Meet our volunteers

How long have you been volunteering for?

I have been a Tower of London volunteer since 2019. I started off doing visitor evaluation surveys, getting feedback from our visitors on their visit.

What do you do outside of volunteering?

I work in the pharmaceutical industry as a commercial manager, working with the NHS on drug supplies to hospitals, mainly anaesthetics and antibiotics. I have other volunteer roles too. I really enjoy going to the theatre so have a volunteer role at the Globe Theatre, across the river from us. I also enjoy volunteering on cruises and am fortunate to have done several transatlantic crossings, sailed all round South America and through Panama Canal, round the Hawaiian Islands and Alaska. I also volunteer with London Mavericks netball team so can’t wait for the season to start.

Why did you become a volunteer?

I went to a HRP volunteer recruitment evening and was impressed with the variety of roles on offer. I was proud to get a role at the Tower as it’s such an iconic building, a symbol of London and instantly recognisable, As HRP is a charity it’s good to be able to make a contribution and enrich a visitor's visit.

What do you enjoy about being a volunteer?

I have made lots of friends through volunteering so it’s nice being part of a community. It’s always rewarding helping our visitors, whether its helping them find the toilets, a cup of tea, or decipher tube and bus maps.

What have been the highlights of volunteering so far?

I have been asked if I live at the Tower of London! And visitors ask if a monarch still lives in the Tower. Since Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth passed away and the coronation of King Charles, there’s been more interest in the Crown Jewels. People have seen the Crown Jewels in use more frequently over the last few years than ever before. I was on shift the day after the coronation and the Jewel House opened a bit later as teams had been busy preparing lots of items after their important role in ceremony.

Can you share an interesting fact that you've learned through your role?

I am constantly amazed at how the Tower’s moat has continually evolved throughout the centuries. From its early days as a deep ditch built by William the Conqueror, to the most recent spectacular setting of wildflowers for Her late Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee. The moat in centuries past has been used as a fish farm for food, and as garden allotments in the last war.

How has your role evolved since you started volunteering?

I started volunteering in 2014 at the Tower making and planting ceramic poppies for the installation of “Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red”. This caught the public’s imagination and was intensely moving.

Happier times followed in 2022 with “Superbloom” providing spectacular wildflowers for the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. This time the public could walk through the moat admiring the stunning flowers. I loved interacting with the public telling stories, pointing out insects etc, and I had a very sharp learning curve in flower recognition!

Last year our role changed further to actually working within the fortress walls of the Tower, giving assistance and advice to the many thousands of daily visitors.

What keeps you motivated to continue volunteering at Historic Royal Palaces?

I feel motivated and genuinely excited about volunteering at the Tower. Every day is different, and there is always some event taking place, such as the Constable’s Dues, firing of birthday Gun Salutes on the wharf, Changing of the Guard or beautiful festive Christmas displays and so on. I prefer volunteering a morning shift, giving the rest of the day free for my busy social life!

Walking around the historic site is such a privilege, interacting with the public, giving historical snippets, talking with the Yeoman Warders, seeing the mischievous ravens, you never stop learning! The Tower has a wonderful family atmosphere, and the public are so appreciative.

How has volunteering influenced you as a person?

I flew for a major airline for forty years, so I know and value the meaning of teamwork. Everyone working at the Tower plays their own vital role in creating the overall experience to the visitors. The more I learn about the Tower and Historic Royal Palaces, the more I proudly have confidence in the fantastic product we have. I hope and believe that my skills learnt here have made me a better person. Not only for myself, but for showcasing HRP. I believe that my knowledge gleaned over the years helps me more confidently and fully explain things, and to hopefully enthuse the public also.

I have taken on some additional roles volunteering at Hampton Court Palace and Kensington Place too, broadening my historical knowledge, and learning more about HRP as an organisation. I gain great satisfaction in listening to the public’s (very varied) queries, answering, and developing a rapport, so that they walk away satisfied and happy at the personal touch I try to give every one of our guests.

What could other people gain from volunteering at Historic Royal Palaces?

