#VolunteersWeek: Get inspired by these National Trust volunteers!

National Trust in Stowe is a truly beautiful place to volunteer at and they have been very lucky to get support from a number of dedicated volunteers.

Read on to find out more about what inspires them to give their time and skills to support National Trust through a variety of volunteering roles, and what their favourite places at the Stowe Park are…

This is Liz. Along with her husband Conrad, she volunteers multiple times a week and spends lots of quality time at Stowe with her family. Liz can often be found at New Inn playing tunes on her recorder and is part of the fundraising team selling National Trust raffle tickets. Liz’s favourite place at Stowe is in the Elysian Fields because of the way the British Worthies look towards the Temple of Ancient Virtue, she says, “there is so much history behind it!” She finds it is very beautiful and peaceful no matter what time of year and she loves to sketch the view.

Michael here is one of Stowe’s faithful buggy drivers, helping visitors get to and from the garden on their electric mobility vehicles. He told us his favourite place at Stowe is in Lamport Garden. He thinks it is a peaceful area. He likes the waterfall and the succession of colourful plants. He feels it offers a nice contrast to rest of the Stowe landscape.

Sue is part of the visitor welcome team at weekends. She coordinates the volunteer’s monthly social coffee hour and supports the young Duke of Edinburgh volunteers. Her favourite place at Stowe is at a Yew tree near to the Temple of Ancient Virtue. She likes it because it is secretive, mysterious, and fun to play on. It also provides a great place to take shelter!!

This is Paul, he volunteers in the welcome team, greeting Stowe’s visitors, and he loves visiting Stowe regularly with his two dogs. When asked his favourite place at Stowe he said, “I love the Saxon Deities, it’s feels like a tucked away secret place that is a bit mystical. I get great fun from telling people that there are only six deities (Sunday is missing) and that’s why we get Sundays off work. It’s lovely to hear them say things like “really” or “oh I see” before they realise I’m pulling their leg, normally with a hearty laugh!”

This is Andy. He is one of Stowe’s knowledgeable tour guides. His favourite place at Stowe is at the Temple of Friendship. He loves the view here because there is so much to see. “When I am guiding it is a great place to explain landscape gardening and how the great landscape gardeners managed to create the wonderful balance between the temples and the natural environment – for example the trees were carefully chosen so that when mature they would perfectly frame Lord Cobham’s Pillar.”