Visitor Centre Assistant's Handbook

Rutland Water Nature Reserve Visitor Centre Assistant's Handbook

www.rutlandwater.org.uk Volunteer Training Centre Oakham Rd, Rutland, LE15 8AD 01572 720049 1 YOUR ROLE AS A VISITOR CENTRE VOLUNTEER

Your role is to assist with the day to day running of the visitor centres, ensuring all visitors are welcomed and given any information they require about the work of the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust in partnership with Anglian Water.

The work you will be involved with includes:

 Providing an enthusiastic and warm welcome to all visitors  Providing information about Rutland Water Nature Reserve, other LRWT reserves and Anglian Water Parks.  Promoting a positive image of LRWT and Anglian Water and the benefits of becoming an annual permit holder or LRWT member.  Serving in the visitor centre shop, operating the till and dealing with various methods of payments.  Ensuring the shop is kept tidy and stock replenished.  Ensuring the leaflets and notices in the centre and on external notice boards are up to date and leaflets replenished.  Answering telephone calls from the public and providing information on Rutland Water Nature Reserve

Skills and knowledge you will use in your role include:

 Having a friendly, enthusiastic and welcoming personality.  Being able to talk to a wide range of people.  Having a love of wildlife and wild places  Having the numeracy skills needed to serve customers in the shop and a willingness to learn how to operate a till and credit card machine.  Being a reliable time keeper  Being able to work alongside Rutland Water Nature Reserve staff and other volunteers as well as working unsupervised.

Both visitor centres host school visits and educational events so a child friendly approach is essential.

YOUR ROLE AS A VISITOR CENTRE VOLUNTEER

Times/ days we would like you to be available:

With the exception of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day the Anglian Water Birdwatching Centre is open seven days a week from 9am until 5pm from March to October and 9am until 4pm from November to February. The Lyndon Visitor Centre is open from 9am until 5pm between Mid-March and Mid-September. Each day is split into two shifts (9am-1pm/ 1pm-5pm or 9am- 12:30pm/ 12:30pm-4pm). We ask that volunteers commit to at least two shifts per month if possible.

Portraying a professional image is essential It is vital to portray a professional approach by giving a friendly greeting as visitors enter the centre.

Be prepared for the questions visitors might ask. Keep an eye on the RWNR websites and Facebook pages and your volunteer website. Rutland Water Nature Reserve: www.rutlandwater.org.uk Rutland Osprey Project: www.ospreys.org.uk LRWT: www.lrwt.org.uk Volunteers’ website: www.rutlandwater.org.uk/volunteers

 Make sure you are familiar with the reserve  Make sure you are familiar with the products in the shop.  Keep the desk tidy and clear.  Do not place drinks on the counter top and take refreshments discreetly, out of sight of visitors.  Keep newspapers and magazines out of sight and do not read in front of visitors. Do not read books or magazines for sale in the shop, unless you intend to buy them.  Do not shout for assistance, instead please fetch people or pick up the phone and dial the relevant number.  You will be given a fleece and t-shirt once you have registered as a volunteer. Please make sure you wear your uniform whilst volunteering for us. You are representing both AW and LRWT.  Please do not comment negatively on either organisation.  The staff are always on hand to help, so please don’t hesitate to ask for assistance. 3

CONSERVATION AND INDUSTRY IN PARTNERSHIP

This internationally famous nature reserve is managed by the Leicestershire & Rutland Wildlife Trust in partnership with Anglian Water and provides one of the most important wildfowl sanctuaries in Great Britain, regularly holding in excess of 20,000 waterfowl. It is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, designated as a European Special Protection Area and internationally recognised as a globally important wetland RAMSAR site

