Penlee House announced as winner of prestigious volunteer award

The hard work of volunteers at Penlee House Gallery & Museum in Penzance has been recognised with a prestigious award announced by the British Museum and the Marsh Charitable Trust. The ‘Volunteers for Museum Learning’ award celebrates achievements of museum volunteers across the UK and forms part of a programme of awards presented by the Marsh Charitable Trust in the fields of science, ecology, conservation, heritage, literature and volunteering.

The learning volunteers at Penlee House assist with the delivery of all aspects of the learning programme at the gallery and museum, including delivering hands-on workshops to school groups, running activity sessions for families, toddlers and babies, and supporting Arts & Health workshops for people living with long-term health conditions. Joint winners of the South West 2023 Marsh Volunteer Award, Penlee House Gallery & Museum was recognised for the work of their team of nine learning volunteers throughout the year, which represented over 700 volunteer hours. 

Zoe Burkett, Learning Officer at Penlee House commented: 

“We are extremely lucky to have such a dedicated and enthusiastic team of Learning Volunteers.  What they do is amazing and enables us to deliver so much more.  This award is so well-deserved, many congratulations to the whole team.” 

Now in its 16th year, the aim of the ‘Volunteers for Museum Learning’ award is to recognise those volunteers who engage directly with museum visitors in any capacity. This could involve leading a school group, helping with family activities, running a guided tour or any number of other ways in which volunteers provide support to museum visitors.

Learning Volunteer Chris Fisher added: “We were so surprised and delighted to have been nominated for, and to have received this award. We have a lot of fun volunteering and it’s lovely for us, and for Penlee House, to be recognised for the activities we put on for schools and for families. A big ‘thank you’ to Zoe and Katie for all their hard work and for nominating us!”

Penlee House Gallery & Museum has many varied volunteering opportunities and is currently looking for people to join the award-winning learning team, as well as their volunteer tour guide team, who provide twice weekly tours around the temporary exhibitions for the public.

Sarah Saunders, Head of Learning and National Partnerships at the British Museum said:

“Volunteers across the UK have made an enormous impact this year, helping people enjoy diverse collections. They help tell compelling stories, reveal remarkable histories, engage audiences and contribute to visitors’ wellbeing. We are delighted to be able to celebrate and honour all their achievements publicly with the support of the Marsh Charitable Trust.”

Anyone interested in volunteering at Penlee House Gallery & Museum should email [email protected] or call 01736 363625.