Volunteer story: Will

"I’m an A-level student (currently in exams as of writing too)! I have a passion for History and Geography. My interests encompass place heritage on local, regional and global scales. My favourite historical period is latter half 20^th century USA, alongside the Cold War. However, I’ve loved learning about so many different periods, including Stuart Britain, Norman England, Nazi Germany.

I’ve repeatedly returned to object handling at Weston Park Museum because accessing the collections and holding objects from the past inspires me to learn more about them. It makes me want to hunker down with texts or watch documentaries on various periods!

Meeting other volunteers and learning about their interests in history/heritage gives me a better understanding of why we are fascinated with the past. It also helps me learn about historical periods and encourages me to reevaluate my interpretations of the past. It’s a wonderful privilege to encourage the public to engage with history and heritage.

The most significant benefit of volunteering is that it’s influenced my decision to study Archaeology at University. It’s given me the opportunity to understand how museums operate and informed my ambitions of making a career in heritage or archaeology.

Thank you for reading my volunteer story, it’s a monumental pleasure to volunteer for Sheffield Museums since I started in Summer 2023."

Will