THE LEICESTERSHIRE & RUTLAND WILDLIFE TRUST The Leicestershire & Rutland Wildlife Trust is working to create a living landscape rich in wildlife, valued and enjoyed by all. We do this through:  Protecting and enhancing wildlife and wild places  Inspiring people about the natural world and encouraging everyone to take action for wildlife  Standing up for wildlife and the natural environment. The Trust manages 32 nature reserves covering nearly 3,000 acres of valuable wildlife habitats. From woodland to meadows, wetland to heaths, our nature reserves comprise some of the most important wildlife and geological sites in the counties with 20 being Sites of Special Scientific Interest and 2 designated as National Nature Reserves. As well as containing wonderfully rich and varied animal and plant species, many extremely rare, the nature reserves are also important places for people to visit and enjoy, and appreciate outstanding wildlife. ANGLIAN WATER Anglian Water supply water and water recycling services to more than six million domestic and business customers in the east of England and Hartlepool. They are the biggest water and water recycling company in England and Wales by geographic area. There are many important habitats and rare species of plants and animals that occur on Anglian Water sites or around their operations and they take their responsibilities towards protecting wildlife very seriously. It is because of this commitment that the partnership between Anglian Water and the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust works so well at Rutland Water Nature Reserve. Thanks to funding from Anglian Water, the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust deliver vital conservation management to ensure that the habitat and Rutland Water is kept in optimum condition, its wildlife is protected and members of the public can 4 enjoy their local wild places. THE STORY BEHIND CONSERVATION AND INDUSTRY IN PARTNERSHIP RUTLAND WATER NATURE RESERVE

The Reserve was created in the 1970s as part of the building of the Res- ervoir. The idea that the new reservoir should have wildlife conservation value as well as amenity use and the role of water provi- sion was central to the project from the start. Rutland Water Nature Re- serve, and the Reservoir as a whole, very quickly became an important location for bird life, both native species and summer and winter visitors. In 1982 it was declared a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in 1992 became a Ramsar site (of international wetland importance), and was also designated a Special Protection Area (SPA) which means it has protection under European Bird-life Directives. In particular the Re- serve is internationally important for its population of Shoveler, Gadwall and some twenty thousand winter wildfowl that visit each year.

Because of these important designations, the way Rutland Water Nature Reserve is managed (and indeed the whole reservoir maintained) is subject to the ultimate oversight of Natural England. Both Anglian Water and the Trust are answerable to Natural England for the way Rutland Water Nature Reserve is managed for its wildlife value.

In 2002 the Trust’s management responsibilities were extended to four areas of woodland around the Reservoir: Berrybut Spinneys (on the South Shore) Hambleton and Armley Woods (on the Hambleton penin- sula) and Barnsdale Wood on the North Shore of the North Arm. Man- agement work on these sites has started to enhance their wildlife value enormously, with felling of non-native trees and coppicing work allowing woodland flora to flourish again.

Wood Warbler

5 THE ANGLIAN WATER BIRDWATCHING CENTRE

The Anglian Water Birdwatching Centre at Egleton is the main visitor centre. We have many facilities available here including the Wildlife Trust shop, a viewing gallery, interpretation room, wildlife garden and room hire facilities. From Egleton the Trust runs a wide range of courses and walks and we host many school visits, as well as children’s activities in the spring.

The Rutland Environmental Education Centre forms part of the Anglian Water Birdwatching Centre and comprises a large multi-purpose classroom/meeting room which is available to hire. It offers unrivalled views across the nature reserve as well as the latest technology and flexible arrangements for school and education groups, meetings, workshops or social events. The exhibition and interpretation area has a range of interactive displays of interest for children and adults alike. During the summer months there is also an extensive display about the Rutland Osprey Project, with video images from an Osprey nest and volunteers on hand to provide the latest news and updates.

Julia, Joelle, Dale, Sarah and Tim Appleton are all based at the AWBC.

The Birdwatching Centre has a long association with “In Focus” optics suppliers, who have a shop located in the Centre. The shop manager is Mike Willis.

The shop has a wide variety of gifts including:  A range of bird feeders and bird seed  Branded mugs and T-shirts  A variety of bird books for beginners and experts alike.  Gifts, souvenirs and greeting cards to suit young and old  Smaller items for children to purchase

All profits from the shop go to Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust.

6 THE ANGLIAN WATER BIRDWATCHING CENTRE THE LYNDON VISITOR CENTRE

The Lyndon Visitor Centre where the Rutland Osprey Project is based on the South Shore of the Reserve was opened by Sir David Attenborough in 1985. The Centre is open from mid-March to mid- September (depending on weather conditions). Now in our eighteenth year, Rutland Water is home to the first Ospreys to breed in England for 150 years following a successful translocation programme from Scotland We observe them from their arrival from Africa in Spring, through to their Autumn migration.

