Volunteer Guard

The Somerset & Dorset Heritage Railway at Midsomer Norton is a volunteer-run heritage and tourism attraction in Midsomer Norton. It is also a much-loved community asset. We have recently increased the number of operating days at the station and we are seeking Volunteer Guards to help with the safe running of our trains. 

Purpose

There are two distinct parts to the role of Guard, which is a vital role to allow us to run trains and offer passengers the opportunity to travel along our stretch of railway. The first is to be responsible for the safety of passengers, whilst working in collaboration with the locomotive crew. The second is to provide welcoming and effective customer service to passengers, including checking their tickets and providing them with information. 

Location

Midsomer Norton Station, Silver Street, Midsomer Norton, BA3 2EY. 

Responsibilities and duties

The role involves being prepared ahead of duties, being responsible for your own safety as well as that of the passengers who access our trains, communication with other members of our safety critical team to ensure the smooth running of operations and providing excellent customer service to our visitors. 

Previous experience is not necessary but effective and efficient communication is a key skill for this role. The ability to remain calm always is essential and you will need to be willing to manage other volunteers and members of the public. You must be able to follow the rules and regulations set out by the railway. 

As this role will be engaging with members of the public you will need to be friendly, polite and helpful and be able to manage your time. 

Successful candidates will need to be in good general health and have good mobility to be able to undertake this role. 

Time Commitment

We usually open on weekends with some planned additional weekdays during the summer.  Please see our website for our opening dates for 2022/23. This role is part of a team and successful candidate/s will be asked to liaise with the Head of Operations about their availability and the rota of operating days. We expect Guards to be able to volunteer for a minimum set number of turns a year.

Support         

You will receive theory and practical training. There will be things you will need to go away and learn and read (we will tell you exactly what!) but the majority of it is hands on as the job is a very hands-on job! The training will take as long as it takes to complete the tasks, but we expect it to take between six and 12 months. We will provide all the training material such as booklets.