Roles

Lighthouse Keeper

Children spend most of the day in their own age group. Within each age group they are further organised into small groups of 10-12 children called Lighthouses. Each Lighthouse is overseen by a Lighthouse Keeper (LHK) assisted by two, or more, young helpers called Lamplighters (LL). Lighthouse Keepers are at the heart of Lighthouse and their role is to care for the children in their Lighthouse throughout the week by:

ensuring they are welcomed on site each day by LLs and escorted to Main Stage to start the day
shepherding them safely around the site to arrive in time for each activity
helping them with activities and joining in where necessary
ensuring they enjoy themselves and being attentive to their welfare
sharing lunch with them
seeing to their physical needs eg providing drinks, taking them to the toilet
seeing them (and their belongings) safely collected by their parent/carer at the end of each day

Lighthouse Keepers need patience, empathy and above all a sense of fun and a willingness to join in the various Lighthouse activities with the children in their care. The minimum age for a Lighthouse Keeper is 18.

Lamplighter

Lamplighters are our young helpers (minimum age 12 as at 31st August 2018 ie current Year 7 or above) They are usually assigned to a particular Lighthouse for the week and should be prepared to care for the children in that Lighthouse under the direction of their Lighthouse Keeper. Lighthouse Keepers may require you to

meet children at Registration each day and escort them to main stage
accompany children around the site to each activity
help children with the activities and join in where necessary
eat lunch with the children
escort them to the toilet where necessary
be attentive to the children and ensure they are having fun

Lamplighters often have a particular role in the Lighthouse teaching sessions, using materials and taking part in activities planned by the Age Group Leader to explore the teaching theme. This is a good opportunity to get to know the children and build relationships with them.

Main Stage Team

The Main Stage team prepare and deliver the Main Stage sessions at the beginning and end of each Lighthouse Day. These sessions are fast, fun, entertaining and frequently messy! They may involve singing, dancing, drama, arranging games and supporting the Worship Leaders.

Music Team

Could you be part of the worship team as a singer or musician?. You will be required to play and/or sing for either or both of the two daily sessions of worship involving all the children and volunteers and also for the volunteers at morning worship as needed. You will need to be available to rehearse before Lighthouse week as arranged by the Music Team Leader. We will also need musicians for the commissioning service on Sunday 29th July and the closing service on Friday 3rd August.

iZone Team (Drama / Arts)

At Marlow Lighthouse we call our drama sessions 'Izone' and these sessions may include role-play, singing, team-building games or dancing. Under the guidance of the Team Leader you will help lead the Izone session each day for each year group in turn. Although the same activity may be repeated for each age group there may be some differentiation to take account of the abilities of different ages. You may be required to set up and clear away props etc between each session.

Craft Team

Each year group takes part in a craft session each day. All groups will do the same activity although some changes may be made to take account of the abilities of the differing ages. You will need to help run each session under the direction of the Team Leader which may include setting up the activity, clearing and re-setting between each session and then a final clear up at the end of the day. The Team Leader may also need some assistance before Lighthouse week preparing materials for the craft activities.

Sports Team

The Sports Team support the Sports Team Leader in running the sports/games programme for each age group each day. The same activities may be repeated for each age group with some adjustments for the differing ages and abilities. Duties may include participating in sports, modelling good sporting behaviour and careful actions, leading some games, setting and resetting sports equipment and clearing up at the end of the day. Weather may necessitate a sudden move to a different venue when all hands will be required to move equipment and children safely.

Little Lighthouse - New this year

Little Lighthouse is a new initiative we are introducing this year. Little Lighthouse is a mother and toddler group which will run each morning of Lighthouse for 2 hours. The group will meet close to the Lighthouse site, but not on it, and will offer a space for parents of children too young for Lighthouse.
If you have a pre-school child yourself, or for other reasons are unable to commit to a full day at Lighthouse then helping at Little Lighthouse might be for you. The main focus will be on providing support, and tea and cake, to the parents and carers attending with their children.

Support Roles

For each volunteer who has direct contact with children there is an equally important 'behind the scenes' support role, some of these are listed to the right;

Registration

The registration team are usually the first people on site each day, they are the first people the children see when they arrive and often the only Lighthouse volunteers parents or carers see. The team are responsible for registering children and volunteers as they arrive on site and ensuring that only authorised people are allowed onto the site. Some children are very nervous about arriving at Lighthouse and leaving their parents so lots of smiles and reassurances are needed. The team also man the gate all day to welcome visitors, deal with children who have to be collected early and resolve any registration issues.

First Aid

We have at least one qualified First Aider on site at all times to attend children and volunteers. A valid Red Cross or St John's Ambulance certificate is needed as a minimum qualification and the minimum age for this team is 18. The First Aid station will be manned all day according to a rota and you must be at your post throughout your allotted time ready to deal with any cases arising.

Site Management

The site management team are responsible for all site maintenance during Lighthouse week. They will carry out a range of maintenance and DIY tasks and off-site errands as directed by the site manager. You will be required to attend a morning briefing and be on site according to a rota. Other duties could include some security functions, for instance occasional site patrols, escorting visitors on site, marshalling of cars. This role can be full or part-time.

Overnight Security

A small team is required each night from the weekend before Lighthouse to maintain the security of the site and safeguard the equipment stored on site overnight. You will need to be on site each night between 7pm and 7am and will undertake regular patrols around the site during that time. You should be able to deal with confronting intruders and call for help if needed. You will have support offsite via radio and mobile phone. The minimum age for this team is 18.

Technical Team

The technical team are responsible for all the sound, light and vision at main stage each day providing video, music and some special effects. They ensure water and electric are piped around the site for the week to keep the tea tent running, set up the registration tent to ensure smooth entry for all each day and in addition they are responsible for the gunge tank!

Creche & Fours

Under the supervision of the Team Leaders the creche team entertain and see to the welfare of the pre-school children of Lighthouse volunteers. The age range is 0 - 4 years. The 'Fours', those children who will start school in September 2018, have their own programme of activities to tie in with the Lighthouse theme for the week.