A few weeks ago, Bradford Science Festival lit up the museum with nine days of discovery, creativity and fun. Right at the heart of the action were people who helped make it really special: our volunteers.
This year was a record-breaker for us; 36 volunteers joined in, giving nearly 600 hours of their time to support the festival. It was the most volunteer support we’ve ever had for an event and the difference they made was felt all over the museum. Here’s some insight into what they got up to.
Learning Volunteers: Igniting curiosity
Our Learning Volunteers have been with the museum since the summer holidays, supporting our family activities. At the festival, they helped visitors take part in the Astro Pi Challenge, a Python coding workshop led by the Raspberry Pi Foundation. The volunteers were on hand to help guide families through the activity. Their enthusiasm, patience, and kindness shone as they encouraged children and adults alike to give it a go.
Events Volunteers: Creating a welcoming atmosphere
If you visited the museum during the festival, you probably met one of our 28 Events Volunteers. They were stationed throughout the museum to help greet visitors, answer questions, and help visitors make their most of their visit. They were friendly and enthusiastic, helping promote activities and ensure all visitors felt seen and supported.
Many of the Events Volunteers this time were new volunteers. It was wonderful to see their confidence grow as they absorbed so much new information about the museum and the festival and in turn shared that with our visitors. Our experienced, returning volunteers played a vital role too, acting as great role models and helping newcomers find their feet. Together, they created a welcoming atmosphere that made the festival feel special for thousands of visitors.
What our volunteers said
The best way to capture the spirit of volunteering at the museum is to hear from the volunteers themselves. Here’s what some of them shared just after the festival:
“I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed volunteering as an Events Volunteer – it was a wonderful experience, and I really loved being part of the museum team.”
“Thank you so much for having me volunteering. I hope I can come back next time. I really had fun interacting with people & joining in the event.”
“I had a great time last week volunteering, I loved doing it – everyone at the museum is so friendly and welcoming.”
STEM Career Engagement Volunteers
We were also joined by volunteers from Sweco, a European engineering consultancy company with its UK head office just down the road in Leeds. They spent a day with us bringing their careers to life with a ‘wheel of fortune’ question wheel and other materials which showcased what they do at Sweco. Did you know Sweco is a key consultant in the Bradford city centre regeneration project? Their conversations inspired visitors of all ages, helping to demystify STEM careers and break down stereotypes about engineering role. By sharing their own career journeys, they showed how science and engineering can be creative, rewarding and accessible – inspiring futures, one conversation at a time.
The difference volunteers make
From helping families code their first lines of Python, to guiding visitors through the busy festival programme, our volunteers added countless moments of support, encouragement, and joy. Those small conversations, warm welcomes, and helpful directions transformed the festival into something more than just an event; they made it an experience to remember.
Thank you volunteers – we couldn’t have done it without you!
Want to get involved?
If you’d like to be part of our volunteer community, we’d love to hear from you. Find out more on our Volunteering page.