Inclusive volunteering in volunteer-run museums

Spirit of 2012 awarded a grant of £30,000 to fund a project working with Dorset museums and heritage organisations to remove barriers to volunteering for disabled people. The aim of the project was to develop guidance that will help museums across the UK recruit and retain more disabled volunteers.

The project was being delivered by Volunteer Centre Dorset, led by Chloe Hixson, a graduate in Ancient History and disability access consultant. Chloe has spent the last five years volunteering and working with a range of heritage organisations in the South-West. Her past experiences also include playing Boccia for Great Britain and she continues to be involved in the National Paralympic Heritage Trust.

Nearly half of the UK’s accredited museums and heritage organisation depend on volunteers to run their day-to-day operations. In the South-West, 33% of museums are entirely run by volunteers, with some of these organisations struggling to stay open because they cannot recruit enough volunteers. At the same time, fewer than 5% of volunteers in museums state that they have a disability, which much less than their representation in the overall UK population.

The project worked with museums and other heritage organisations across Dorset to identify barriers to volunteering for disabled people, then work with these organisations to overcome these barriers.