Hitchin Nub News aims to support our community, promoting shops, businesses, charities, clubs and sports groups in and around our town and surrounding areas.

We regularly showcase some of these businesses, organisations and individuals doing excellent work in our community in a Nub News feature called 'Up Close'.

So, read on to learn more about the brilliant work the British Schools Museum is doing - boosted by kind hearted volunteers from Raymond James Financial Services in Hitchin.

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Staff at a hidden gem in our town have hailed a Hitchin based company after employees spent a day volunteering in aid of a much-loved fixture in our community.

British Schools Museum have praised the volunteer work of staff at Raymond James Investments for their generosity of spirit and kind-hearted nature in helping out at their historic site on Queen Street.

The evocative site on Queen Street which dates back to 1837 requires kind-hearted members of our Hitchin and North Herts community to lend a hand. 

The renowned museum in the heart of Hitchin is currently closed for its annual behind-the-scenes works including a thorough clean as well as maintenance works behind the scenes.

Hitchin Nub News paid a visit to the British Schools Museum this week to discover more about the site and volunteering at such a wonderful place.

The museum's passionate curator Max guided us round the fascinating site in the heart of Hitchin.

"Volunteering is the lifeblood of our museum," says good-natured Max, adding: "This is the time of year we love to call for volunteers because we actually have a short space of time of sit down and consider what we would like to do for the year and to aspire for it.

"We have many different types of volunteers to go for. We have the collections volunteers - who help us manage and run the massive collection we have here at the British Schools Museum - anything from desks to books to odd pieces of educational history which do need looking after round the clock.

"We also have our home team who look after the museum at the weekend and they take visitors round too."

Max tells us that the British Schools Museum will re-open for general visitors from Saturday, February 17 onwards, when the team will warmly welcome everyone back to the site, not only for a tour of the fascinating museum, but also for half-term craft sessions for children.

In the meantime, the site has been welcoming volunteers from a renowned Hitchin business.

Nicky Pope from Raymond James Hitchin amplified Max's comments, telling Nub News: "We're here because we wanted to help British Schools Museum.

"The team here gave us an amazing tour of the site - so we offered to help paint the walls white. Which we've been doing."

On the day Nub News visited, six staff from Raymond James mucked in to help paint the inside walls of the historic main building at BSM with whitewash, before adding a second layer, after a well-earned cup of tea.

Referring to the team's white overalls, Nicky said tongue in cheek, "we're wearing our Hitchin CSI outfit which is really flattering - we look like forensic scientists," adding with a smile, "It's all good fun.

"Volunteering is part of our visions and values that we actively support local organisations and charities."

Raymond James Hitchin support a raft of good causes across North Herts including Letchworth's Garden House Hospice, Herts Crusaders Rugby League team, Hitchin Belles FC, Hitchin Ladies rugby, CHUMS charity and the Queen Mother Theatre.

"Volunteering means a lot to us. It's what the business is about," Nicky underlines. "They could keep the money and go on nice holidays but they'd rather give it back to our community. I've never worked anywhere in my career where volunteering and being so community minded has been so important."

The site in Hitchin holds a unique place in the history of education as it boasts the world's last remaining purpose-built Monitorial schoolroom. The grade II* listed building opened in 1837, but the school was founded in 1810, a full 80 years before the government finally provided free elementary education for all - even more reason to get involved by volunteering.

"What does volunteering mean to me?" asks kind-hearted Nicky. "Personally I love it. I also volunteer at the Queen Mother Theatre helping run that - volunteering is all about giving back. I love to volunteer.

"Volunteering might be during work time but I genuinely believe that if it had been a Saturday morning we would still have done it. It's about giving. "

Raymond James' hard-working volunteers find time for a quick cuppa before heading back to apply a second coat of paint at the British Schools Museum's historic buildings. CREDIT: Hitchin Nub News

"I would say why not consider becoming a volunteer," adds Nicky. "Money is short for many people so why not try and give up some of your valuable time instead. You might not be able to donate money but you can give up a few hours of your time every month to help a great cause.

"The only time I've ever previously been here was a one-man Sherlock Holmes show many years ago. It was the first and only time I've ever been here. It's like a really well known place that is also Hitchin's best kept secret - which is such a shame as it's a phenomenal place.

"You have more than one historic classroom, you have all the history, all the props, the schoolmaster and schoolmistresses places - I literally live a thousand yards from this place and I literally didn't know anything about it until now.

"We're so lucky to have this on our doorstep - I think it'd also make a great film location."

Max (pictured above) adds "Thank you to Raymond James Hitchin. We have such a backlog of work after Covid, so to have people who actually come in to help really keeps our buildings alive.

"This is a Grade II listed building and is incredibly important in the history of education not just in this country but around the world - so to have volunteers who want to come and help us look after it as well is extremely heartening.

"My advice to people would be get down here and enjoy what they have to offer. Come down and have a look. Why not spend a few hours here. There's a cafe and a garden. It's absolutely lovely - and why not bring a paintbrush and help paint the walls."

That's not all. Raymond James Hitchin also stumped up hard cash to help the historic site.

Nicky takes up the story. "Our team, including branch principals Susie Bewell and Faye Silver and myself also heard about the missing skylights here at the British Schools Museum - which literally made us cry because we were worried about possible snow coming through. So we paid for them to be replaced."

An abacus in the school's evocative early 19th century classroom. CREDIT: Hitchin Nub News

And have Nicky and the staff from Raymond James been behaving themselves while volunteering.

Engaging Max laughs, before joking with a smile while standing in Hitchin's historic Victorian era school museum, complete with abacus: "We've had to get the cane out a couple of times - and we're considering using the old monitorial punishment of putting naughty people in a basket and hanging them up from the ceiling in a cage - which used to happen."

(c) Hitchin Nub News

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Max tells us that the British Schools Museum will re-open for general visitors from Saturday, February 17 onwards, when the team will warmly welcome everyone back to the site, not only for a tour of the fascinating museum, but also for half-term craft sessions for children.

"We have the teaching and learning teams which are probably what we're most known for here," the respected curator tells us.

"So, we have school visits where we recreate Victorian school lessons - or it might just be taking round a local Women's Institute group - or it might be a care home and helping people top recall their time in education.

"It's really quite nice to host such groups."

Why Volunteer

Volunteering is a great way to meet new people, learn new skills and help your community.

It's a fantastic way to enhance your CV, gain new experiences and even improve your wellbeing.

By volunteering, you'll be helping people across Letchworth and making a positive difference in your community.

So, if you are thinking of volunteering and would like to learn more - or if you are planning to visit with a large group, or intend to visit outside of our normal opening hours, or planning to use their extensive collection of historical educational texts for research - or even if you are interested in filming in their historic settings handily situated in Hitchin town centre, then why not contact the British Schools Museum on [email protected] with all queries.

"We look forward to hearing from you," says passionate curator Max.

RELATED ARTICLES

British Schools Museum issues rallying cry for volunteers - find out how to help such an iconic Hitchin institution

Letchworth: How to learn new skills, meet friendly people and help make our town an even better place to live - volunteer now

Letchworth: Garden House Hospice hail kind-hearted Raymond James volunteering work

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