My volunteering at the University of Strathclyde by Eleanor Crawford

I am currently involved with 2 different volunteering projects at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow.

I am a volunteer tour guide with the university which involves showing visitors around the two historic former church buildings which are owned by the university. 
Our guiding season is from the beginning of May until the end of September and involves guiding at weekends and during the week and involves a group of about 20 guides.

The Barony Hall was bought by the university in 1986 and transformed into a beautiful venue to be used for graduations and ceremonial occasions by the university and also let out for all sorts of other functions.  On our open days we show around visitors from the local area and from around the world, having more than 2500 visitors a year.    

We also show visitors around the Ramshorn which is another former church owned by the university and until recently used as a theatre.  In addition we do tours of the university campus and sometimes tours of the historic old Merchant City area of Glasgow. As well as being a guide I am also involved with the administration of the guides and setting up the duty rotas.

I am also a Computer Buddy which involves working with older people – over fifties but some as old as in their eighties – to introduce them to computers in a one-to-one situation.  Many of these people have never used a computer and are afraid of it and the most important aspect of this is to give them confidence and assure them that they will not break the computer!  A session lasts for about an hour and a half and it is amazing the difference just one of these sessions can make to a person’s confidence.

I am looking forward to attending the forthcoming meeting in Slovenia.