News - Volunteers ‘vital’ for museum’s future (Rotherham)

AN appeal has been made for more volunteers to help operate the South Yorkshire Transport Museum in Rotherham to help ensure its future.

Business consultant Richard Baker has launched the appeal in his role as mentor to the museum. He hopes to plan the future of the site and make the museum, which costs £4,000 a month to operate, more viable.

Mr Baker said the museum needed more volunteers for a variety of tasks including engineering, cleaning, painting, guides, marketing and helping to run the shop and cafe.

He said: “The museum is a charity costing £1,000 a week to operate and we need a larger team of volunteers – especially younger people – to help make it more viable and preserve it for future generations.”

The museum at Waddington Way in Aldwarke has a collection of 25 old buses dating back to the 1930s, old military vehicles, a 1948 tractor, various cars and a tram.

In the collection is a restored 1959 Leyland double decker, which belonged to Sheffield Corporation Transport and is hired out for functions.

The organisation has a team of 150 members and 20 volunteers who are currently restoring two old buses, including a 60-year-old open top double decker which belonged to London Transport and which the museum plans to hire out to help raise funds.

Volunteers interested in helping out should go along to the museum between 11am and 4pm on any Saturday.

Open days are also held on the second Sunday of every month, starting from 11am.

At the next event, on Sunday, May 8, there will be a display of MG cars on loan from a local club.

Meanwhile, on Sunday, June 12 there will be an event day focusing on military vehicles. On the Friday night prior to that event the museum will host a war-themed swing dance, to which visitors are encouraged to wear 1940s dress.

From: http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/at-a-glance/main-section/volunteers_vital_for_museum_s_future_hdyhdyhd_1_3320721