The centre features our live, multi-angle Osprey camera as well as fantastic displays looking at the relationship between weather and wildlife, with specific sections on weather, climate change and phenology. There is also lots of information on the Osprey project and the reserve in general and Osprey Project staff will be on hand to give you information about the Ospreys.

Waderscrape hide is a fifteen minute walk from the Lyndon Centre and has great views of the osprey nest seen on the webcam. It has superb views of not only the ospreys but also smaller reedbed birds such as Reed Buntings and Reed and Sedge Warblers. We have also had increased sightings of Water Voles recorded at Waderscrape hide. From March to September the hide is manned by our team of Osprey Project volunteers who will make sure visitors get the best possible views of the Ospreys through our project telescopes and answer any questions they may have.

NB: Dogs - to safeguard wildlife, grazing sheep and cattle, dogs are not allowed on the Egleton area of the nature reserve. At Lyndon, dogs are allowed, but they must be kept on a lead. Assistance dogs are allowed on both reserves.

NB: Cyclists: The paths on both sites are for walkers only. Both centres have cycle parks for visitors arriving by bicycle.

7 DAY PERMITS & CAR PARKING

DAY PERMITS All visitors who go out on to the reserve need to buy a permit. It is important that you ask the right questions to ascertain what kind of permit they need.  Adult  Concessions (Over 60s, disabled, carer and Students)  Child (Under 16s. Children under 6 go free)  Family (2 adults, 3 children)  Short Break (any 4 days in 10) Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust members are entitled to 10% off the price of their permit on production of a valid membership card. There are special prices for groups of ten or more who book in advance and for short trip visitors. There is also a great value family ticket. The prices are all detailed on the wall behind the desk. In the winter (November 1st to end of February we do an afternoon permit for those arriving after 12pm to allow for the shorter days. See the till instructions for how to process a discount on the till. If a visitor wants to walk around the centre for a short time, or visit In Focus they do not need a permit but are not allowed up to the viewing gallery. CAR PARKING All visitors must display either a day parking permit or their annual pass disc clearly in their car. Car parking at the nature reserve is included in the cost of a day permit or annual pass. When you sell a permit to a visitor it is very important that you advise them of this. To issue their parking permit after selling them their day permits press the “PRINT” tab at the top of the screen and then select “PRINT GIFT RECEIPT”. The car parks are for nature reserve users only. Please advise anyone who only wants to pay for parking of the other car parks around the reservoir. If a visitor comes back with a car parking ticket they have been given, they need to buy a permit if they have parked there and been on the reserve or elsewhere. If they have been in the centre or in In Focus, they do not need a permit. Please apologise and take their ticket.

8 ANNUAL NATURE RESERVE PERMITS DAY PERMITS & CAR PARKING & LRWT MEMBERSHIP

If the visitor uses the nature reserve once a month or more it may be more cost effective for them to purchase an annual permit. When they buy an annual permit they automatically become a basic member of the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust (LRWT). LRWT membership details will be sent via post within a few weeks. The customer can opt to purchase a joint or family LRWT membership if they wish. If the customer is already a LRWT member they can buy the permit at substantial discount on production of a valid membership card. Annual permit holders receive free entry and car parking at all Anglian Water Nature Reserves (see back of permit), as well as LRWT reserves throughout the two counties. They also receive a 10% discount on seed and feeders at the Anglian Water Birdwatching Centre and Lyndon Visitor Centre, LRWT’s Wildlife News Magazines three times a year and LRWT family membership includes Wildlife Watch. On the shelf behind the desk you will find a folder marked “nature reserve permits”. Please ensure that these forms are completed in full. It is very important that you make a note of their LRWT membership number, type and expiry date, and the old nature reserve permit number (if renewing). You also need to note the new permit number. If the customer pays tax then they can sign the Gift Aid declaration so that we can claim the tax back as a donation, so please encourage customers to fill this in where possible. You will need to give the customer a permit card which can be found next to the folder in a cardboard box. On the card write the expiry date as one year from the current month e.g. end Jan 2015 (or from the date the old pass expires if it is being renewed for a future date). Please write “ALL” next to “VALID AT” as it is valid at all Anglian Water Parks. Also give them a car parking pass which is valid at Lyndon and Egleton and take down the pass number. To put the permit through the till follow the till instructions.

