My experience as an Intern here in Clifton Suspension Bridge is almost finished and I would like to thank all the staff and the volunteers that supported me during this lovely month. I learned a lot about the history of the bridge and of Bristol as well, but most of all I met the friendly and lovely staff that helped me enjoy my time here.
I want to give a special thanks to the volunteers because what they do is amazing work, and all of them are really passionate about spending their time here in the visitor centre. Without them, it would be difficult to welcome the visitors that come into the centre every day to discover and learn the history of the bridge. Thanks to them, all the visitors feel comfortable coming here, and you can see that they really appreciate the attention given.
I had the great pleasure to meet many volunteers during my experience and talking to them. This will be one of the best memories I will remember in the future. Not only did I learn information and facts about Bristol, but also I discovered more about the culture and the people who live here. I suggest to anyone that has time in their life to give, join the Clifton Bridge volunteer team: it is an opportunity to meet different people from different places around the world while keeping the bridge alive.
Two of the volunteers I met in Clifton Suspension Bridge:
Ray is one of the Clifton Suspension Bridge volunteers’ and he is particularly connected with the bridge. He lives close to it and crosses it every day: he loves it and he started joining the volunteering because he wanted to show and share his passion and the importance of Clifton Suspension Bridge and how it helped to develop the history of Bristol.
Ray is responsible for welcoming people and explaining the exhibitions and he especially loves meeting people, talking and sharing as much as possible with them, not only information about the bridge. He suggests becoming a volunteer because it’s a good way to spend your spare time helping others, especially if you don’t work anymore and you have the possibility to keep the bridge alive.
Chris was semi-retired and wanted to do something different in his spare time, so he came to the centre. He felt extremely welcome and liked, at first sight, the clean and quiet place, but he was especially impressed by the nice and friendly staff he met. After that, he thought that becoming a volunteer could be the right choice to spend his time meeting and talking with people that are interested in the bridge. He started 3 years ago welcoming people in the visitor centre and explaining all the information they need and he is still happy to do it now.
Alice, an Intern from Italy.