The Forres Heritage Trust is launching an exciting new tourist attraction and is looking for volunteers to help get the project off the ground.
A new tour at the Tolbooth will show visitors around the old police office and cells, the newly renovated courtroom and provide them with a trip up to the parapet around the clock tower which has never been open to the public.
However, to make the project work, the Forres Heritage Trust which owns the Tolbooth, needs more helpers to act as a tour guides.
Volunteers crucial to success
George Alexander, chairman of the Trust said: “This is a very exciting development however its success is dependent on the help of volunteers. It won’t get off the ground without that support.
“We have had a whole team of people working on this for the best part of two years. We have had one group of Trustees pulling together the police office and cells part of the project, the courtroom has been given a tremendous make over by a team of volunteers, and myself and a couple of other Trustees have worked on the clock tower part of the development. Pulling each of these aspects of the historic Tolbooth altogether into one tour, will provide a really great visitor attraction for Forres.”
Mr Alexander added: “The Trustees had a walkthrough of the tour last week and we expect it will take up to an hour. We are still to work out when and how often the tour will open as this will depend on the support we get.”
The Forres Heritage Trust also looks after Nelson’s Tower and for many years has run successful tours of the monument between April and September.
Peter Haworth, a Trustee and volunteer co-ordinator said: “We have a list of volunteers who have helped make visits to Nelson’s Tower a huge success, however, over the last two years, and partly due to the pandemic, numbers have dwindled. To make sure that we can maintain what we offer at Nelson’s Tower and then successfully launch the new Tolbooth project, we are definitely going to need more volunteers.”
Satisfaction
Mr Haworth added: “Our volunteers get a great deal of satisfaction from meeting visitors, many of whom, pre-Covid, come from all over the world. Not once have I seen a volunteer walk away from a shift without a smile on their face. Using volunteers has always worked successfully at Nelson’s Tower.
“We provide all of the volunteers with packs explaining what is required and they will be given full training in an informal setting and briefed on the Tolbooth and its history. Nobody will be left feeling they don’t know what to do, say or what is expected of them. We are also more than happy to show people around before they commit to anything, so they can see how great the project is. All people have to do is get in touch.”
To find out more about the project and how you can get involved please email Peter at fhtvolunteers@outlook.com or call him 07966 410177.