Volunteers needed to help show shoemaking history

Volunteers at a shoe museum say highlighting 200 years of history is "fascinating".

Ian Higton volunteers at the Shoemakers Museum in Street in Somerset, which tells the history of Clarks shoes, and said "little stories add meat to the bones, it's what you get from volunteering".

The museum recently hosted an open day for people who were interested in various roles, including being a guide or garden maintenance.

Laura Richards, assistant museum manager, said volunteering is a "wonderful thing" and they wanted to "celebrate everyone who has been involved in shoemaking throughout history in this community".

The Shoemakers Museum opened in September 2025 and aims to explore the social and cultural stories behind Clarks in Street, where the Quaker family business began.

Higton has been a volunteer at the museum since it opened.

"I've always been interested in local history," he said. "A lot of Street is built by Clarks. My son lives in a house that was originally built by Clarks for their employees.

"So, people come in here, some worked for Clarks, they tell you all about themselves. It's fascinating," he added.

The attraction is specifically looking for volunteers who can help to digitise the archive and give the community access to it.

"We have so much stuff we need volunteers to go through and find these wonderful stories," Richards added.

Peter Hawkins, who came to the open day, said: "Our mantra is, if we're living local we want to buy local and support local. That's why I'm here, I'd like to support the museum."

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