Career profile: Steward

What does a Steward do?

The main function of a Steward is to look after the welfare of our visitors and ensure that they are not in any danger. We are also here to enhance our visitors experience and make them feel welcome. We mainly do this by giving them the information they want and helping them around the site.

Some Stewards are trained first aiders and are able to administer basic first aid. Many of these will also have additional training so that they can give CPR and use an AED resuscitation kit. Most of us are doing an NVQ level 2 Spectator Safety course and assessment, which is particularly useful at events such as the Eden Sessions. We also have a number of Ice Stewards who work on the Ice Rink during the winter season.

My role within the team has grown to encompass a number of additional things, outside of the normal Stewards role. In the early days of Eden we had a large fleet of wheelchairs, and over a period of time many became damaged and unusable. Because of my engineering background I took it upon myself to start repairing and maintaining them and this is now a recognised part of my role. Hopefully the wheelchairs (manual and electric) are all in good condition now!

Do you enjoy being a Steward?

Yes I do, I enjoy doing all of the things I have just mentioned. I especially enjoy talking and communicating with people, which is a big part of the Steward’s role and helps to enhance the visitors experience and makes them feel welcome. A lot of people that come here are really interesting and we end up talking to them, for 20 or 30 minutes sometimes. We talk to them about all sorts of things, such as, what Eden’s role is, why we are here, how it was built and so on. This is what Eden is all about, we’re not just a big greenhouse: we are a world of information!

What do you like most about working for Eden?

I enjoy everything about working at Eden and can’t envisage a time when I won’t be working here. Of all the jobs I have had this is the one I am most relaxed in and enjoy the most. I go home at night with complete job satisfaction.

If I had to say the one thing that I like the most, I would say the people because they are all people that I like working with. Everyone here is very friendly, helpful and sociable and it is great being part of such a brilliant team.

Tell us a bit about your background prior to joining Eden…

On leaving school I did an engineering apprenticeship with a company who make a range of machinery for national Bread and Biscuit makers. I eventually progressed to Production Engineering manager at one of their subsidiaries. After a while I felt that I needed a different challenge and left and started a taxi business. This was reasonably successful, but after 10 years I decided to fulfil a long held ambition of moving to Cornwall. My wife and I were able to do this in 1988, buying a small grocery store. Sadly, falling trade meant that we were unable to keep the business alive so I went back to taxiing and working for a national cash and carry business.

In 1994 when Eden was first proposed, I thought it looked very interesting and felt that it was a project that I would like to get involved in. I followed what they were doing and in 2000 there was an advert in the paper recruiting for members of the Eden team. I applied for a job and have been here since March 2001!