In Kinderdijk, over two hundred volunteers do an outstanding job every single day. Voluntary millers, hosts and hostesses, guides, cashiers, skippers, maintenance and shop volunteers; all local people, with regional knowledge. They are the backbone of this World Heritage. We are as proud of them as they are of Kinderdijk.
Showing the Netherlands to the world
Our volunteers think it’s wonderful to support Kinderdijk in all respects. They thoroughly enjoy guiding, informing, and contacting people from all over the globe.
Apart from their daily duties, our volunteers are also very much involved behind the scenes of KinderdijkWorld Heritage . Their qualities are put to good use in all sorts of fields. They advise our organisation on aspects such as training, strategy and much more besides. Our Volunteer Policy was devised in close cooperation with them. Once every three years, our volunteers choose a Volunteer Council from their midst.
Meet our volunteers of World Heritage Kinderdijk
Tim Timmermans
Handyman"A great way to spend retirement: staying active by being involved with the mills.”
Mieke de Regt
Cashier“It’s a year-round holiday sensation.”
Dirk de Regt
Cashier“Keep your mill facing the breeze; your sails will turn with ease.”
Kees Bezemer
Skipper“Sailing and watching the windmills drift by is pure bliss!”
Els Halbmeijer
Hostess“Sharing our World Heritage is like having the whole world over for a visit.”
Elma Prince
Guide“Living below sea level with constant flooding risks – makes you wonder why anybody wanted to settle here in the first place...”
Leo Croes
Host“In times of need, the Wisboom pumping station can still help keep these lands dry.”
Theo Stoel
Guide“We don’t just show you the Kinderdijk windmills; we tell the tale of how the Dutch developed water management as the centuries passed!”
Niek de Gier
Skipper"Even with eyes almost closed the windmills look pretty.''
Ilse van de Straat
Hostess“It’s a real give-and-take of energy here.”
Volunteer to be a volunteer?
Interested to help out? Do you have time to spare and a willingness to show ‘your’ Windmill Wonderland to the world? Do you appreciate the importance of preserving the Kinderdijk windmills for the future? You want to get involved in Kinderdijk matters? Want to be a part of a close family of volunteers? Looking for colleagues you will like? Do you want to explain to the rest of the world why this country is so special and why it’s fun to live behind dikes?