9 USING THE TILL

PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE THE TILL UNATTENDED AT ANY TIME

When you arrive for your shift, log on to the till as either “Volunteer AM” or “Volunteer PM” by swiping the appropriate card in the swiping slot on the right hand side of the screen.

If you swipe and get a warning saying “No Product or Categories were Found” then you swiped the card too slowly simply swipe it again.

To serve a customer:- Enter the product Begin the transaction by entering the product you wish to sell. If it has a barcode scan it. A handful of items do not have barcodes. Sell these by selecting them on the ‘Non-barcoded items’ section on the till Till Menu The till menu is on the left hand side of the screen and consists of buttons labelled as follows:-

Annual Permits NR (This consists of all the items you need to sell ANNUAL permits) Day Permits NR (All types of day permit, including buggy hire) Drinks (1 sachet and 2 sachet hot drinks) AWBC Barcoded Items (You shouldn’t have to use this for anything other than unbarcoded items) Events (includes all events to sell to customers at booking)

10 USING THE TILL USING THE TILL

Multiple Items If you wish to sell more than one of a particular product, put one through and then push the orange plus sign next to the product to increase the quantity to how many you would like to sell. If you push the button too many times, simply use the minus button to take the quantity back down. DO NOT DO THIS IF YOU ARE DISCOUNTING THE ITEM. SCAN THEM SEPARATELY AND DISCOUNT THEM SEPARATELY. Void To void an item push the red cross next to it. This will take that item off the sale completely To cancel an entire transaction before taking payment use the red ‘Delete’ button at the bottom. To cancel it after you’ve taken payment, fetch a member of staff to do a refund. Discounts Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust members get 10% off day permits, bird food and bird feeders. Volunteers also get 10% discount on bird food and bird feeders. Anglian Water members of staff get 20% off Day Permits and Anglian Water led events. To apply a discount, scan/input the product you wish to sell, tap the gift tag icon next to it on the screen and then tap where it says “select reason” to choose your discount. Use “LRWT mem. PERMITS” to take 10% off day permits Use “LRWT Mem. SEED & FEEDERS” to take 10% off bird food and feeders Use “AW staff” to give a 20% discount off day permits and Anglian Water events TO RECEIVE DISCOUNT IT IS VITAL THAT THE CUSTOMER SHOWS THEIR MEMBERSHIP CARD. Only members of LRWT get discount, no other Wildlife Trusts or charities get discount. Apply discounts after all items have been scanned through 11 TAKING PAYMENTS

Payment Once you have entered all of the products you need to sell and applied any discounts you are ready to take payment. Push the green “Pay” button at the bottom of the screen, then tell the customer what the total is (in the bottom right of the screen). The reason you push pay first is the till will then adjust to any multibuys e.g. logs are £5 each or 3 for £12. The total will only change to £12 after pushing pay. A payment screen will appear on the left hand side. Cash Payment If they give you cash either push one of the black ‘quick amount’ buttons if it matches what they’ve given you e.g. a £10 note, or type the amount in on the orange keys. If you type in just 2 that means £2. If you type in 2.00 that also means £2. If you put in .2 it means 20p. Once you have entered the amount they have given you, push the “cash” button in the bottom left and the till drawer will open and the screen will tell you the change to give on the bottom left.

Card Payment REMEMBER THE MINIMUM TRANSACTION FOR A CARD PAYMENT IS £5 If you are taking a card payment, press the ‘Chip and Pin transaction’ button. This will feed the amount to the card machine. Process the payment, then once complete tap the green ‘tick’ and tap ‘Card’ to open the till. Make sure the card payment didn’t decline before doing this final stage.

12 TAKING PAYMENTS CARD PAYMENTS

Chip & Pin payments Insert the card in to the slot at the bottom of the machine, chip first and on the top. Ask the customer to follow the instructions. Give the customer copy to the customer, make sure the merchant copy goes in the till.

Contactless Payments Some credit cards have the ability to pay wirelessly and don’t need to have a pin entered. Doing a wireless payment is much quicker. If the card has a wireless symbol on you can use it wirelessly for any payments under £30. After you have pushed the ‘Chip and Pin transaction’ button and the amount is displayed on the card machine, the customer simply needs to touch the machine with their card. The following stages are the same as a chip and pin payment.

