Sherwood Observatory: In Celebration of Volunteering 

In celebration of Volunteers week, which falls at the beginning of June each year. We wanted to ask our volunteers about their experiences here at Sherwood Observatory and celebrate their efforts, and contribution.

Our society (based at Sherwood Observatory, Sutton in Ashfield) has been established for over 55 years and in all that time has been managed by volunteers.

It was only when the Planetarium & Science Centre was completed in November 2024 that paid staff were introduced. There are still only 4 paid staff employees, and its thanks to our dedicated volunteers that we can offer our world-class facility.

Volunteers have made it part of their life, fitting in between work and their home life.

Now, we have many volunteers for a variety of events, courses, training, lectures and hospitality. Also, the board of trustees are all volunteers.

Volunteering gives you a sense of satisfaction and a feel-good factor. It can improve social awareness and may lead to the learning of new skills.

If you have the chance to volunteer at a local club, charity or even a workplace then do so…… you will never look back.

Here are just a few of our members thoughts on their volunteering experiences

“I love being on reception at the Science & Planetarium Centre. The atmosphere is great, the people I work with are brill and I know I'm somewhere where I'm appreciated, which is reward enough. I love meeting all the people that come through the door. It's great to see their eager smiles and even bigger ones when they go out! I miss volunteering with the group visits and school visits etc., but if I could be in two places at the same time, I'd do those as well! I can only thank the society for giving me this chance to help others and see them happy with what knowledge and entertainment we provide for them.”

Author: Jon Cross

“Just pre-covid, not too many members turned up on a Wednesday night, so I thought I would like to have a go at a quiz night, it seemed to go down well, with Kirsten and Freya doing the laptop stuff, which scared me as it wasn't my best skill. Mike Helanor encouraged me and said, ‘it takes some guts to do that’ and with help from Steve Smith, I like to think I improved. I know I got some things wrong on the journey. Going over questions time and time again on my iPad to get it right, knowing that you will soon be corrected by members if you are wrong, improved my quiz nights, and that was good because I wanted to be the best I could possibly be. Loads of other members were bringing stuff to the table in a very professional way, and that inspired me enormously. Because a lot of that information I've picked up, is stored in me, I love passing that on to the school’s outreach students that visit us and helping with the different activities we do with them. It also keeps my Grey Matter topped up, as even at 78 years of age, I still like to learn something new every day. Thanks for reading my story.”

Author: Barry Jackson

“My general Volunteering duties undertaken are operating and demonstrating the various items of optical equipment to group visits and open days. Undertaking this work also gives me an excellent opportunity to view the wonders of our universe when, in all honesty, I would not normally allocate sufficient time for these activities. Being able to introduce others to what the night sky and solar observing has to offer. The highlight comes with exclamations of awe, when someone looks through a telescope at subjects such as the Moon, Saturn, Jupiter, Double Cluster’s or Solar Prominence’s. Then there are the questions posed, often by some of the younger visitors, that can really stretch the brain cells. They come from left field, and I find myself having to adapt my knowledge of physics to provide an answer. If my efforts can inspire a young boy or girl to ask further questions or even follow a path, involving science, technology or mathematics, then I will have made a small contribution to society.”

Author: Karl Pettit

“On Open Days, I volunteer to be on the telescope pad using my own equipment. I enjoy meeting individuals, children and families and answering their many questions. Always great fun and members of the public always go home happy and with a smile on their face. I've even produced an A4 leaflet giving details of the Sun, Sun Spots, and Solar Flares for people to take with them. Children always ask for one for school.”

Author: Peter Wilson

“In the past few years, I have taken an interest in radio astronomy. This is a specialised subject which only a few members engage in. So, the little team we have built have prioritised lectures to be given on open days/evenings. The lectures are about capturing radio waves from the Sun and the Jupiter/Io system. The measurement of hydrogen in our galaxy is also captured, along with meteor detection. The audiences are mesmerised at the information we give them as often they know very little about this subject, so it is extremely rewarding. My thanks go to Nigel Cunnington (aka Sparky) who is the society’s radio astronomer and has taught me everything I know about radio astronomy. Now I am teaching other members about what I have learnt. It is so very gratifying and rewarding to undertake the teaching of this very interesting topic to the members of the public.”

Author: Stephen Binns

“My favourite thing about volunteering is I like talking to the visitors and talking to them about astronomy. I especially enjoy it on an open evening, (held later in the year) when we're talking about the stars and other celestial objects in the night sky.”

Author: Charlotte Lovejoy

---

This article was put together by Stephen Binns, one of our members.