This page last updated 30 March 2008
The three main ways in which you can help are:
Bowes Railway welcomes volunteers who wish to participate in restoration and maintenance and/or railway operation. Volunteers normally work under the particular guidance of one of the Departments (eg Locomotives or Haulage) outlined in our Who's Who section.
New volunteers with specific interests may opt to join the appropriate Department and participate in its work programme. Alternatively, they may be happy to help with general work to be allocated by the Site Supervisor when they attend the site. The Site Supervisor is one of the Heads of Department who takes on overall responsibility for the site on a particular day.
All work programmes are approved in advance by the Operating or Commercial Committees. No volunteer work is undertaken on site unless a Site Supervisor is present. In some cases (eg boilers, power tools, machines), work may only be undertaken if the individual is qualified. Training may be arranged where required.
The site is normally open as shown below. Please note that these times are not binding, as it is not possible to guarantee that a Site Supervisor will always be available. If you are not a regular attendee, you are advised to telephone the site beforehand (0191-416-1847) if at all possible.
| Saturdays | 12:00 to 16:00 | |
| Wednesdays | 12:00 to 16:00 |
All volunteer workers must report to the Site Supervisor and sign the Log Book on arrival. If you are interested in a particular type of work (eg electrical, engineering, plumbing, exhibition - to name but a few!), the Site Supervisor will direct you to a person responsible for that area. We also encourage volunteers to take responsibility for specific tasks, eg cleaning and refurbishing workshop machinery.
Perhaps the best way to find out what interests you (and also what you might be especially good at) is to visit the site and talk to as many volunteers as you wish. You might also like to come to an operating day during the season to observe the system working and see if you can picture yourself helping out with any of the work going on.
In addition to restoration and maintenance, volunteers operate Bowes Railway on operating days. Volunteers can choose to help out on operating days only, on non operating days, or both. The site is open to the public throughout the year at week-ends, and during the week by appointment, but operating days are normally confined to the Summer season. See our Open Days section for further details.
Trained volunteers are in short supply for rope haulage, and there are vacancies in all operating departments. There is also a shortage of people to undertake work with the Commercial section. This can involve any of the following: guided tours, manning exhibition areas and workshop displays, shop, refreshments, tickets, education, publicity, etc.
If you would like to apply to become a volunteer, you can either:
The Company is anxious that all volunteers should have a voice in the policy and running of the Company. In order to achieve this, all volunteers are urged to also become Company Members. In addition to the Company Members' Annual General Meeting, where Directors are elected and votes taken on policy matters, there are site meetings for Members and volunteers to voice their opinions.
Current annual Membership Subscription rates are:
| ORDINARY MEMBER | £10.00 |
Bowes railway is always pleased to receive donations, whether financial or otherwise. As a Registered Charity (No.511961) we are grateful to a number of organisations who have in the past donated equipment, transport, sleepers, display material, manpower, webspace, refreshments etc. Follow the Thank You signal for some of the organisations and individuals concerned.
An easy and enjoyable way to help is to just come and visit us. Why not bring friends and family? Enjoy yourself - if you're happy, that gives us a real boost, and we'll be happy too!
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This page last updated 30 March 2008 |