Groups of our members volunteer to work on various projects in local galleries, museums and historical sites. Volunteers bring their personal skills to these activities but do not need to have previous experience, as appropriate training will be given when necessary.

Should you be interested in volunteering, then please contact us by email at tasrls.volunteers@gmail.com

Details of our projects are listed below:

Lord Leycester Hospital

Heritage Volunteers have been involved in many projects at The Lord Leycester Hospital in Warwick. At present, one group is working to transcribe the old books of visitor names and enter them onto a database. This will then be available for visitors to access in the newly restored Hospital.

The Visitor books from the Lord Leycester Hospital date from 1853 to 1925. They include names such as Osbert Sitwell, writer and brother of Edith; Oscar Wilde, author, poet and playwright; and Woodrow Wilson, 28th President of USA.

Other groups are helping to restore items that were discovered during the renovations. A very badly damaged British Legion flag, has been patched and supported, enabling it to be displayed. Work is also being carried out to restore two beautifully embroidered hangings.

While the restoration at the Hospital was carried out, members had to work from home. Now it is completed, the groups can work again from The Lord Leycester Hospital.

The Fusilier Museum

After the Fusilier Museum moved to its present venue in Jury Street Warwick, there was much to be done to organise the Collection. Volunteers were invaluable in identifying and cataloguing the artefacts to enable their easy location. 

Other members of the group have received training in Textile preservation to help conserve the embroideries collection. They have also created costumes for young visitors to wear.

The Society is currently reviewing a proposal to donate £1,000 towards a project at the Museum which will have several positive benefits for the Museum’s mission to safeguard historic collections and make them accessible to the public.

Leamington Spa Art Gallery and Museum

Much of the work at the Leamington Gallery involves checking the collection and repacking it to ensure the quality of its storage. Items can be intricate and delicate, requiring sensitive handling.

Items have to be checked for damage and carefully repacked with clean, acid free tissue paper. 

The Herbert Art Gallery and Museum

Many items in museums are stored in boxes or on hangers when they are not on display. Each one has a digital record of its accession and details about its appearance and whereabouts.

Volunteers at The Herbert often spend time repacking artefacts and amending their details on the museum database. 

At the Herbert Gallery, Volunteers also support the Family Learning group that aims to attract younger visitors to the museum. They use their sewing skills to make a variety of visually attractive and tactile learning aids. For the recent Dippy the Dinosaur exhibition, the group made costumes to enable visiting children to dress up.

Whichever group they work with, Volunteers meet interesting and varied challenges and enjoy the social interaction with other members.