Thirlestane Castle is Seeking New Guides & Volunteers

Thirlestane Castle is one of Scotland’s oldest and finest castles, welcoming thousands of visitors each year. Guides take guests on a journey through the castle, sharing their vast knowledge and stories from its 400-year history in an engaging and entertaining style.

As the Castle is a charitable trust, they are looking to increase their team of friendly volunteers and tour guides. Thirlestane Castle Trust is appealing to anyone who may have some spare time, whether it’s a few hours once a week or a day once a fortnight, to consider joining their team. The Trust are looking for a range of people to help with different tasks including meeting and greeting visitors, a spot of gardening across the beautiful estate or conducting guided tours.

Volunteering at Thirlestane offers a range of benefits, such as a comprehensive training programme, a chance to make new friends, reimbursed travel expenses, annual day trips with lunch to a visitor attraction, regular coffee mornings with the resident trustees and free guided tours for friends and family after a qualifying period.

Judith became a guide last year and is keen to share about the experience of joining the team. She said:. “The training process was super – and it’s ongoing! Reading the notes provided, the castle guide and shadowing the established tour guides gave me the confidence to take my first tour after 6 weeks. I think we all do our own research, too, and the more you read, the more there is to read! We factor in this additional information into our own tours, making them all individual.”

Without the volunteers who generously donate their time to the Castle, it would not be able to open its doors and allow visitors to explore the fascinating building and its spectacular collections. Passionate volunteers are key to creating a unique visitor experience and are highly valued members of the team.

One of Thirlestane’s longest serving guides, Eugene, who has been part of the team for six years said: “We are there to impart knowledge of the history of the Castle and that of the Maitland Clan. The pleasure that I get as a guide is when the visitors come up and thank me for the tour and share what they have learned. If they are happy, then that makes me happy.”

To learn more about guiding and volunteering opportunities please contact the Castle directly by emailing [email protected] or call +44 (0)1578 722430.