An international writer and blogger on volunteer management, specialising (but not exclusively) in the heritage sector, I hold an Institute of Leadership & Management qualification in that field, advising colleagues and helping develop training for my employers.For fifteen years I managed volunteering systems & processes and ran the volunteer body in the National Trust’s Mansion at Devon’s Arlington Court, ensuring not only that the security of our historic contents was maintained but that every single one of our visitors went away having had the best visit possible. Since being made redundant in January 2021 I have been running Great Torrington Museum in North Devon, overseeing a top-to-bottom relaunch to great acclaim.In June 2022 I accepted a new role with North Devon Council as Operations Manager at the Museum of Barnstaple and North Devon. Responsible for managing the buildings, facilities, tearoom, shop, front of house, marketing and all the unexpected bits which fit in between.A member of the Association of Volunteer Managers, I am proud to have led the way in a pilot scheme to encourage young people to volunteer with the National Trust and successfully placed a number of bright young people in valuable roles that benefitted both them and us.I network and talk regularly with leading thinkers and innovators in the VM field and am currently investigating new connections between heritage properties and CSR, identifying ways in which the two can achieve mutual benefit.Specialties: Volunteer management, development and recruitment; curation, interpretation, customer service, practical preventive conservation, historical research and contents management.