Frances joined the Trimontium Trust as Volunteer Co-ordinator in February 2020 and is now our Volunteer and Visitor Experience Manager, using her tourism experience to transform the administration of the Trust and its membership. As part of the team who contributed to the relaunch of the museum in August 2021, she has since helped recruit, train and support many new volunteers, increasing the volunteer team tenfold.
Frances believes in making sure that volunteering is a positive and enjoyable experience for all. Looking forward, she hopes to support Trimontium volunteers through learning new skills, creating opportunities for sharing knowledge, working with schools to provide work experience for students, and ultimately setting in motion an ethos to ensure that future volunteers continue to benefit from their experience with the Trust.
As a postgraduate in Scottish Ethnology, Frances has worked most of her life in tourism and heritage in Scotland, striving to bring history to life for all. Having spent many years as a tour guide and guide trainer in Edinburgh, she has since written tours and trained staff for a variety of top tourism attractions in Scotland. Returning to her love of urban history, she has also worked as part of H.E.S Scotland’s Urban Past – a five year project to encourage recording of urban history and sites by local communities. Frances, although a Leither by birth, now lives in Lauder with her family and is delighted to be playing a part bringing the heritage of the Borders to life through the exciting work of the Trimontium Trust.