Finalising the card payment Once the card payment has gone through the card machine, push the “Card” button on the till. The till drawer will open and you can put your slip inside.

13 THINGS TO NOTE

Volunteers can no longer process refunds, you need a member of staff to do it as they need to swipe their card.

Buggy hire: refunding the deposit The price for buggy hire at either centre is £25, or £20 for Annual Permit Holders. These prices include a £15 refundable deposit. In order to refund the deposit on return of the buggy they must produce the original receipt, then a member of staff will process it

If you accidentally input a transaction as cash instead of card (or vice versa) tell the member of staff immediately. We can no longer fix this at the end of the day so it needs to be done straight away.

To put a donation through the till go to ‘Non Scan’ then ‘Donation’, then change the quantity to get the correct amount. Every 1 donation is worth a penny, so to put a £5 donation through change the quantity to 500 etc.

If a customer goes away and you are half way through their transaction you can put it on hold and go back to it. However it is vital things are not left on hold till the end of the day and forgotten about so it may be easier by using the Delete button at the bottom of the screen to cancel the whole transaction and start again later.

If an alarm goes off while you are using the till then the receipt paper has run out. Tell a staff member.

Day visitors to the reserve still need to put a parking permit in their car. Sell them their day permits first and complete that transaction. Then, go in to “Print” at the top of the screen. Select “Print Gift Receipt” and this will print off their car permit.

To open the till without a transaction go to “Admin” at the top of the screen then select “No Sale”

14 THINGS TO NOTE COURSES & EVENTS

We run a variety of wildlife and countryside themed courses and events on the reserve. Keep an eye on our website for details. Customers can book on to events and courses via our websites, where they can pay by PayPal, over the phone or in person. Payment in full must be taken at the time of booking, if taken over the phone or in person.

Wildlife walks, events and courses Booking sheets for all of these events are kept in the courses folder under the desk at the Anglian Water Birdwatching Centre. Please ensure you take the customer’s full name and contact details and the forms are completed in full.

Osprey Cruises, walks & events Bookings for these events can be made either online, over the phone or in person at either visitor centre. At Egleton Julia can take osprey bookings. All staff at Lyndon will take them. Vouchers and bookings for Osprey Cruises can be sold as soon as the dates become available for the following year, usually in time for Christmas.

15 TELEPHONE ENQUIRIES

Customers in the shop always take priority over telephone calls. You should be able to answer many of the queries that we get via phone, or redirect the caller to the right person. We receive a lot of enquiries related to other activities taking place around the reservoir so there is a list of useful numbers behind the desk for reference. Direct all general local enquiries to the Tourist Information Centre at Sykes Lane on 01780 686800. To hold the line whilst you gather information press the hold button, to get the caller back press resume. Callers wishing to contact staff directly can be given the direct dial numbers or you can transfer the telephone call through.

To Transfer:

1. Answer Call

2. Press the Transfer Button (this puts the caller on hold)

3. Type in the transfer number (list behind desk)

4. When party answers tell them who it is, then press transfer

5. Put the phone down

If the caller chooses to leave a message with you, please ensure you take their name, number and reason for calling and write the message in the book provided next to the phone. Do not take messages for members of staff who now work at the Volunteer Training Centre. You should only take messages for Tim Appleton, Julia, Joelle, Dale and Sarah Box. If you are helping a customer in the shop and miss a call, you can check the answerphone and write down the message in the message book. If you are able to help the caller please return their call, or pass the message on to the appropriate member of staff. To check for messages press the “Messages” button on the phone and enter the pin 0000.

