Visitor Immersive Interpreter
THE ARKWRIGHT SOCIETY LIMITED
Cromford Mills
Full-time
Volunteer Role Description Visitor Immersive Interpreter What is a Volunteer Immersive Interpreter? This is a dynamic volunteer role that combines our visitor welcome duties with the immersive storytelling including costumed interpretation. Volunteers will wear historically inspired Georgian costume and take on roles such as mill workers, craftspeople, or the mill manager to warmly welcome visitors, lead short interpretive tours, and bring Cromford Mills’ rich heritage to life in an engaging, experiential way. Why we want you! We are looking for enthusiastic and friendly volunteers to support the heritage and welcome offer at Cromford Mills - welcoming visitors, answering questions, and bringing Cromford Mills to life through light-touch, costumed interpretation. This role offers a more informal and engaging alternative to our traditional heritage tours, appealing to visitors who enjoy a lively introduction to the site and its stories. You will support our expanded tour programme, which now includes both in-depth one-hour tours and shorter 30-minute introductory experiences. Based on visitor feedback and booking patterns, this role helps us cater to a wider range of interests and engagement levels. Key duties include greeting visitors on arrival, supporting site navigation (including in the Mill Shop), and helping visitors make the most of their time when tours are not running. There is also scope to develop varied engagement throughout the day. This is a fantastic opportunity to combine historical storytelling with excellent visitor care and play a key part in creating memorable, meaningful experiences at Cromford Mills. What will you be doing? Visitor Welcome & Experience • Provide a warm, friendly welcome on site. This could be at the entrance, within the Mill Shop, or in the Visitor Centre. Introduce the site and explain what’s on offer in a character of your own devising, or a character we create together using our research volunteer resources. Share historical insights about Cromford Mills and the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site. Promote tours, exhibitions, and Arkwright Society membership. Support with simple day-to-day visitor needs, wayfinding, and presentation of public areas. • • • • Costumed Interpretation • • • • • • Share your love of history with the public, families and all visitors. Take on a researched Georgian character and interact with visitors in and out of role. Lead or support short, themed interpretive tours around the site focused on running the Arkwright Experience. Use replica artefacts and props to bring stories to life. Respond to questions and different visitor interests in a fun and informative way. Work collaboratively with the wider team during Heritage Open Days, fundraising events and other activities if you have time. What kind of person are you? • • • • • • • Enthusiastic and confident engaging with a wide range of people. Willing to wear Georgian costume (provided by us with your creative input!). Open to learning and researching a historical character as well as learning a short script on the history of the site. Flexible - happy to jump between front-facing visitor welcome and immersive interpretation. Friendly, approachable, and a good communicator, both in and out of character. Motivated and able to use your initiative, especially during busy times. Team-minded and supportive of fellow volunteers and staff. No acting experience is needed. If you would prefer to lead a tour without adopting a historic character, we also have non-costumed guiding roles. We are flexible in our approach, and what matters most is your passion for the past and your ability to connect with visitors. What are the benefits of this role? • • • • • • • • A chance to create and perform your own historical character. The satisfaction of enriching visitor experiences at a world-renowned heritage site. Opportunities to develop skills in public speaking, storytelling, and historical interpretation. Friendly camaraderie with a supportive team of volunteers. Full training, costume support, and ongoing mentorship. Discounts in our shop and cafes. Travel expenses and lunch vouchers for day shifts. For those wanting a career in acting, heritage / tourism, this would provide good experience of working at a heritage site. How much time will you need to give? • • • • We recommend volunteering at least once every 2–3 weeks to keep your knowledge and experience fresh. Our busiest time is during school holidays, if that suits your schedule. Shifts are flexible and can be tailored to suit your availability - whether you prefer morning, afternoon, or full-day involvement. Additional tours, events and interpretation opportunities are arranged throughout the year based on volunteer availability. For your information Location Cromford Mills Staff Contact Jo Taylor, Volunteer Co-ordinator Jo will be your go-to for support, training and planning your volunteer experience. If you aren’t sure but want to find out more please get in touch! We are very flexible and happy to hear from you. jtaylor@arkwrightsociety.org.uk Tel: 01629 823256 Training Expenses A full site induction will be given. Onsite workshops and training will be led by the current team. Specific training to improve skills will be arranged as you need it. Out-of-pocket travel costs between home and volunteering place will be paid, and other reasonable expenses agreed in advance. A lunch voucher is provided for full day volunteers for use in cafes. All volunteers are given a car parking pass when they start and a discount card to use in the Mill shop and the Arkwright Society cafes. About Cromford Mill At Cromford Mill Sir Richard Arkwright constructed the world’s first successful water powered cotton spinning mill in 1771. These mills were the first phase in the development of the factory system and led to the Derwent Valley being described as “the cradle of the Industrial Revolution”. In 2001 its historical importance was acknowledged when this part of the Derwent Valley became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Cromford Mills is a multi-purpose heritage site with two cafes, retail shops, a visitor centre and events programme. We have over 37 business tenants and an active education programme welcoming over 70 schools each year. The site is undergoing a long-term programme of restoration and aims to take forward the next major phase of regeneration around Building 1. Background to the Arkwright Society The Arkwright Society is a registered charity (515526) focused on education and conservation. The Society was created by a team of people who worked together to research the Mill site for the festival celebrating the bicentenary of Arkwright’s arrival in Cromford in 1971. The Society emerged from this to manage the mills, watercourses and associated buildings and eventually purchased the site in 1979. Since that time, staff and volunteers have worked tirelessly to continue the regeneration and sustainability of this site, ensuring it remains open and accessible to visitors and local communities. This role is purely voluntary and this arrangement is not an employment contract