Since opening in 1996, The Bridgewater Hall has become synonymous with excellence in music-making, combining outstanding acoustics with a beautiful building.
Now you can join the team as a Bridgewater Hall volunteer, commiting a few hours each week to join our existing Front of House team on concert nights.
Our volunteers will become an integral part of the Bridgewater Hall team and will be expected to meet high standards of customer service. In return they will be rewarded with an excellent benefits package as well as the great satisfaction that comes with working in Manchester's most iconic venue.
We welcome interest from all ages and every part of the community: If you love music, enjoy meeting people and can spare a few hours each week, we'd like to hear from you.
What you can do now
Read our Volunteer Programme information pack below. If you like what
you read, fill in the Registration of Interest form and submit to the The Bridgewater
Hall.
Any questions?
Email: volunteers@bridgewater-hall.co.uk
Phone: Simon Ward on 0161 907 9014
The Bridgewater Hall Volunteer Programme
What is it?
Since opening in 1996, The Bridgewater Hall has become synonymous with excellence
in music making, combining outstanding acoustics with a beautiful building.
The Hall has quickly become a favourite with both performers and audiences with
a diverse programme of music covering every genre.
We are delighted that you are interested in joining a group of dedicated people who support and develop the services provided by this world-class concert venue. Our volunteers provide a very important role, interacting with visitors to the Hall. This involves checking tickets, guiding patrons to their seats, answering any questions from our patrons and acting as fire stewards in the event of an evacuation.
How to join
To be included in the first round of recruitment for The Bridgewater Hall's
Volunteer Programme, please register your interest in the first instance, by
providing us with your contact details. You will then be invited to attend a
recruitment session at The Bridgewater Hall where you will meet some of our
current volunteers and Front of House employees, and have the opportunity to
find out more about the team and the organisation. You will take a guided tour
of the Hall and finally, you will meet with a member of the House Management
team to briefly discuss your goals and what you hope to achieve as a result
of joining the Volunteer Programme.
We actively encourage the participation of individuals from a diverse range backgrounds and with different life experiences, and do not therefore have formal fixed entry requirements for our Volunteers Programme. However there are several general personal qualities which you will need to get the most positive benefit out of taking part.
These include:
- a polite nature and an interest in helping the public
- good interpersonal skills
- the ability to remain calm when under pressure
- reliability and good timekeeping skills
- an interest in working as part of a team
- the ability to stand for periods of at least one hour
The role of a volunteer
The volunteers are an extremely important part of The Bridgewater Hall's quality
customer greeting service for visitors and patrons, and are a key part of the
way we interact with the public. You will be provided with training to enable
you to answer the questions most frequently asked by visitors, and to provide
them with any other assistance that they may require.
Please be aware that the Volunteers Programme is new and evolving, and the activities
you will be asked to undertake may change over time. However, examples of the
activities currently undertaken by The Bridgewater Hall's volunteers include:
- checking tickets as patrons enter the auditorium, answering questions and
directing
patrons to their correct seating areas
- directing patrons to their seats if they are unfamiliar with the venue
- providing assistance to patrons with particular needs i.e. mobility difficulties
- providing other assistance to patrons during a performance as required
- providing a fire marshal service during an evacuation
- selling programmes and other merchandise
- actively engaging with the House Management team in the ongoing development
of
the Volunteers Programme
The Bridgewater Hall volunteers work closely with the public and as such, it is expected that you behave in a professional manner towards patrons and colleagues in order to reinforce the world-class quality standards of The Bridgewater Hall.
It is very important that we can rely on you to fulfill a commitment you have made to work at the Hall. We ask for volunteers to commit to shifts regularly in order to remain fully informed about events and activities, and to be provided with training and current information. We therefore ask you to commit to between 15 and 20 hours a month - which is approximately 4 shifts.
Benefits of being a Bridgewater Hall volunteer
In order to recognise and reward the role played by our volunteers, we offer
a range of benefits.
These include:
- entitlement to complimentary tickets for specified performances, based on
the
number of shifts which you have done
- discounts on a range of services at The Bridgewater Hall, including 20% off
in the
Stalls Café Bar (excluding alcohol) and 20% off items in the Hall shop.
- free transportation for an 'away day' twice a year. These events are organised
by the
volunteers and may include a trip to a theatre, a theme park or another concert
hall.
Where possible we will provide support in negotiating discounted ticket prices.
- an annual Christmas party for all volunteers plus a friend or partner. Please
note that
due to programme and space demands at the Hall during December, this party will
usually take place during January.
What to do now
If you would like to join The Bridgewater Hall Volunteer Programme you should
now register your interest by emailing your name and contact details to volunteers@bridgewater-hall.co.uk
Alternatively you can print out and complete the volunteers registration of interest form below. Copies of this form can also be collected from the Information point in the foyer at The Bridgewater Hall. Send your completed form to Simon Ward, The Bridgewater Hall Volunteer Programme, The Bridgewater Hall, Lower Mosley Street, Manchester M2 3WS or hand it to a member of staff at the Information point.
Once we have received your details you will be sent an acknowledgement and an invitation to the next Volunteers Programme recruitment event. These events are held approximately every 3 months.
The Bridgewater Hall Volunteer Programme
Registration of interest
Please provide the following details to register your interest in joining The Bridgewater Hall Volunteer Programme. Once your details have been registered you will be invited to attend the next volunteer recruiting session with available places. These sessions are run by the House Management team every 10-12 weeks.
Name:
Address:
Contact telephone no:
Email address:
Please provide details of any previous work experience you have, whether voluntary or paid:
When would you be available to start volunteering?:
Thank you for your interest in The Bridgewater Hall.