16 TELEPHONE ENQUIRIES

Redirecting callers: direct dial numbers:

Enquiry Direct dial numbers

Courses/Walks/Events/ Julia/Sarah Box

Stock/ Shop/ General enquiries 01572 653024/653027

Volunteering Sarah Proud 01572 720049

Volunteer Training Centre Becky 01572 720049

School visits/Room Hire/ Joelle 01572 653042

Children’s events & activities/ Anglian Water Ospreys Lyndon Visitor Centre/ Kayleigh Brookes 01572 737378

Projects/ Wildlife Recording Tim Mackrill/Lloyd Park

Reserve Management/ Joe Davis & Habitat Team

contractors/ Cattle & Sheep Birdfair Carole at the Birdfair Office on 01572 771079

Tim Appleton: 01572 653028

Joelle: 01572 653042

Paul / Kayleigh: 01572 737378 (Mar-Sept)

Volunteer Training Centre for all other staff : 01572 720049

17 SHOP JOBS

STOCK Please keep an eye on general stock levels. If goods are getting low, you can add to them from the stock in the storerooms or in the cupboards under the displays. Don’t forget drinks cabinet and coffee machine. When putting out new stock, please make sure you rotate perishable items with expiry dates so that the old stock is at the front of displays. Edible items also need their best before dates regularly checking.

DELIVERIES Please check the name, address and that there is no damage to a delivery before signing for it and let staff know. Ask the deliverer to place the parcels next to the coffee machine so that they do not get in the way of the door. Please check the stock matches the order before putting it away.

LEAFLETS A number of important and useful leaflets are provided at both centres. These include:- - Nature Reserve visitor guide - Trust Membership - Events leaflets - Osprey Project information Please check there is sufficient stock of these and top up where necessary including the lobby. Encourage visitors to use the guides, as they will enhance their visit.

GENERAL HOUSEKEEPING Please keep an eye on general housekeeping at both Centres. A clean and tidy shop is more appealing. Please check the coffee machine, especially around the drip tray and the waste bin. Also check the shelves are presentable and not dusty. If problems are noted (broken equipment, leaks, blown light bulbs etc.) please report these in the message book for the attention of Joelle at AWBC. Loo rolls at Egleton are kept in the store next to Joelle’s office (the keys to the paper towel holders and loo roll holders are here as well) and in the storeroom at Lyndon.

18 SHOP JOBS OTHER DUTIES

VISITOR NUMBERS Click in any visitor that comes in to the centre (even if they do not buy a permit, or simply want to ask directions) using the click counter next to the till. At the end of the day write the total in the visitor numbers book which is on the shelf under the phone. Please make a note of the weather at the same time.

RECENT WILDLIFE SIGHTINGS Please encourage visitors to report their wildlife sightings in the sightings book on the desk. Please keep the whiteboard in the porch up to date with recent bird highlights. NB: if people record unusual or important sightings during the day, let the staff know and ask them to complete an ‘Unusual Sightings’ form.

BINOCULAR HIRE Visitors can hire a pair of binoculars from In Focus for £5. Direct the visitor to Mike or David after they have purchased their permit.

LOST PROPERTY We have a lost property book at each centre where all lost and found items should be recorded. At Egleton, once they have been recorded in the book items should have a label attached with the date and the place they were found and then placed in the lost property box under the telephone at front desk (or in the office at Lyndon). This enables us to quickly locate the items when needed.

BUGGY HIRE We have an electric buggy at both Egleton and Lyndon that are available for hire by members of the public. The buggy costs £10 for a full or half day; this charge includes access to the Nature Reserve. There is also a cash deposit of £15 in addition to this. The buggy must be booked at least 24 hours in advance so we can ensure it is fully charged. When taking a booking for a buggy take a name, contact number and date/time of arrival. Leave this message in the diary for Julia’s attention at Egleton, or give it to a member of staff at Lyndon.

19 KEEPING BUSY

At the Anglian Water Birdwatching Centre you will find a folder behind the desk which contains notes and a to-do list for each day. Please check this upon arriving at the Centre and talk to the staff to find out whether there is anything else you need to know.

This folder has been put together to help keep you busy throughout the day. We understand that when there are a lot of visitors it may not be possible to complete all of the jobs on the list, but it is important that if you do have time you try to complete as many of the tasks as possible as they ensure the smooth running of the visitor centre.

A member of staff is always around and may ask you to help with other jobs, such as helping to fold leaflets, put together packs for volunteers, proof-read work or help with administration.

During the winter months it can be very quiet. Please do bring your electronic tablet or a book to fill in the quiet moments, however please make sure every customer has your full attention when they arrive at the centre. Quiet moments are also a good opportunity to ask the staff to run through a refresher or answer any queries you may have.