Electra, the community boat on the Grand Union Canal already has 52 volunteers, but new volunteers are needed as the demand for cruises this year has doubled since the boat was launched last year.
Electra is the new, all electric, accessible community canal boat, run by a dedicated team of volunteers from the Bedford & Milton Keynes Waterway Trust.
Volunteer Chair, Jane Wolfson, said “Electra volunteers work as one big team to create and deliver a range of enjoyable cruises on the Grand Union Canal. Some people crew the boat, others work behind the scenes to get everything ready, and some people do a bit of both!”
There are currently shore-based volunteering vacancies in Customer Liaison, Social Media, Marketing, Outreach, Fundraising and Project Management. There are also vacancies for Cabin Hosts to welcome and chat with guests and serve a range of food and drink from the on-board Galley Bar, amongst other roles.
“We are also now recruiting for Cabin Hosts, and also Skippers to crew the boat. Informal interviews will be held in June and training in June/July, ready for crewing from August,” added Denise Taylor, Training Lead.
Lindsey Patraiko, Volunteer Social Media Manager, agreed – “I volunteered because it was unique, exciting and I wanted to enhance and develop my social media skills with a flair of creativity. I would encourage others to join our keen band of volunteers.”
Volunteer Coordinator Gill Kirkup, who also volunteers as a cabin host, said “I joined-up because meeting and chatting with the wide variety of guests on Electra, of all ages and from the different communities in MK, is the most rewarding part of being a cabin host”.
Milton Keynes claims to have a higher number of volunteers per head of population than any other UK city, with 84,500 citizens regularly volunteering across the city.
Anyone interested in volunteering is invited to visit Electra’s website here.
