Volunteering at the Kempton Steam Museum
Be part of something extraordinary
Every year, thousands of visitors stand in awe of our giant steam engines – nearly 100 years old, and still very much alive. That doesn’t happen by accident. It happens because of our volunteers.
At Kempton Steam Museum, our operation is powered by a community of passionate people who give their time to preserve, restore and share one of the UK’s most remarkable pieces of industrial heritage. If you’ve ever wanted to do something that truly matters – this is it.
Why volunteer with us?
This isn’t filing paperwork in a back office. Volunteering at Kempton means getting up close with extraordinary machinery, learning skills you won’t find anywhere else, and becoming part of a tight-knit community united by a genuine love of history.
Whether you end up operating equipment, leading visitor tours, curating our archive, or helping with events and communications – you’ll leave each session knowing you’ve helped keep a piece of history alive for future generations.
Volunteers tell us they come for the engines. They stay for the people.
Current volunteer opportunities
We’re currently recruiting for 4 specific roles. Full details for each are linked below.
Audience Research Volunteer
Help us capture visitor feedback and data on steaming days, using surveys, feedback forms and headcounts to shape how we improve the visitor experience. Ideal if you’re a good communicator, comfortable with Word/Excel and enjoy chatting with people in a relaxed way.
Steaming Weekends, 10:00–16:00. View full Audience Research Volunteer role description →
Collections Volunteer
Work behind the scenes with our Curator & Project Manager, helping maintain the museum’s inventory, pack and label objects, and digitise and photograph the collection. Ideal if you have an interest in industrial history, good attention to detail and are comfortable using Excel.
Tuesdays & Thursdays, 10:00-16:00. View full Collections Volunteer role description →
Refreshments Volunteer
Support our Refreshments Team Leader in the Museum Cafe – serving food and drinks, processing payments, and helping keep things running smoothly. Ideal if you’re customer-focused, reliable and enjoy a busy environment.
Steaming Weekends & Static Sundays, 9:45–16:15. View full Refreshments Volunteer role description →
Front of House Volunteer
Be the first friendly face our visitors meet – welcoming guests, sharing information, processing tickets and booking tours. Ideal if you’re proactive, personable and enjoy working in a busy environment.
Steaming Weekends & Static Sundays, 9:45–16:15. View full Front of House Volunteer role description →
What kind of volunteers do we need?
You don’t need an engineering background – we need people with all kinds of skills and interests:
- Engineering & Maintenance: hands-on work with historic machinery and infrastructure
- Visitor Experience: welcoming guests, leading tours, running our cafe, bringing the story to life
- Events & Communications: helping plan and promote our growing events programme
- Research & Curation: preserving our archive and deepening our historical records
- Administration & Operations: keeping the museum running smoothly behind the scenes
If you have a skill, we almost certainly have a use for it!
When can I volunteer?
Our regular volunteering days are Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, 10am–4pm.
There’s no pressure to commit to a fixed schedule – any time you can offer is genuinely valued and gratefully received.
Get in touch
Ready to find out more? Come and say hello at one of our open days, or drop us an email at volunteering@kemptonsteam.org – we’d love to hear from you.
Every hour you can give helps protect this irreplaceable site for generations to come.
