Here at Durham Cathedral we are blessed with the support of over 700 volunteers, who work tirelessly and selflessly to create the best possible experience for those visiting Durham Cathedral. With Open Treasure due to open in summer 2016, our need for volunteers continues to grow!
Every single volunteer at Durham Cathedral is a superstar in their own right but one of our volunteers, Lilian Groves, has recently stepped into the lime light as one of only 11 people short-listed for VisitEngland’s Tourism Superstar Award 2016!
Lilian epitomises the commitment and dedication of all our volunteers and last summer Lilian’s invaluable support was recognized when she was crowned the Durham Tourism Superstar 2015. Now Lilian has been short-listed for the national award and with your help could be crowned the nation’s superstar, an accolade which she thoroughly deserves.
We hope the following facts will convince you to vote for Lilian, an incredible lady who is an asset not only to Durham Cathedral, but to Durham, the North East, and the whole nation. She truly is a national treasure!
- Lilian has volunteered at Durham Cathedral for over 25 years, making her one of our longest-serving volunteers.
- Despite being 87 years-old, Lilian delivers over 100 tours each year.
- Lilian’s tours are in such high demand that they are often booked up to two years in advance!
- Lilian is well-loved by everyone she meets and regularly receives thank you letters from admiring visitors and fans from across the globe.
- Lilian has given tours to many well-known guests during her time at Durham Cathedral, including Princess Anne, P D James, Sheila Hancock, Jeremy Vine, Sting and Bill Bryson.
- When Bill Bryson heard that Lilian had been voted Durham’s Tourism Superstar he sent a card saying that he’d always known she was a superstar.
- Lilian was awarded an MBE for services to education amongst other accolades, and for 20 years was honorary Secretary of the Friends of Durham Cathedral.
- Lilian is a former Vice-Principal of Hild Bede College, Durham University, and the gym at Hild Bede College is even named after Lilian!
- Lilian is a former PE lecturer and a former President of the Physical Education Association of the Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
- Lilian holds a Durham MEd for research into PE for children with special needs.
Lilian is one of the most generous, selfless, and inspirational people you could ever meet. In the words of Lilian herself, winning the Tourism Superstar Award will be wonderful, not only for her, but ‘for the Cathedral, for Durham City, and for the North East’.
So what are you waiting for? Please #Vote4Lilian today at www.vote4lilian.com
If you are interested in volunteering for Open Treasure, the new visitor experience opening at Durham Cathedral in summer 2016, please contact our Volunteers Manager at marie.wisson@durhamcathedral.co.uk
For other volunteering opportunities at Durham Cathedral, please visit www.durhamcathedral.co.uk/beinvolved/volunteer
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