Know your Shrewsbury? Volunteers wanted for town guide role
Visitors to Shrewsbury will be able to discover the full range of what the town’s attractions has to offer thanks to a new team of ambassadors being introduced this summer.
Shrewsbury Business Improvement District (BID), which is behind the scheme, is now looking for volunteers to become the “face of Shrewsbury” as town ambassadors, and pass on their invaluable local knowledge to visitors.
Dilwyn Jones, a Shrewsbury BID director and project champion for the Original Shrewsbury Ambassadors, said the volunteers would have an important role to play.
“The main aim is to provide a better experience for visitors and to help them make the most of what Shrewsbury has to offer,” he said. “Our town ambassadors will create that vital first impression for many visitors, and will essentially be the face of Shrewsbury.”
“Their role will be to tell visitors about the full package of attractions here in Shrewsbury – the many independent and national shops, bars, restaurants, pubs, hotels, river attractions, the museum, theatre, guided tours and of course the fantastic history of the town.
“We hope the initiative will encourage repeat and longer visits and showcase Shrewsbury as a welcoming and friendly destination that people will choose to visit again and again.”
Summer
Stephanie Mansell-Jones, business liaison at Shrewsbury BID, said everyone was welcome to become a volunteer ambassador.
“We are looking for volunteers who are ideally able to commit to the scheme for one or two days per week over the summer” she said.
“Ambassadors will be on duty in pairs on Saturdays and/or Sundays from about 10am to 2pm at various points in the town centre.
“We are looking for people of all ages and are working with University Centre Shrewsbury and local colleges, as well as with local groups with an interest and love for Shrewsbury who want to give something back.
“We are hoping to have really engaged volunteers so will provide training from Shrewsbury Town Guides and will have an ambassador co-ordinator as a central knowledge point for volunteers to refer to.”
The scheme is being trialled this summer, with the plan to have the ambassadors in place from mid-June until the end of August.
Shrewsbury Town Council and Shrewsbury Tourism Association are supporting the project alongside Shrewsbury BID.
Anyone interested in becoming a town ambassador is invited to apply at originalshrewsbury.co.uk/volunteer-ambassadors, email volunteer@originalshrewsbury.co.uk or call 01743 358626 for more information.