Anyone with spare time, I would thoroughly recommend joining HRP. Volunteering a few times a month at HRP allows you to use established work skills, meet the public, make new friends, and still have fun. As I said, you never stop learning!

Do you have a “stand out moment” as a volunteer?

Once, working at the Sentry Box close to Tower Green I had an elderly Australian lady in a wheelchair and her daughter simply stop to talk and have a chat. The mother was clearly delighted returning to the Tower, having last visited as a young schoolgirl before she emigrated. She recalled from distant memory proudly telling me how she recalls the Crown Jewels being in a different building when she was a little girl. I asked if she had visited the Jewel House this time, but the daughter replied they were waiting for the long queue to go down.

I then spoke to a Yeoman Warder who willingly obliged to let them in, and I offered to take a photo of them all. At that point two ravens flew past to their delight. After they had seen the Jewels, the ladies returned to thank me for all my help and said having the photograph taken with a Yeoman Warder was one of the best birthday presents she could have had. I was so happy for them both, happy to have helped, and leave them with wonderful memories.

How does your volunteering role enhance the experience of visitors?

I believe we contribute a huge amount to enhance of the overall visitor experience especially in regards to where the toilets are! That’s easily the most asked question followed by the Crown Jewels and the ravens.

I think each volunteer brings a different expertise to the role whether you are an ex-accountant, nurse, fireman or engineer and the role is really what you make it. If you take the time to learn the Tower’s history, you can really enrich the visitor experience. But you also need to know your client – some people really do just want to know where the toilet is! Sometimes trying to convince a visitor there is more to the 1000-year-old Tower than the Crown Jewels can fall on deaf ears.

Has volunteering at HRP influenced your understanding of heritage and history?

I definitely look at heritage sites differently now when I visit them, and I am much more aware of the visitor experience. Being an historian, I haven’t changed my understanding of history as such though I am more aware of the Tower as a space and how a building rather than the written word can speak to us in a very different way. One can immerse oneself in a living history and imagine how the space is used.

What do you find most enjoyable about your volunteer role?

The people I have met over the years. Not just the staff and the other volunteers but the visitors too who can be so lovely and appreciative if you take the time to speak to them, help them and find them that toilet! And of course, being in the Tower is just the most wonderful feeling.

Do you see any impact of your volunteer role beyond HRP?

I would definitely say it has given me patience and been a great stress reliever when I was working. After being in an office for many years, coming to the Tower and doing a public facing role has been very rewarding.

I am also much more aware of how important volunteering time is – your time can be given freely and with a different kind of enjoyment to that of donating money.

I am also more aware of helping people when I am out and about – I switch to volunteer mode and ask tourists if they need help.

What would other people gain from volunteering at Historic Royal Palaces?

There is just so much to gain from volunteering at a place like the Tower of London, especially if you love history. Imagine spending time in an iconic building, becoming part of the Tower family, and meeting people from all walks of life.

Every day is different, and you can really make a visitor’s day by taking the time to speak to them and enhancing their experience. There is so much to learn and new friends to be made.

Do you have a “stand out moment” as a volunteer?

I was in the Welcome Centre helping the team on a very busy day and a lady in a wheelchair came in with her husband. One of the things I had learnt during my time with the team was always get down to the wheelchair user's level and speak to them, not the carer, if they ask a question.

This lovely lady asked about accessibility inside the Tower, so I got her the map and got down to her level and went through it with her. It is a hard site to navigate in a wheelchair, but I explained as much as I could about what she could see.

We chatted about the history for a while and then they went off inside. Three hours later she returned to say thank you to me. They had really enjoyed their visit and the fact I have taken the time to talk to her, not just her husband. I had made their visit much more memorable, and I admit it made my day just as memorable. That was at least 11 years ago, and I can still see her face.

I always take that with me when I am dealing with disability – take the time to talk to that person and ensure they have the same wonderful experience as everyone else. Inclusion is something I have learnt a lot about within the Tower’s walls, which is in contrast to its dark history whereby if you were deemed ‘different’ for example, Catholic or Protestant, you could lose your life!