recognition of the time and effort given to the Trust by volunteers. This is another example of the Trust's shabby treatment of volunteers.

In January this year I was summoned to a meeting with the house and collections manager, whom I know well and with whom I used to have a good working relationship. One or more of the Monday team had complained about me, saying that my attitude was negative and over-critical of management at the property. I was grilled for ninety minutes and made to feel like a naughty schoolboy. My interviewer refused to tell me who had complained or if it was just one person or more. I was made to agree to copy every email I sent to the Monday team to the H&C manager. It was also revealed that emails sent to volunteers were monitored by the H&C manager to check if we had read the emails and attachments. I thought this first demand was unreasonable and the revelation about the Trust checking our emails was possibly unlawful. On the drive home after the meeting I decided to resign as a Trust volunteer, concluding I was being treated unfairly after 14 years of hard work on behalf of the Trust and the Monday team.

I subsequently received over 20 messages of support from the Monday team. I copied these to the H&C manager but received no acknowledgement or reply. I have to say however that I did received a touching response from the office manager whom I have knows since I started at the property expressing her regret at my departure.

All this has left a bitter taste in my mouth when I think about the Trust. Many of my erstwhile volunteer colleagues at the property have asked me to return as there is now another general manager in post who has made a good impression but I shall not be doing so.