Volunteer Voices: Birthdays & Knitting with Diana
Volunteer Voices: Birthdays & Knitting with Diana
Long-standing volunteer, Diana, is celebrating her 80th birthday on 15 July.
She has volunteered at the Dockyard since 2014, as a member of the Chatham Dockyard Historical Society and a gallery steward. Whilst volunteering in Steam, Steel & Submarines, she helps our visitors by answering questions about the Dockyard’s history and navigating the Trust’s archives.
She always goes the extra mile to help out the Dockyard wherever she can. In particular, she has supported many of our community-based craft projects, and most recently she’s been helping out with the Threads of Remembrance project, personally producing 100s of handmade poppies.
Happy Birthday, Diana! Thank you for all your support over the years, and thank you for all the poppies you have made so far.
Diana’s volunteering story… in her own words
I have been involved with the Dockyard for the last 11 years. My husband, David, had started helping in the Steam, Steel and Submarines gallery, and I joined him in 2014. I felt it would fit in with my RNLI, as I was an Education Volunteer at the time. This meant I visited schools and colleges teaching beach safety. I also attended several weekly events that featured around 10 other agencies. Children would attend a morning or afternoon session to go through different scenarios. I also talked to adult groups about the work of the RNLI.
Diana on volunteering as a gallery steward …
I find it very rewarding to be able to help members of the public unravel their family history. Some will produce naval records, which we use as a starting point to search for more information. Sometimes we can give them a picture of the ship’s badge that we hold in our archive. I have learnt quite a lot from the visitors themselves. As my Father served in the Navy at Chatham for 33 years. I remember much about the Naval Barracks and Church as they used to be.
Diana on being a part of the threads of remembrance project…
Over the past 70 years, I have enjoyed making many beautiful things from wedding and bridesmaids’ dresses for family and friends to special cross-stitch keepsakes. Stage costumes were always a joy to make and very rewarding when you see them up on stage.
I have knitted and crocheted lots of things for my six grandchildren and I still enjoy making all my own greeting cards.
I have always been involved in Remembrance services, and I have taken part in stage productions. Threads of Remembrance is a good opportunity to do something positive in honour of the many so tragically lost during the War years.
Currently, I have made over 300 poppies, and my goal is to complete at least 500.
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