In this week's Spotlight on Volunteers feature, we meet the team of volunteers at the Prickwillow Engine Museum.
The Prickwillow Engine Museum
Located on a bend of the River Lark on the outskirts of Prickwillow, you may have driven past Prickwillow Engine Museum and wondered what goes on there!
Set up over 40 years ago in the original pump house, the Prickwillow Engine Museum tells the story of the draining of the Fens.
It also houses the original Mirrlees blast-injection engine and pump, as well as a range of other engines, local history items, and a few fire pumps.
The Museum is open from Easter Sunday until the last weekend in September, from 12pm-4pm on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
It can also be opened on request for any visitor groups or school trips, and can be used as a community space for group meetings or activities.
School trips at Prickwillow Engine Museum are very popular, and we can accommodate a range of ages.
There are science-based visits featuring a fantastic re-enactor, who brings Cornelius Vermuyden, James Watt and Rudolph Diesel to life, as well as a water and nature based visit with river dipping!
We hold frequent "Run Days" when we fire the engines, and have special family days for Easter and Christmas, as well as our famous Tractor Run Day (April 21).
This year, we'll be holding a family science day on June 2.
On September 15, we'll be celebrating the Mirrlees turning 100 too.
On the third Monday of the month, we host an evening of Acoustic Music at the Pump for anyone who plays an instrument or sings to come along and have a great evening.
Volunteering at Prickwillow Engine Museum
We have a range of volunteers, from those who work on the engines to people welcoming visitors.
Volunteers also serve in the café and help with school visits and activities, from running experiments to supervising worksheet activities.
We always need more volunteers, especially to staff the museum when it's open.
No previous experience or knowledge is required, and our volunteers are really friendly and happy to show you the ropes!
We are holding a Volunteer Open Day on April 20 from 12pm-4pm, where you can come along and have a chat about what we do, ad see how you can help!
You can give us as much or as little time as you want to, and everyone from 18 upwards is welcome, as well as older teenagers with an adult.
Find us online at: https://www.prickwillowmuseum.com/
Find us on Facebook at: museumatprickwillow
Find us on X (Twitter) at: @FenEngineMuseum
Would you like to feature in the Spotlight on Volunteers campaign?
Any volunteering organisations in East Cambridgeshire that would like to feature in our Spotlight on Volunteers campaign can get in touch at: francesca.herring@newsquest.co.uk
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