Get involved

Get Involved

There are many ways in which people of all ages can get involved in the life of the Museum. There are opportunities for volunteers, work experience, involvement in special art projects and in the Friends' organisation.

Volunteers Placements

Volunteers make an important contribution to the work of the Museum. If you have spare time and skills to share, and would like to become a volunteer please contact us. You will be asked to complete an application form and attend an informal interview before being accepted.

To find out more about volunteering for Tyne & Wear Museums please visit the volunteering section.

FOSUMS - Friends of Sunderland Museums

FOSUMS is an organisation for everyone interested in museums and galleries. It exists to support and encourage interest in Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens and Monkwearmouth Station Museum. It does this through monthly meetings, social events and fundraising. FOSUMS holds monthly lectures at the meetings on the third Thursday of every month.

Members can offer practical help with Museum activities by giving specialist help where they have relevant skills, by helping at exhibition previews, by publicising Museum activities and by raising money for the purchase of exhibits and Museum developments.

For further information about FOSUMS please contact Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens on (0191) 553 2323.

An annual membership is:
Adults: £9
Concessions: £8
Students: £8
Dual membership (must reside at same address): £14

Work Experience

The Museum is able to take a limited number of work placement students. Students are usually placed within the Learning Team but every effort is made to give them as wide experience of museum work as possible. You will be asked to complete an application form and attend an informal interview before being accepted. Contact Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens for more details on (0191) 553 2323.

Workshops and Activities

The Museum provides opportunities for working with artists, craftspeople, writers, storytellers and other performance artists for the whole community. Sessions on a variety of themes are on offer to schools, including 'Living History' and 'Object Handling'.

North Tyneside Steam Railway Association (NTSRA)

Formerly the Monkwearmouth Station Museum Association the NTSRA was formed in the late 1980's at the Stephenson Railway Museum. The association is managed by a committee that meets quarterly and has an Annual General Meeting yearly. The association exists to provide a volunteer workforce to assist with the maintenance and conservation of locomotives and rolling stock. During the spring through to the autumn the volunteers operate the steam train service from Museum to Percy Main, approximately a four mile round trip. Duties include Drivers for both steam and diesel locomotives, Fireman, Guard, Shunter and Operations Controller, all are vital for the successful and safe running of the railway. New volunteers are always welcome, training will be given on the technical aspects of running trains and in personal and passenger safety. Some of our volunteers have engineering skills however just as important are organisational and administrative skills. If you decide to join us you'll find a variety of jobs that need doing and something to suit everyone.

Membership fees,
Adult £9.00
Family member £14.50
Concessions and Juniors £4.50