Hi, I’m Gabriel! This July, I did my work experience at the Royal Gunpowder Mills — and it was a really interesting and fun week. I got to try out different jobs, learn new skills, and find out more about the history of the site. Here’s what my week looked like!

Day One: Health & Safety and Working in the Café

I started off by reading the health and safety guidelines. Since the Royal Gunpowder Mills is an old industrial site, it’s important to know how to stay safe. It was useful to learn what to watch out for — and it’s something I know will help in other jobs too.

After that, I helped in the café by doing a stock-take. That means I checked what items were in stock, checked expiry dates, and made sure everything was organised into the right categories. Once I finished, I uploaded all the information to a system called SumUp. I also made a simple guide for staff and volunteers on how to use SumUp when paying, which was a cool little project.

Midweek: Learning History and Helping in the Gift Shop

One day in the middle of the week, there was a private group visit, and I joined them to watch a short film about the history of the Gunpowder Mills. It explained how gunpowder was made and used in wars, and I learned about things like guncotton and nitroglycerine. It was really interesting to see how explosives have changed over time.

After that, I helped with a stock-take in the gift shop and uploaded everything to SumUp again. Later, I worked behind the till, helping customers find and buy things. This helped me build my confidence when talking to people and gave me some experience with customer service.

End of the Week: Tractor Tour and Rocket Launching

At the end of the week, the site opened to the public. I got to go on a tractor tour around the whole site — the views were amazing, and I saw some really cool old buildings. It helped me understand the site’s history even more.

Back at the café, I helped kids and families build model rockets and launch them outside. This was definitely my favourite part of the week because it was a lot of fun, and it felt great to help people enjoy their visit.