Leigh

Leigh - Locomotive Manager, Driver, Fireman and Shunter

Ok so to answer the question what got me interested in volunteering?

I’ve always been interested in railways, I never really grew out of Thomas the Tank just the faces came off and I got much more interested in running and restoring locomotives.

The reason I started volunteering is so that I could be actively involved in running and restoring steam locomotives, learning how to do the jobs required, becoming a fireman and then onto driver.

I also enjoy being involved in preserving the collection.

You also get to meet like-minded people who are also volunteering so you make many friends along the way, so the social side of volunteering becomes just as enjoyable as the reasons you were interested in the first place. And, a big part of why you keep coming back.

My favourite thing about Didcot Railway Centre is the collection and that it is housed on an authentic Great Western shed site, it really does deliver the atmosphere of a by gone age.

I would definitely recommend volunteering, you can learn many new skills, meet new people and in our case at Didcot Railway Centre keep part of history alive and well.

The first step to becoming a volunteer is to join the Great Western Society - the Charity that runs Didcot Railway Centre.

We need volunteers to carry out all types of tasks - see the opportunities across our departments here.

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