Call for volunteers to become ambassadors of Shrewsbury and showcase what the town has to offer
Ambassadors of Shrewsbury are looking for more members to join their team ahead of the upcoming tourism season.
The Original Shrewsbury ambassadors are out-and-about on weekends over the spring and summer, welcoming and directing visitors around Shropshire's county town.
They will be starting patrols from May onwards and Shrewsbury BID, which coordinates the project, is now looking for people to join the team.
Stephanie Mansell-Jones, business liaison at Shrewsbury BID, said: “The Original Shrewsbury Ambassadors have been a great success since we launched the project in 2019, with the aim of improving the visitor experience in the town and encouraging repeat visitors.
“They are situated at various spots around the town to provide information to visitors, such as directing them to attractions, shops, cafes and restaurants, or sharing interesting facts about the area.
“We are incredibly grateful to our volunteers who give up their time for such a worthwhile activity.
"We always receive really positive feedback about the role our ambassadors play in making Shrewsbury such a great experience for visitors."
Stephanie added: “We are keen to hear from anyone who would like to join the ambassadors team and are as flexible as possible in terms of hours you can volunteer, if you can only do a couple of hours on either Saturday or Sunday that’s fine.
"Equally, if you want to volunteer every weekend all summer we would be happy to welcome you.
“Our ambassadors say it’s a very rewarding experience, and every volunteer is provided with training, a branded uniform and radios to stay in touch with each other.
“Free lunches are provided for those volunteers completing a full day.”
Lead ambassador Maggie Love added: “Shrewsbury can be a difficult town to navigate around, and being an ambassador is an opportunity to help people find what they are looking for – whether that’s something as basic as a toilet or questions about our heritage.
“Ambassadors, who work in pairs, are given the training and the tools to help answer those questions, working in partnership with the Visitor Information Centre to provide more detailed information.
"They are always in contact with each other and there is great camaraderie within the group.”
Ambassadors are on patrol between 10am and 2.30pm on Saturdays and 10.45am and 2.30pm on Sundays.
Ambassadors don’t need any specific experience to volunteer, however Shrewsbury BID is looking for volunteers who are friendly and welcoming and who have a good knowledge of the town centre.
For more about the Original Shrewsbury Ambassadors and to volunteer, visit originalshrewsbury.co.uk/ambassadors
