Wales’ National Slate Museum (Amgueddfa Llechi Cymru) is offering an opportunity to volunteers to work on repairs to its quarry engine, Una.

The engine is currently at Boston Lodge in Minffordd, the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways’ engineering works, undergoing essential repairs, and help is needed to get it back into good condition.

The Museum is keen for Una to return in time for its reopening. It closed for refurbishment a year ago, on 4 November 2024.

The refurbishment will conserve and renovate the Museum’s Grade 1 buildings and will improve facilities for visitors, adding new play areas, learning centres, a shop and a café.

The National Slate Museum is located at Gilfach Ddu, workshops built in the 19th century for the now disused Dinorwic quarry. It is located within the Padarn Country Park in Llanberis in Gwynedd. The museum preserves and displays relics of the slate industry in Wales.

Una is a Hunslet engine that was built in 1905 by the Leeds-based company. It worked at Pen-yr-Orsedd quarry until around 1960, where it was mainly used to haul wagons of rubble within the quarry.

The National Slate Museum is used as a base for the locomotives that operate on the Llanberis Lake Railway, which is currently running shorter journeys than usual because of work being done as part of the National Grid’s ongoing essential electricity cable replacement project.

Una failed its safety tests a few years ago, so it has been out of action, which the Museum says has been disappointing for both staff and visitors.

The Museum has released the following information about the volunteering opportunity:

• Location: Boston Lodge works, Minffordd.
• Minimum age for volunteers: 16
• No previous experience required

There is a limited number of places for volunteers. More information is available here. Volunteers can reserve a place by contacting [email protected] by 9 December.