Volunteers take the lead at Crich tramway event

Vintage trams were managed and crewed by a team of young volunteers for the day at Crich Tramway Village last weekend.

These include Sam Burton-Smith, who completed his tram conductor training aged 16 in July 2015.

Sam said: “I’ve been interested in trams since I was a child and I came to Crich Tramway Village and am really enjoying being part of the volunteer crew.”

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Hannah Douthwaite also passed her conductor training last year aged 16 and became a regular conductor from October 2015. Hannah had also been inspired since visiting Crich Tramway Village as a child 12 years previously.

Joseph Burberry, 27, has been a volunteer at Crich since summer 2012 when he started as a conductor. He has been volunteering regularly ever since. 

Joseph said: “Before I was a volunteer I was just the usual visitor with a keen interest in trams. I first came to the tramway museum when I was ten with my granddad. I know it’s cliché but I was hooked.

“Becoming a member and volunteer driver helped me with my ambition to work as a tram driver for Metrolink too.”

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Rich Westman, 25, is a conductor and driver on the trams and is young members coorindator. He has been volunteering since 2009.

It all started when Rich had finished his A-Levels and had more free time, so offered his services to Crich Tramway Village. He qualified as a conductor two months later and became a driver in 2013.

Rich said: “It’s a lot of fun and an escape from boring day to day activities. The volunteers are a fantastic bunch of people and it’s a different dynamic every day.”

All the conductors were under 21 and the rest of the young volunteers on the trams were under 30.

Crich Tramway Village is open daily until October 30 from 10am to 5.30pm. Vintage trams run between 10.30am and 5.00pm.