YOUR VOLUNTEER

Name: Danika Grace Lloyd. Which organisation are you involved with?: The National Trust - Quarry Bank. What does the organisation do?: Protects and develops many of our nation’s special places for the joy of everybody. How did you become a volunteer?: I was on a special guided tour at Quarry Bank after the first season of the Channel 4 series ‘The Mill’ had aired. At the end of the tour we were able to look at some very old documents from the archives - some of which nobody had yet been able to read and ‘decode’ and the our guide jokingly said: ‘If anybody can help feel free’; I managed to read the documents in question and somebody ran for a pen, and an archives manager then asked if I would consider volunteering for them. Quarry Bank had always been a place I loved to visit and the opportunity seemed too good to pass on – so now I volunteer at least one full day a fortnight for Quarry Bank, making up my own work hours by starting early and finishing late two days a week. I started this over two years ago and have never

looked back! Which projects have you been involved with recently?: A fantastic temporary exhibition called ‘Unearthed’ (which is on at Quarry Bank until 17 April) and tells the story of key characters connected to Quarry Bank’s gardens, past and present. I had the pleasure of being able to be involved at all stages from planning and research to exhibition space design and interpretive writing for the information panels and uncovered some fascinating historical information. What do you enjoy most about doing this?: The fact that I can use my skills to make a real difference to such a special place is an immense privilege. I’ve managed to answer questions about historical characters previously thought to be unanswerable, such as ‘what happened to Susannah Catterall?’ who was one of the lead characters in ‘The Mill’ TV series. Nobody knew what became of her after she became pregnant during her time as an apprentice at Quarry Bank until I picked up the case as a research project. This and many other discoveries have gone on to contribute to the visitor experience and will continue to do so - I, myself, am one of those many visitors fascinated by Quarry Bank and the people who lived and worked there and it’s such an exciting time to be involved! What is your favourite place in Macclesfield?: I love walking in Bollington and exploring historic trails knowing people have walked them for hundreds of years. Ideally how would you spend every day?: I am extremely lucky in that I do spend every day in my ideal way! When not conducting research for Quarry Bank I am conducting family history research for private clients. Each day is different and exciting, I never know what I will discover next, and my research takes me all over the country. What was the best holiday you have been on?: I spent some time in Kenya 10 years ago setting up an English teaching programme at Nairobi Children’s Home which I absolutely loved, I met some truly amazing people. More recently - last year my partner and I spent a week in a 400-year-old fisherman’s cottage in Whitby for my birthday which was so much fun; Whitby is such a historically fascinating and magical place. If money were no object what would you do?: I’d continue with the same work I do now but I’d work completely for free. Helping people trace long lost family and friends and discover their family’s history is incredibly rewarding and if money were no object I’d do it all without cost and would spend a lot more time volunteering at Quarry Bank – they wouldn’t be able to get rid of me! If I had money beyond what I needed to be comfortable I’d donate the rest to local charities. What one piece of advice would you give?: Take good care of yourself – when you are happy you’re much more able to help others. One of my favourite sayings is: ‘You can’t refill the glasses of others if your jug is empty’. What was your first job?: I worked as a fashion model between the ages of 13-17 before quitting to follow what, for me, was a more interesting and rewarding path. What is on your CD / MP3 player?: A huge variety of music and audiobooks! The artists I tend to click on the most include Coldplay and The Beatles. Quarry Bank Mill, Styal, SK9 4LA. Tel: 01625 527468. www.quarrybankmill@ nationaltrust.org.uk Facebook: ‘Quarry Bank’ Twitter: @quarrybankmill