I recently discovered that many people I meet have volunteering experience, some have been volunteering for years, supporting a cause, contributing to making other people’s lives better, and think nothing of it. I must confess I am not part of that club, although I did volunteer at my daughter’s school library for a couple of years.

I guess it is in the giving of ourselves that we are ultimately realised so I’ve decided that I need to volunteer in some way and hopefully learn something in the process. I’d been thinking about training to be a guide at St Albans Cathedral for a while and last year was inspired by a volunteer who had been a cathedral guide at St Paul’s Cathedral for years; so I applied and much to my amazement, was accepted for training.

At first, I wasn’t sure whether or not I was going to see it through as there was so much to learn, but I persevered and decided to take it at my own pace. My love of architecture was a huge help as it fuelled my interest, and getting the opportunity to use my languages again with so many tourists has been wonderful.

Our cathedral is a stunning historical space in which to train! I love the way you can casually stand beneath an 11th century Norman pillar, or under a Saxon arch constructed with recycled Roman bricks; or sit in the quire and look up at an original 14th century ceiling; or take the stairs up the tower and get a closer look at the rose window stonework and a kaleidoscope of colour in the stained glass.

There were evenings held in the dimly lit lady chapel and nave where we were tested on our knowledge and communication skills learning how to address our group; one of our assignments was to give a three-minute talk on a particular part of the cathedral.

I learned many interesting facts from my fellow students’ talks; that the cathedral had been one of the premium monasteries in the country, that the lady chapel was used as a boy’s school for more than 300 years, and that the 14th century watching loft in the shrine is the only original one left in the UK.

The tour is divided into about nine sections; soon my notes piled up and I started revising. It was all a little bit overwhelming at one stage as rote learning has never been my forte. Eventually I realized that I didn’t need to get every single fact in and began to abbreviate my knowledge onto index cards; now I’m at the stage where I’ve almost memorised the tour.

I’ve never really had to address an audience and felt quite nervous at first, but after doing it a few times you can see that visitors are genuinely interested and eager to hear more about almost 1,000 years of cathedral history. As trainee guides, we’re hugely supported by our mentors and also invited to attend lectures by experienced guides and guest speakers deepening and enriching our cathedral knowledge. I like feeling as if I’m part of some learned society!

It was definitely worth having a go. I’m aiming to get my certificate within the next few months, and hope the visitors will find my guided tours entertaining and interesting. I’ve enjoyed the process of finding out which voluntary work suits my skill set. There are so many ways to give back to the community and express yourself at the same time! If you have an hour or two to spare, volunteering is a great opportunity to spread a little happiness and have a positive impact on other people’s lives.

  • Marisa Laycock moved from south west London to St Albans in 2000. She enjoys sharing her experiences of living in the city.