Meet Fern, Project House Steward

Having assisted with the inventory process, Fern has recently been working on the plan for the storage of items – where they will be put, how they are to be recorded, the materials needed and the organisation and practicalities of moving them. She has planned out on paper what will be going on each shelf in the store and facilitated the recent removal of furniture.

As Fern explains, working at 575 is unique and hard to compare with experiences at other properties. In her previous position at Tyntesfield, she was part of a very large team with hundreds of volunteers, whereas at 575, the team at the house has usually consisted of three people. She says that it is lucky that the team has got on so well, considering they have been working in such a confined space! Fern has had to get used to working in a house that is so much smaller, rather than properties with fifty or so bedrooms. Setting up a photography table for the inventory or finding a place for packing crates has been a challenge: ‘Every time you do a job, you take up space’, she comments ruefully.

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