The ROE Visitor Centre has a permanent exhibition open to school visits only throughout the year and also organises special events, such as Open Evenings, a series of lectures over the winter months, evening visits from organised groups and ``Popular Observing'', which opens the remaining working telescopes in the Observatory to public use over the winter. The Visitor Centre has a permanent staff, but students are employed to run the ``Popular Observing'' and to address groups of visitors in the evenings. Students are strongly encouraged by the Institute to help the Visitor Centre with groups. The benefit acts in two ways: talking in public is something all research scientists have to do, and this is good experience; secondly, society funds astronomy, so we have some obligation to give something in return. Giving the public the chance to hear from and talk to active researchers is a good way to do this, and to further the public understanding of science.