Callout for volunteers to participate in the creation and delivery of guided walks for Roundhouse Birmingham.
Roundhouse Birmingham, in partnership with the guided tours festival Still Walking, invite you to join them in the development and of a new guided tour, celebrating the role and presence of horses in Birmingham.
Horses are a key part of the Roundhouse’s story, as former stables, and the walks are timed to coincide with both the production of War Horse at Birmingham Hippodrome, and the centenary of the armistice.
Roundhouse Birmingham would like to invite 10 participants to join our growing team of volunteers to take part in two creative workshops. Participants will be actively involved in developing and leading a new visitor experience for the city; learning new skills in creative production, research, and leading tours.
Still Walking will provide guidance throughout the creative sessions; uncovering the various layers that make up the environment around us. They will help you to tease out stories from the aspects of the city that we might usually overlook, leading to a process of seeing, interpreting, and experiencing our city differently. We will cover the following:
- Where to start when developing a walk?
- Observation-led research
- Layered experiencing of the environment
- Pace and editing of material
- Naming a walk
- Practical considerations and group dynamics
Additionally, Roundhouse Birmingham researcher Heather Bird will introduce her own research and discoveries on the subject of Birmingham’s working horses.
Workshops will take place in Birmingham City Centre (location TBC) on the afternoons of Thursday 13 September and Thursday 20 September.
The walks will go public on Wednesday 17th October and Saturday 20th October, and with a test walk with participants, volunteers and Roundhouse Birmingham stakeholders taking place on Saturday 13 October.
The walk will be adapted to become a regular fixture in the Roundhouse Birmingham events calendar, led by Roundhouse Birmingham volunteers.
Who are we looking for?
Participants must be enthusiastic about the city and learning how to see it from a new perspective.
You should be up for developing new skills, taking part in group activities, and (of course!) walks across the city.
Previous experience of leading guided walks is not essential; but a passion for sharing ideas and interests is a must.
Participants should be 18 or over.
I’m interested! What do I do next?
Check that you’re available for our workshop sessions at 12:00 – 16:00 on both of the following dates:
Thursday 13 September
Thursday 20 September
Check that you’re available for delivering walks on at least one of the following days:
Saturday 13 October
Wednesday 17 October
Saturday 20 October
(travel expenses, and lunch will be covered)
Contact us at roundhousebirmingham@nationaltrust.org.uk by 28 August with the following details:
Name
Address
Age
Contact Number
What would you like to get out of the experience?
Please tell us about any previous experience of leading walks or tours, or participating in research projects (this is not essential, we’d just like to know!)
We will reply to you by Tuesday 4th September 2018.
About Roundhouse Birmingham
Built as stables and storehouses for Birmingham’s busy Victorian industry, the Roundhouse is special for its curvy design, its story and its staying power.
Thanks to National Lottery players, work will soon begin to renovate the Roundhouse, which will re-emerge in 2019 as an enterprise hub featuring a range of lettable spaces, and as a visitor attraction offering a city tours by foot, bike, and boat.
Roundhouse Birmingham is a new organisation created through a pioneering partnership between the Canal & River Trust and National Trust, and an enterprise grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Roundhouse Birmingham:
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Twitter @bhamroundhouse
Instagram @bhamroundhouse
Website roundhousebirmingham.org.uk
