Heather Hall

Volunteer for the South West conservation manager

I got in contact with the Trust over a year ago and during this time I have come to a greater appreciation of the organisations and individuals involved with conserving these incredible buildings.

As a young person trained in heritage conservation, the Trust has been excellent in providing interesting and relevant work experience opportunities covering a wide variety of heritage management, while allowing me to be instrumental to their projects.

My volunteer responsibilities have been, for example:

• Compiling Heritage Value Reports
• Participating in heritage fieldwork
• Taking a graveyard survey at St Mary’s Hartley Wintney

The responsibilities of the tasks were always clearly outlined and I had the support of the team whenever I needed it.

I was often invited on church visits and days out with the Conservation Manager and the south west team, who were incredibly welcoming and supportive. In particular, Dr. Rushton was a knowledgeable and enthusiastic supervisor, allowing me to ask questions to my heart’s content.

Visiting churches in remote or rural areas (inaccessible to those without a car) with members of the conservation team provided incredible insight into their history, use and current care. I became very aware of some of the challenges the organisation faces in the conservation of our shared heritage.

It is an incredible experience to be working on a historic resource. Overall, a tremendously valuable experience ... and great fun, too!