The Park Family
Julie, Ian, Maddy, & James (Puff'n Bill)
As a child, Julie spent several of her birthdays riding on board Puffing Billy with her parents. It was something she looked forward to each year, and it soon became a fond memory. In 2008, Julie’s own son was turning 15, and she and her husband Ian decided that it would be a great idea to take him on the train, just as she had done on so many of her own birthdays. The experience brought back so many positive memories for Julie and was a fantastic experience for the whole family. They have been volunteering at Puffing Billy ever since.
Julie began volunteering at the railway as a conductor. She would often bring her young daughter Maddy with her to assist with conducting duties. In the beginning, Maddy was quite young, and very shy. But that quickly changed and Maddy soon became much more confident, even becoming a conductor herself. Today, she currently volunteers in the archiving department.
Deciding that she would like to be involved in more operations at the railway, Julie completed training to become a Guard, a Signalman, a Trolley Driver and a Fireman! Her husband Ian is as much an active volunteer as Julie. He has completed his training to become a qualified Guard and Signalman, and is currently completing his training to become a fireman. Following in his parent’s footsteps, James is also a qualified Guard and Signalman, and both he and his father are very involved in Youth Group Services.
The Park family believe that being a volunteer at Puffing Billy is a great way for kids to build-up their self-confidence. Maddy and James are certainly great examples of this.