The RNLI Grace Darling Museum is looking for extra volunteers

Just like the charity’s lifeboat stations, the museum relies on volunteers to keep it running. New recruits don’t need to be experts on the iconic north east heroine – they just need some spare time and a willingness to learn the ropes.

The museum is enjoyed by almost 60,000 visitors a year, including holidaymakers, families, schools and history groups. It has become a firm 'must see' on the Northumberland tourist trail.

Museum Manager, Marleen Vincenten, said: ‘It would be great to have a couple more volunteers in the team. Ideally, we’d like people who could spare half a day a week, but would be grateful for absolutely any time and skills people can offer us.

Volunteering at the RNLI Grace Darling Museum is an incredibly rewarding experience and everyone who joins the team is also helping the RNLI’s lifeboat crews and lifeguards, as all money raised here goes directly towards helping the charity save lives at sea and preserving the heritage of the RNLI.’

Volunteers can give up as much or as little time as they can spare to help in the museum and will be given training. The museum is looking for volunteers who can welcome visitors and man the shop, as well as people to run education sessions for school groups.

Ros McHugh has been volunteering at the museum for about four years and says she enjoys the half-day she spends at the museum each week:

‘Growing up by the sea I’ve always been a keen supporter of the RNLI, so it’s great to know I’m giving something back to such a worthwhile charity. Spending time in the museum really is interesting and the work varies quite a lot. I can be working in the shop, welcoming visitors or sometimes helping out with school visits. ‘It’s very rewarding to see how much people get out of their visit to the museum, especially the children who are enthralled not just by Grace’s courage but also by the Darlings’ life in the lighthouse.’

Fellow volunteer Alison Hilton agrees: ‘The story of Grace Darling is such a vital part of Bamburgh, and it’s wonderful to feel part of that community. I didn’t really know much about Grace Darling and her family when I started volunteering but it’s been quite an education to find out more about her and I enjoy sharing that knowledge with the visitors.’

Anyone who is interested in volunteering can contact the RNLI Grace Darling Museum on 01668 214910 or email [email protected]

The RNLI Grace Darling Museum

Following a major redevelopment funded by a £1M Heritage Lottery Fund contribution and other donations, the RNLI Grace Darling Museum reopened at the end of 2007. The museum celebrates the life of the iconic Victorian heroine who was just 22 when she rowed with her father in raging seas to reach survivors of the wrecked SS Forfarshire. The museum is run by the RNLI and is part of a group of six museums across the country.

RNLI media contacts

For more information please contact Clare Hopps, RNLI Regional Media Officer for the North East and East, on 07824 518641 or at [email protected]

Key facts about the RNLI

The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.

Learn more about the RNLI

For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, X, TikTok and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.

Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries

Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.