Heritage Malta has taken its first group of volunteers onboard. The 12 selected volunteers will be mostly lending a hand at Heritage Malta’s sites and museums in Valletta, Rabat and at The Institute of Conservation and Management of Cultural Heritage in Kalkara.

Working a minimum of ten hours a week, all volunteers will be initially deployed as custodians and eventually assigned specific skills according to their preference and areas of expertise. The volunteers hail from various backgrounds with the majority being pensioners who are keen on spending some of their free time on a good case: that of preserving Malta’s priceless cultural heritage. Three of the volunteers are graduate students. Prior to their placement, volunteers will be attending an induction day held in mid-March, giving them the opportunity to meet the curators and familiarise themselves with the sites and museums.

Heritage Malta launched its Volunteer Programme earlier this year in a bid to encourage a sense of hands-on ownership toward the safeguarding of our Islands’ heritage. For its first intake, the agency received 22 applications, a response that exceeded its expectations. No specific qualifications are required, although knowledge of languages is an asset. In return, volunteers will be invited to join in-house training programmes, lectures and inaugurations and will, in time, also be eligible for a membership card that entitles the holder to unlimited access to all Heritage Malta sites and museums, with the exception of the Hal Saflieni Hypogeum.

The Volunteers Programme is an ongoing programme. Interested individuals are therefore encouraged to contact Heritage Malta Head Office on 22 954 000 for more information. Maltese and resident foreigners alike are welcome to join this programme.