Shining a light on our volunteers for Volunteers' Week: Stephen
This Volunteers’ Week, we’re celebrating the incredible impact of our volunteers — and sharing their stories. Today, we’re highlighting Stephen.
What is your name and what volunteer hats do you wear at the cathedral?
My name is Stephen Baird. I have been involved at Truro cathedral as a volunteer since early 2017. I started as a guide for the regular tours. Since then, I trained as a guide for the Treasures and can lead a basic tour of the stained glass. I have helped with the educational visits and have helped to develop and support the recent Roof and Tower Tours. I have helped with Luxmuralis and Gaia and Mars events. I also help to 'train' and engage with prospective guides.
What first drew you through the cathedral doors as a volunteer, and what keeps you coming back for more?
I retired in August 2016 and my wife and I returned to full-time living in Cornwall after working abroad in educational posts. I wanted to be a guide at somewhere historic - preferably with centuries of background. I thought about Pendennis Castle and Trerice, but Truro Cathedral was closest and I could walk to it. The Christian link was a draw too; we go to a church in the city.
The relatively modern age of the cathedral became less important to me as I discovered the richness of information about the building and saw the opportunities for engaging the public and hopefully enhancing their visits. At heart, I am a storyteller and I love to weave together facts and stories about the cathedral for visitors.
If you were chatting to a friend over coffee, how would you describe volunteering at the cathedral?
I feel very at home in Truro Cathedral. The more you are in it the more familiar and homely it becomes - even the roof space! it is a joy to arrive at a building that I know so well.
What’s the strangest question you’ve been asked while volunteering at the cathedral?
I sometimes get asked questions to which I don't know the answer. I always go and look up the answers afterwards so my knowledge of the cathedral is always growing. I suppose the strangest was being asked exactly how many slates are on the roof! The lady clearly wasn't after approximations!
What’s one thing that you now notice, and can’t unsee at the Cathedral that most visitors miss?
The repairs to St Nicholas by the entrance to St Mary's Aisle, following his crossing from Brittany, when he broke free during a storm. The tip of the nose and the fingers. The story of finding suitable stone is wonderful and the repairs are so good that visitors are unlikely to notice unless a churlish guide points them out
To find put more about volunteering at the cathedral visit out Volunteer Page