After being a volunteer manager for longer than I can remember, and not having learnt from experience, I'm yet again jumping in with both feet, but this time to become a volunteer for the Heritage Open Days blogging team no less! So what is that all about some of you may be thinking?!
Many in the UK heritage and tourism business are familiar with heritage open days, which in its basic form is four free entry days each September to heritage properties that have joined the scheme. Naturally there's much more to the open days than free entry, and I look forward to expanding on this in due course. For the time being however, what will my blogging bring to heritage open days?
I've had a strong connection with heritage since sitting on my first ruined castle as a tiny boy. Following this soft introduction, my interest has developed over the years and through my gardening; I have come to work, visit and enjoy some very special historic places. Those who know me also know my steady approach and methodical ways - so when I say I've jumped in with both feet, I really mean I don't know where it will take me! I'm joining an experienced team of bloggers, or should I say - a talented team of writers and photographers, who also have passion for heritage. At this point I would receive more than a sideways glance if I were not to mention my good wife, who also shares my interest in heritage, who joined the team last year to great effect - Blogger Ruth....game on!
Tuesday of this week saw the latest team assemble, some of us for the first time at Grosvenor Gardens in London for an induction and training session. I shouldn't have been surprised to find the venue was regional office for the National Trust, which was very fitting and most appropriate for the occasion. As we ascended the wide stairs to the plush second floor seminar room, the gravity of the situation I had volunteered for rose in association...do I feel the pressure?
As I say, I shall be back before long to explain further, but in short my blogging will be in the form of a handful of self generated posts over the next twelve months, that you'll hopefully find on the heritage open days website. In light of this, I'd like to make a statement, and throw a question out to heritage open days gardens and gardeners across the land: I'd like my heritage open days blog posts to feature and highlight gardens and landscapes. Do you know of a heritage garden that opens, or would consider opening for heritage open days? If so, I'd love to hear from you, and possibly feature you in one of my forthcoming blog posts.
If you'd like to know more about heritage open days, just follow the links within the text!
(Heritage Open Days 2013: 12th-15th September)
My first post! - Gardens - To Visit or Not to Visit?
2 comments:
Congratulations! What sort of training did they give you?
Hi Helen, Thanks for comment. We had an good introduction to the blogging ways of the Heritage Open Days team, so we knew what to do and what was required in respect of adding our posts to the HOD website, and we had a session on video recording and editing for blogs, so hopefully we'll see some video content coming through the posts in the near future!
Gary
Post a Comment