JOB OPPORTUNITY – LANTERN WORKSHOP COORDINATOR

New Mills, Derbyshire SK22

Volunteer position, flexible hours August – mid-September

Deadline for expressions of interest Monday 25th July 2022

Job description:

Are you passionate about community events? Join us this summer as a Workshop Coordinator for our Lantern Making Workshops in New Mills and help to create something magical for the whole community!

Who are we?

New Mills Festival is a cultural organisation based in High Peak, Derbyshire. The festival brings visual art, music, and performance to the town every year, and plays a key role in bringing community organisations together to present an opportunity for residents and visitors to engage in two weeks of culture on their doorstep.

The Lantern Procession finale to the two-week festival regularly bring in excess of 12,000 people into the town to enjoy the Procession and Street Party.

What are we looking for?

Volunteers are at the heart of everything we do. We are looking for a volunteer Lantern Workshop Coordinator with flexible availability from the end of July – mid-September. Initially, you will be responding to enquiries from the public wishing to learn how to make the spectacular lanterns that line the route of the procession and coordinating attendees for Lantern Training workshops. You will be working alongside our lead Lantern Making Trainer, but you will need to commit to some of the dates for our workshops. During the festival period, you will be coordinating the now trained volunteers to deliver the public workshops.

You will be responsible for:

• Working alongside the marketing team to promote the workshops
• Taking enquiries and coordinating attendees for the Training Workshops
• Procuring materials for the workshops
• Managing admin and logistics for the workshops
• Supporting the delivery of the workshops

Dates for workshops are as follows:

Training workshops – open to volunteers wishing to act as helpers during the public workshops. These workshops are organised on an ad hoc basis as volunteers come forward.
Saturday 30th July 10 – 4 and Sunday 31st July 10 – 4

Saturday 6th August 10 – 4 and Sunday 7th August 10 – 4

Saturday 13th August 10 – 4 and Sunday 14th August 10 – 4

Saturday 20th August 10 – 4 and Sunday 21st August 10 – 4

Public Lantern Making Workshops – participants create their own lanterns to carry during the Procession.

Saturday 10 September, 11am – 4pm Sunday 11 September, 10-2pm

Saturday 17 September, 11am – 4pm Sunday 18 September, 10-2pm

Who we are looking for:

• A self-starter with good organisational and time management skills and the ability to get stuck in where they can see something should be done.
• Keen interest in community initiatives and event management
• Someone who is looking to build their experience of working with events and community initiatives.

Nice to have:

• Good communication and written and spoken English skills
• Good social media management skills
• Experience in coordinating community events

What difference will a volunteer make by offering this support?

Our workshops are designed to bring together the community to work together to create and take part in a spectacular finale event. By helping us deliver these workshops, you will be contributing to the organisation’s efforts to foster a sense of belonging, promote community cohesion and create a sense of place.

Why volunteer:

• Join a collaborative team culture that values every member’s input
• You will have a lot of freedom, the ability to grow and work directly with the organising team
• Opportunity to get involved with local community work and interact with volunteers and the public
• Build valuable event management and delivery skills
• The opportunity to learn how to make traditional willow and tissue lanterns
• Be part of helping to create a magical and spell-binding experience
• Become part of an ever-growing community of like-minded individuals
• We’ll guarantee you’ll walk away more confident beings, brimming with pride, inspiration and a new set of skills

Other details:

• Preference will be given to candidates based in New Mills, for ease of travel to our workshop venue.
• We don’t believe that CVs can ever tell the whole story so if you’re interested in working with New Mills Festival, feel free to tell us your story and about why you’d be good at it in a cover letter or e-mail body.
• Deadline Monday 25th July 2022

Get in touch – email info@newmillsfestival.co.uk or telephone Lyn 07753842861