Aileen Hall is the Volunteer Development Manager at Castle Howard Estate. We spoke to her about working in heritage, connecting with volunteers and what the role has taught her about herself.

Tell us about yourself and your role
I’m Aileen, the Volunteer Development Manager at Castle Howard Estate, an 18th-century heritage property and garden in the North Yorkshire countryside. I’ve been here for nearly five years.

What attracted you to the role?
I studied history at university and always wanted to work in heritage, but I knew I didn’t want to be a curator or pursue a more academic role. I love working with people from backgrounds different from my own. Volunteer management felt like the perfect fit: I could work in a beautiful historic place while doing a people-focused job.

What would you say to someone considering becoming a Volunteer Coordinator or Manager?
If you enjoy working and chatting with people from all sorts of walks of life, I’d say go for it! What motivates someone to give their time as a volunteer can be very different from what motivates a member of staff to come to work, so being able to connect with people is important.

It’s a rewarding job, but it comes with challenges. It helps not to take comments or complaints about volunteering roles—or your organisation—personally.

What have you learned about yourself?
I’ve learned so much in my time at Castle Howard. I used to be nervous about difficult conversations because I generally avoid conflict. This role has given me opportunities to have those conversations and to adapt how I communicate depending on who I’m speaking to.

I now approach meetings with senior managers and tricky conversations with volunteers with confidence. I know my job and my organisation well. I’ve also learned that sometimes the best answer is,

“I don’t know, but I’ll find out.” I’m no longer afraid of not having every answer straight away.

What might your colleagues be surprised to know about you?
I love singing and often perform in amateur musical theatre shows locally. This November, I’ll be playing Princess Fiona in Shrek the Musical at the Joseph Rowntree Theatre in York. I can’t wait to start rehearsals!