Lizzie Wiscombe, a long-serving volunteer at the Lyme Regis Museum in Dorset, has been recognized for her remarkable contributions to “museum learning” at the prestigious Marsh Awards for Volunteering ceremony.
Despite being partially sighted, Lizzie has been a dedicated volunteer for over a decade, sharing her passion for history and education.
Attending the event at the British Museum on September 23 with her guide dog Baden, Lizzie was thrilled to discover she had won the award for South West England.
“It was quite a shock,” she admitted, “I didn’t know they’d done it. To be told one Friday you’ve won the south-west award and then to be at the British Museum was amazing.”
The journey also marked Baden’s first-ever train ride, and he made his own impression at the ceremony. “He got to go on stage as well. Every time people clapped, he thought it was something he had done, so he was waggling his tail madly.”
Beyond greeting visitors, Lizzie brings history to life with her living-history sessions, often dressing as the famous fossil hunter Mary Anning and allowing children to handle fossils.
She also trains new volunteers, helps organize events, and even crafts Dorset buttons sold in the museum’s gift shop.
Notably, she played a role in helping actress Kate Winslet perfect her Mary Anning accent for the 2019 film Ammonite, filmed in Lyme Regis.
Museum director Bridgit Houseago praised Lizzie’s incredible dedication, saying, “Lizzie is a remarkable role model and stalwart volunteer. Despite many challenges, she has an outstanding positive attitude, is a resolute and dependable volunteer, and invaluable member of our team. We are so delighted that her dedication has been recognized with this prestigious award.”
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