The North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR) has launched this year’s recruitment campaign for volunteers, ‘Put Yourself In The Picture’, to fill hundreds of different roles before the 2023 season opens in April, and follows a similar campaign last year.

Every day, the North Yorkshire Moors Railway requires between 300-500 hours of support from volunteers to run its operations, and is looking for anyone who wishes to start a new hobby or enjoys a challenge by joining the existing band of volunteers.

As a volunteer on the railway a wide range of opportunities are available, from working on a locomotive footplate, signalling and telecommunications, lineside conservation, customer service, retail, catering, fundraising, and education. Last October it ran campaign to recruit volunteers to work in conserving the lineside.

Volunteers play an important part in running the railway, so in 2020 it created a new role, Head of Volunteer Development which was funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. It is intended that this will be a long-term role as it is part of the railway’s £10 million “Yorkshire’s Magnificent Journey” project, which is designed to help the North Yorkshire Moors Railway to look at new ways in which it can engage with potential volunteers and how it can create new roles for them.

Anyone who wishes to join the railway’s volunteers can do so by applying online at Nymr.co.uk/volunteer

Marcus Aldrich, Head of Volunteer Development for the NYMR, commented: “It’s not just about what you give to us – we want to give back to you and make sure you have a meaningful and rewarding time in our unique environment. If you’re a young person and you are looking for work experience, it’s perfect – relevant work experience can enhance CVs and support university applications.

“Volunteering is a fun and enjoyable experience where you can learn new things and meet new people. You can make a real difference volunteering on the NYMR, preserving the railway and educating our visitors by bringing this visitor attraction alive.

“There are about 30 different roles involved with running our heritage railway – we’re an education, preservation and conservation charity and it’s our people that bring it to life. From volunteering in the shed at the Motive Power Depot (MPD) maintaining the locomotives or conserving 18 miles of lineside – you‘re delivering a fulfilling experience for all those who engage with us”.