Celebrating our valued volunteers

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I always had an interest in history and then when I finished college I wanted something to do, and then I found an opening here at Culloden and I thought I'll just go for it, and I got the volunteering role.

My name is Chris and I volunteer in the gallery, so I help take part in presentations to visitors inside Culloden Battlefield. I feel like I'm part of a bigger team talking about the history of the place and of Scotland, and enjoyment – doing it, talking to the people and seeing how they react to when we tell them a piece of history. And we do it in a fun way, so then it's not a boring lecture that they may fear that we might be doing.

I always have happy memories here, yeah, even washing and cleaning the benches and repainting them for important events, even doing archaeology, and just making a fun experience for the visitors. I always enjoy coming up here and volunteering with people. If you just left college volunteering can be a good way of getting work experience, and yeah it's good fun – go for it.

I'm Gail Cleaver, I'm the Operations Manager here at Culloden and also for the wider Culloden cluster which includes Hugh Miller's Birthplace and Abertarff House. I would like to add my thanks to Chris for the time he has taken today to share his story about volunteering with the National Trust for Scotland. Without volunteers like Chris and the rest of the team here onsite we couldn't do the work we do. The passion that they have for the battlefield and for the wider properties around the Trust – the beautiful properties we have in the Highlands and Islands – without the volunteers we wouldn't be where we are today.

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My name is Charles Bennett and I'm a volunteer guide in Broughton House in Kirkcudbright which is a home of Edward Hornel, the artist. In 2011 my wife passed away and I had a very good friend in Kirkcudbright, who was a volunteer in Broughton House. She was very well aware I had known the property since 1987, and she encouraged me to become a volunteer. I've always appreciated that because it was a role which I really enjoyed.

I get a great deal of pleasure and satisfaction from volunteering. I feel that my interaction with the public, and indeed with the National Trust for Scotland staff who work in the house is very beneficial to me, and hopefully I contribute to the work of the Trust. And it really is very important to keep your mind active and you know being a volunteer in a property like this obviously enables you to do that.

I would certainly encourage anyone to become a volunteer for the National Trust for Scotland. I have volunteered in many, many different roles but the role in Broughton House is the most important one to me, and I enjoy every minute that I spend here.

I'm David and I'm the Visitor Services Manager for Built Heritage in Dumfries and Galloway. Charlie epitomises all of our Trust values and everything that you want and need a volunteer to be. He's engaging, he's diligent, he's always here, he's a friendly smile, a friendly face to visitors, staff and volunteers, and I honestly can't thank him enough for what he does. So to all my volunteers and to all the volunteers across the National Trust for Scotland, I just want to say thank you.

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Hi, I'm Kiran Angadi and I am delighted to be a volunteer gardener here at Crathes Castle. I just moved into the area and I came around the garden with my mother. I could immediately tell this was a special garden. It's a magical place. I encountered the head gardener, believe it or not, on that first visit and I asked him if there was any volunteer opportunities and he said there were. So I started work in the January and I've been here almost two years now. It's been amazing, I've enjoyed every minute of it.

One of the great benefits of volunteering here is the fact that you get to meet people from all over the world. You feel really proud when people tell you what a great garden it is. It's a great sense of achievement because whatever you're doing, you're making something better. It's also great because we're such a team here and working as part of a team is one of the great benefits. They're a super fun bunch here, it's been great getting to know people, especially because I'd only just moved here. The staff here are so amazing, they teach you everything you need to do, and they really make you feel like you're part of the team.

I got to prune a rose for the first time which is a huge learning curve but now I walk past it as it's you know flourishing and I'm so thrilled to see it. Volunteering is always a good idea because it's giving back to the community. The National Trust for Scotland has a whole range of different opportunities, for people of all abilities, and all passions, and the pride that you feel, that you've contributed to making a place better, is always going to be a good thing.

Hi, my name is James Henderson, I'm the Operations Manager for Aberdeenshire South. I'd like to thank Kiran and all the other volunteers at Crathes here. It's fair to say we literally couldn't do what we do without them. In the North East in particular, 50% of our team are made up of volunteers. That's a staggering statistic and I think it's just indicative of the support that we get from the local community. I never cease to be amazed at the effort these people put in. So on behalf of myself and the North East region but also the National Trust for Scotland as a whole, I'd like to say thank you very much. We really appreciate what you do.

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My name is Sandy MacDonald, I volunteer as the Independent Chair of the Nominations Committee at the National Trust for Scotland. I've volunteered for different organisations for 20 years now, in particular volunteering with the National Trust for Scotland. I love wildlife, I love the national landscapes, I like the castles, the histories, the gardens – I'm interested in all of it.

My role might feel a bit removed from that but we are ensuring that the governance of the organisation has the relevant expertise, and capability to look after that whole range of aspects. The other areas of volunteering is around an understanding of governance, how you work with teams, it's about your network and meeting people from different walks of life – so what volunteering with a charity like the National Trust for Scotland gives you is meeting people who work in arts and heritage, conservation, and broadening your network out helps you develop your skills, your abilities to work with different people. The rewards are immense, in a whole range of areas that will enrich your life, and so I'd encourage anybody from any background to get involved. Organisations really need that diversity of different perspectives to deliver the best outcomes they can.

I'm Stephen Small, I'm the Trust's solicitor and also act as secretary to the Board in our various governance committees. It's because of people like Sandy and the other members of the Nominations Committee that we can have some confidence in the appointments processes into our government system. There are lots of volunteers within this organisation who work behind the scenes, a lot of them are working in office-based roles, and generally they're fairly unseen within the organisation, but we really do need to extend a great big thank you to all of the people who give their time and experience to help the Trust in this way.