As The Arts Society Blackwater members, volunteers are encouraged to help at local galleries, museums and heritage centres. Opportunities exist to become involved with the Plume Library and Maldon District Museum.

Sheila Bates writes:
Plume Library – four volunteers are carrying on with making book shoes and cleaning at the library.  Two of us also support the library by joining the Friends of the library’s committee and help with the Heritage open day etc.

Maldon Heritage centre is looking for volunteers, the centre is on the ground floor of the building occupied by the library.

We run two projects at the Plume Library in Maldon.  We clean and catalogue the books and search for examples of the newly discovered Thomas Plume monogram and take part in special searches for scholars researching in the library.  There is also another project running concurrently where a team have been trained to make special book shoes to protect and preserve the books.  There are seven volunteers working at the library. There are several photographs in the archives of these projects.

The Museum concentrates mostly on  local social history and is run entirely by unpaid volunteers, with the guidance of a professional curatorial mentor.  It is a registered charity.

The Museum is always keen to recruit volunteers in all areas, but it especially requires Stewards during the open season, which is from April to October.  Stewards are required to commit to at least one session of three hours duration each month.

Normal opening hours are from 2pm to 5pm on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays and from 11am to 5pm on Sundays.  Other Museum-related activities for which volunteers are sought are display and conservation of the Museum collection, together with assistance with a rigorous cleaning and building maintenance procedure which takes place throughout the Winter.

Volunteering with the Museum is fun – if you feel that you would like to join the team, please contact the Museum on 01621 842688 or via Email