Volunteering with John Bunyan Community Boat
With the new cruising season just around the corner, The John Bunyan Community Boat is looking to recruit to their volunteer crew.
Volunteering for the John Bunyan Community Boat is an amazing way to enjoy the River Great Ouse in Bedford and is a hugely rewarding experience; in 2022 the team were awarded The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service– the MBE for volunteer groups.
With a number of roles available requiring a diversity of skills, there is something for everyone. Recognising the wealth of different perspectives and skills people can bring, the John Bunyan Boat is actively seeking volunteers from a variety of backgrounds to join the team.
New volunteers without prior experience can join as either Cabin Crew or Deck Crew, and from there train to become a Helm, Purser or even qualify as a Boatmaster. Read more about the roles here;
Volunteer cabin crew fulfil an important role; they are the ambassadors of the Trust, who attend to the needs of our passengers, ensuring that their experience on the John Bunyan is comfortable, enjoyable and safe.
Key tasks include setting up the cabin before the trip, welcoming customers on board, serving drinks and snacks, giving information about the boat and the BMK Waterway Trust, and ensuring the galley and cabin are clean and ready for the next cruise.
Deck crew are important members of the John Bunyan crew. They have responsibility for the safety of passengers boarding or alighting from the boat, securing the boat at moorings, operating locks and providing a look-out at the front of the boat, warning the helm via radio communication of any dangers, or other craft.
Key tasks include setting up the safety and operating equipment at the start of the cruise, taking lines ashore and securing the boat, operating the locks and maintaining a forward look-out whilst the boat is in motion. At the end of the cruise they are responsible for stowing all equipment safely, and securing the boat.
And on the shore, there is always work to be done promoting the boat at events such as the River Festival and Kite Festival;
Event volunteers
We are always looking for volunteers to help us at events to help sell tickets, promote the John Bunyan Boat or recruit volunteers.
The John Bunyan Boat Operations Management team are also looking for people to join them. Current vacancies include:
Chair
The John Bunyan Community Boat is seeking to fill a vacancy for the Chair. This is a leadership role; whilst some experience of handling boats on inland waterways would be useful, this is not essential.
The Chair leads business planning and review, risk management, management team recruitment and support, organisational development, business reporting and Trust liaison. The Chair needs to be able to lead with confidence, use management data to inform business decisions, and communicate well with all stakeholders.
As the business is led and almost entirely delivered by volunteers, with minimal support from contract administrators and other suppliers, people-management skills are important and experience of working with volunteers is an advantage.
Marketing the cruises on the John Bunyan Community Boat is important to maintain high levels of public ticket sales, and increase the number and range of organisations chartering the boat for their own events. The Marketing Manager is critical to developing and implementing cost-effective marketing campaigns to support the John Bunyan’s sales plan.
The Marketing Manager is responsible for leading the development of the brand identity and marketing guidelines, overseeing the production and distribution of marketing material, and the use of social media by the John Bunyan team. There is also an opportunity to market the boat at various events in Bedford, including the River Festival and the Kite festival.
The Commercial Manager is responsible for developing the annual Sales Plans for the operation of the John Bunyan Community Boat, and setting the cruise plan, pricing and booking conditions for the cruise activity. The role is also responsible for developing and maintaining relationships with local organisation who may partner with the boat, and for liaison with the press, media and PR agencies.
The Commercial Manager is supported by the Bookings Administrator, who handles all aspects of charter and public cruise bookings. We also plan to recruit a support manager responsible for liaison with Community groups and schools.
The Cabin Operations Manager has overall responsibility for customer care and refreshment services in the cabin, leading the Purser team who crew on cruises and assist with stock control etc.
The role covers the selection, training and management of the Purser team, oversight of the stock control and purchasing activity of the deep cleaning team. The Cabin Operations Manager is responsible for decisions about the catering offer on cruises, merchandising and pricing.
The Cabin Operations Manager is supported by up to 10 Pursers, some of whom are responsible for deep cleaning and stock purchasing. The Bookings Administrator also supports the Cabin Operations Manager in managing liaison with external caterers and managing the stock control system.
The John Bunyan Community Boat is operated by the Bedford and Milton Keynes Waterway Trust. To find out more about the Trust, visit our website
Roles are available to view on our volunteer page, or on Simply Connect. To apply, email Janet Goodland at volunteering@johnbunyanboat.org
