Stonehenge - education volunteers wanted

The English Heritage Education team are looking for volunteers to help meet and greet educational groups of all ages and nationalities at Stonehenge. All you need is enthusiasm for working with young people and good communication skills.

ROLE DESCRIPTION

Key Tasks
Meet education groups, of all ages and nationalities, arriving at Stonehenge
Provide 5-10 minute introduction  and site orientation, before teachers lead their own tour

Hours and Time Frame
Weekdays (Wed – Fri) from September to October and March to July. Shifts will last 3-4 hours, from approximately 9.30am – 1.30pm or 12.30pm – 4.30pm.   We ask for availability in advance and use a rota system.  Volunteers can choose the days which suit them best and as often as suits them.  Training and induction to take place before volunteering commences.   We are looking for volunteers to start in September 2012 with an induction day on 22nd August at our Salisbury office.

Skills and Qualities
Confidence to talk to groups of teachers and students of all nationalities
Good communication skills
An interest in Stonehenge, history or heritage
An interest in working outdoors
Ability to work as part of a team
Flexible and adaptable

Support and Training
A one-day induction
Meet and Greet talk outline and opportunities to practise your talk with other volunteers
Ad hoc, one-to-one training will be provided based on the needs of the volunteer
What English Heritage Expects from Volunteers
Maintain good working relationships with staff, other volunteers and members of the public
Attend appropriate training and learn about the work of English Heritage
Be reliable in attendance
Observe organisational policy and procedures
Protect English Heritage property from theft, damage or loss, within the limit of their responsibilities
To safeguard confidential information about English Heritage and refer any controversial matters relating to the work of English Heritage to their manager

Other Information
Volunteers may be reimbursed for travel costs between home and volunteering location
A Volunteer Pass allowing free access to English Heritage sites is available after a satisfactory period of 4 months and the completion of 60 hours of service
A certificate for your personal profile to demonstrate work carried out for English Heritage to show future employers or further education

How to apply
To register your interest see how to apply.

Link: http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/caring/get-involved/volunteering/roles-available/8352391

Stonehenge Tour Guide

Vinci has secured the contract to build a visitor centre at Stonehenge in Wiltshire.

The scheme will see the existing visitor centre and car parking removed, and new exhibition and education facilities built at Airman’s Corner, about 1.5 miles west of the Stones.

Preparation work has begun ahead of building with pre-construction tests being carried out to allow work on the centre to begin next month.

The tests aim to see if a ground water source can provide sufficient drinking water and energy for a year-round heating/cooling system for the centre.

A low-energy transit system is also planned to take people between the visitor centre and a drop-off close to the monument.

The £15m job also includes road improvements and a new coach and car park at the world heritage site.

The visitor centre has been designed as two pods, one that will be glazed and one timber-clad.

More details: http://www.constructionenquirer.com

Stonehenge Tour Guide

Stonehenge a 'symbol of unification' at centre of Ancient Britain

Stonehenge was the centre of ancient Britain, according to a study which claims the monument symbolised the unification of eastern and western communities

Stonehenge was probably at the centre of the world for prehistoric Brits, archaeologists believe

Stonehenge was probably at the centre of the world for prehistoric Brits, archaeologists believe

Centuries of speculation have attributed countless functions to the famous Wiltshire landmark, describing it variously as a prehistoric observatory, a place of healing and a temple for ritual sacrifice.

But a new study by researchers from five British universities suggests Stonehenge may in fact have been built as a sign of peace between people from the east and west of the country after a period of conflict.
The stones, which come from different locations as far afield as southern England and west Wales, may have been used to represent the ancestors of some of Britain's earliest farming communities, researchers suggest.
Prof Mike Parker Pearson, of Sheffield University, said during Stonehenge's main period of construction from 3,000 to 2,500 BC there was a "growing island-wide culture" developin in Britain.

He added: "Stonehenge itself was a massive undertaking, requiring the labour of thousands to move stones from as far away as west Wales, shaping them and erecting them. Just the work itself, requiring everyone literally to pull together, would have been an act of unification."

The Stonehenge Riverside Project, which also included the universities of Manchester, Southampton, Bournemouth and UCL, suggests that the Stonehenge site may have been a place of special significance before the monument was built.
The solstice-aligned avenue between the stones sits on a series of natural landforms which mark out the midsummer sunrise and midwinter sunset, suggesting people may have seen the spot as the "centre of the world", prof Parker Pearson said.

By Nick Collins, Science Correspondent (Telegraph)

Stonehenge Tour Guide