Ropley Site Care
The Watercress Line is a living museum. Its visitors gain many opportunities to experience and learn about the role played by railways and steam power in the development of the communities, industry and commerce in the Alresford to Alton area of the Hampshire countryside while also enjoying a range of heritage, family and enthusiast events throughout the year … while also enjoying the ultimate family day out! The Watercress Line’s volunteers are its backbone.
They work alongside a small number of specialist employed staff to:
1. manage and operate the railway, and to develop these professional skills
2. deliver all the commercial activities and visitor events including education and museum
3. restore and preserve the heritage rolling stock, structures, equipment, archives and artefacts.
Role Title: | Ropley Site Care team, including the “Wednesday-Gang” Gardeners & Grounds Staff, and the Thursday Painters, Decorators & Minor Maintenance team. |
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Location: | Ropley Station (and occasionally Alton Station) |
Time Agreed: | Gardeners & Grounds Staff team:
– Wednesdays, start from 0800 (flexible), end from 1530 (flexible)
Painters, Decorators & Minor Maintenance:
– Thursdays, start from 0800 (flexible), end from 1530 (flexible)
Please attend regularly, if possible, and ideally weekly/fortnightly. |
Purpose and Business Objective: | To support and develop the value experience of visiting the Watercress Line … and so to support Secondary-Spending growth by …
“Giving a welcoming pleasant environment, well-maintained and developed ecologically, to all our WCL visitors.”
as well as contributing to the asset maintenance of buildings and their fittings. |
Tasks to include: | • Gardeners: “To maintain and develop all the flower and shrub borders, tubs and hanging baskets.”
• Ground Staff: “To coppice/prune the trees and hedges, to maintain/develop the topiary, and to mow/strim the grass areas.”
• Painters & Minor Maintenance: “To repaint & varnish, and do running repairs, indoors and outdoors, all the Station’s main and secondary buildings and station fittings (e.g. fencing, benches, barrows, etc.) to a good standard in heritage livery
Work includes all types of surfaces (ceilings, wall, flooring) and materials painted (plaster, wood, metal). Variety of “odd-job” maintenance e.g. re-putty windows. |
Training:
competences to gain
(FOC to volunteer) | NB. Personal Track Safety (PTS) might rarely be required for some in this role … but only if their tasks are likely to require work lineside e.g. maintenance of platform edge coping. In such cases, full Personal Track Safety training will be offered.
The following training courses will be introduced:
• Emergency First Aid at Work
• Mental-Health First Aid and Autism Awareness
• Basics of good teamwork
• Use of Small Tools (hand), including power-tools
• Safety awareness of chemicals (e.g. weedkillers, fertilisers)
• Basics of environment-friendly gardening |
Reporting to: | Team Leader of Ropley Site Care (Gerry Cawdeary, at March 2025) – with support by and feedback from, at Mar25, Richard Wilson & Adrian Knight |
A volunteer in this role cannot: | • Go on to or near the railway track, unless so instructed and supervised by a PTS competent person.
• Work at height, at all. Use of ladders & platforms is not permitted. |
A volunteer in this role ideally:
(is/has/can …) | • be keen and knowledgeable in their chosen activity:
NOTE that knowledge/experience is NOT required – beginners welcome!
• gardeners enjoy working in a informal environment
• be prepared to work outdoors in all weathers (though less gardening in Winter!)
• comfortable talking with railway visitors and passengers on our platforms
• personable, welcoming new team members, and team-worker |
Please note:
- All volunteers must sign in at the start of, and sign-out at the end of, their role’s rostered periods.
- Volunteers must read and abide by the conduct guidance set out in the WCL Volunteer Handbook.
- Where specific departmental health and safety rules apply it is the volunteer’s responsibility to maintain awareness
and to operate by those rules at all times when on site. - Certifications and Qualifications required in specific roles must be current and complete.
