York Minster

What do volunteers do?

There are various ways in which volunteers help at the Minster.

Service and Concert Stewards

Stewarding at services and concerts usually takes place in the evening or at a weekend and involves welcoming people to the Minster, directing them to their seat and distributing service sheets.  Some of this is on a rota basis, eg stewarding at Evensong and some Sunday Services.  Extra services and concerts are on an ad-hoc basis

Servers

The Minster also has Servers to assist in the worship of the Cathedral by performing specific duties in the services. They include the crucifer who carries the processional cross, the taperers who carry candles in procession and the thurifer who, at some services, carries and swings the thurible emitting incense.

Library, Archive and Conservation Studio Volunteers

The Library has volunteers in its Reading Room and Upper Hall.  It operates on a rota basis, 10.00am to 12.00, 12.00 to 14.00pm and 14.00pm to 16.00pm.  In order to open the Reading Room and the Upper Hall exhibitions to the public, stewards are needed to ensure that resources are used appropriately.  Volunteers also help in the Archives and in the Conservation Studio.

Events Team for the Campaign Volunteers

Events Team for the Campaign is a working party set up by the Development Office to support the Minster Development Campaign.  The aim is to plan, co-ordinate and publicise a great variety of events that will raise both funds for and awareness of the cause in hand.   If you feel you can offer skills (all sorts), ideas or time, please let us know.

Guides

To become a Minster Guide, you would need to undertake our guides course, which runs in November each year. There is a theory test at the end of the week and then when you felt ready, you would take a practical test. The course is free of charge for volunteers.  Guides are in the Minster Monday to Saturday and usually commit to one guided tour a week or fortnight, lasting approximately an hour and a half.  The Minster's Centre for School Visits also has volunteer guides.

Information Desk Stewards and Chapter House Stewards

The Information Desk Stewards answer visitors' questions at the Information point in the Minster.  There are four time slots, (Mon - Sat) and volunteers would normally undertake one of these time slots per week. Information Desk Stewards work alongside the Group Desk Coordinator (a paid member of staff).  You would be given an initial induction and as there is information on the desk, you would read and learn as you went along.  Chapter House Stewards also have a rota with two-hour time slots, and are based in the Chapter House to enable visitors to ask questions about the Chapter House.

Specialised Roles

Volunteers are also engaged in more specialised roles, including: embroidery, caring for vestments, flower arranging and Sunday School helpers.  Our Honorary Chaplains also provide pastoral care for visitors

Bell Ringers

The York Minster Society of Change Ringers has its own website, to which those interested in ringing can find out more about their activities. Their website, a link to which is placed on the left of this page, is full of interesting facts about the Minster bells. It includes several samples of the bells being rung.