YEAR 10 WORK EXPERIENCE

My Work Experience has been very interesting. On Monday, my first day, it was a sort of an introduction day; I got to know the palace and its offices in a brief tour, getting to know my work experience colleagues plus the other volunteers. The only work I did that day was tidying up after the most recent event, Party at The Palace.

On Tuesday, I welcomed visitors both on the drawbridge entrance and at the palace front desk. It heavily boosted my confidence in speaking to strangers and I answered lots of assorted questions.

On Wednesday, I spent a whole day working in the gardens. I weeded and cut back spent flowers in the morning then, after a heavily extended lunch break, moved back to pick tomatoes and chard for the shop and café.

Thursday saw me picking flowers in the gardens for my morning section and selling them in the shop. In a misunderstanding, a member of the public almost walked off with some flowers without paying!! But this minor drama didn’t last long, and the flowers were restored to the box within two minutes. In the afternoon, I designed an event and, after a talk with the events manager, my ‘Walk Through Time’ at the Palace may well become a thing!

Friday, at the time of writing up, I have just completed a guessing game of the palace website’s FAQ’s and learned even more about the venue. After lunch break, I will be treated to an hour of croquet and end with cake at the café before finishing an hour early!

I would recommend this placement to ANYONE who likes either gardening, cooking, history or a bit of all of the above. I’ve had such a wonderful time here at the palace and I am sure that any future members of the work experience group will find themselves greatly implemented, respected and valued in the palace. It’s also been a great deal of fun, and I have above all just had a fun time working here.