China Clay Country Park - Volunteers

The China Clay Country Park seeks to reinforce its position as the major social and industrial history museum for the china clay district and as THE museum for the china clay industry. Dedicated though they are our paid staff cannot possibly achieve this on their own.

Volunteers not only bring in extra hands and new expertise, but also fresh ideas. Volunteers are the lifeblood of musuems such as the Country Park and without whom we would not be able to exsist.

Volunteer placements are built around the needs and interests of the individual volunteer and the musuem believes that happy volunteers are as important as getting a specific job done.

Here are just some of the tasks that volunteers can help with:

• Restore and operate the 1910 Peerless lorry;
• Act as guides and stewards helping the visting public gain a deeper understanding of the museum.
• Help with landscape, gardening and clearance work.
• Work on our railway wagons restoration project.
• Pursue the story of brick making and researching trades related to china clay;
• Catalogue exhibits and help with curatorial work on the collection;
• Collect social history material as part of the contemporary collecting programme.
• Help with painting and decorating and site restoration work.
• Help with education work, for example creating new resources for schools and visitors to use.
• Help restore small workng exhibits.

If you are interested in helping with any of the above projects, the curator at China Clay Country Park would love to hear from you.

The China Clay History Society

If you are interested in local history and the china clay industry past and present, the China Clay History Society would also love to here from you. The society can be reached via the Country Park's curator.

The object of the China Clay History Society is, by stimulating a wide interest in the history of china clay and china stone, to encourage the study and preservation of a unique cultural and industrial heritage.

There is considerable archive of documents held by the society. Consolidating these and determining the whereabouts and contents of other archives, both public and private, is a priority for the Society's volunteers.

You can contact the Curator at the museum on 01726 850362.