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  • Thrive at Work/Health and Wellbeing Steering Group

    Thrive at Work is a trial being run by The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) to evaluate the effectiveness of Wellbeing Premium Programmes run by companies to assist the improvement of the health and wellbeing of their employees.

    The Museum has been chosen as one of the companies to be part of this trial and a number of staff have already contributed through participating in the initial research interviews.

    We already have in place, many elements of a Wellbeing Programme but we need to develop the few areas where we have gaps and to do so we are seeking a handful of staff to join a small working group (Health and Wellbeing Champion/Steering Group) to take this forward. This will include looking at health areas such as mental, musculoskeletal and physical health and promoting healthy lifestyles.

    If you are interested in being part of this working group, please email [email protected], after conferring with your line manager.  

    We will be shortly releasing a questionnaire which we would appreciative if staff could complete, anonymously, to help us understand health and lifestyle trends across the organisation and help direct the work of the Health and Wellbeing Champion/Steering Group.

    Please keep an eye out for this survey.


  • Confidential Support – when you need it most

    From accredited telephone counselling to legal and financial information, confidential and independent support is now available, to all BCLM staff and workers, 24 hours/7 days a week through the Employer Assistance Programme (EAP).

    Accredited counsellors and experienced information specialists offer support and signposting across a range of personal legal, medical, health and wellbeing issues, as well as a telephone counselling service.

    Support can be accessed via the telephone helpline and there is also an online portal available, where you can access further information. The service is also available to partners and dependents over the age of 18, (or over 16 in full-time education) residing in the same household

    You can use the service as often as you wish and remain totally anonymous.

    How it works

    Simply call the helpline and a telephone counsellor will identify the nature of assistance required.

    All non-counselling calls will be transferred to the appropriate specialist, counselling calls will include an in-depth assessment where a referral will be made within 24 hours for telephone or face-to-face counselling.

    If you find yourself struggling at any point, a 24-hour confidential helpline is open to all staff. Call 0800 015 7287 (quote Black Country Living Museum) for help with issues including health and relationships, financial or legal queries, or visit www.colleaguesupport.co.uk and use 72160 as your username and password.

    Credit card sized handouts with the above information have been left in staff pigeon holes and break areas for colleagues to take away and keep for reference.

  • Black Country Business Festival

    The Black Country Business Festival is an annual, two-week Festival incorporating hundreds of free business events which take place throughout the Black Country region. The Festival is a fantastic way to demonstrate the Black Country’s strengths, innovation, commerce, culture and huge investment potential to the rest of the world.

    Details of all events are listed on the website: https://www.blackcountrybusinessfestival.com/

    If you are interested in attending any of the events please seek approval from your manager prior to booking your place.

  • Planned Maintenance Programme 2019

    Planned Maintenance Programme 2019

    Each year, we set out a Planned Maintenance Programme to address identified issues that impact the visitor experience and the safe operation of the Museum.

    The Planned Maintenance Programme for 2019 can be found within the Museum Documents section of the intranet.

  • Meet the Volunteer – Phil

    In the latest in our series of ‘Meet the Volunteer’ profiles we hear from Phil who is a volunteer in Gripton’s Workshop.  

    “I applied to become a volunteer at the BCLM in 2012 when Gripton’s opened, because I am very interested in restoring vintage radio sets, particularly those from the 1930s era. I also have some knowledge of the history of radio meaning I could pursue my hobby whilst bringing my expertise to help the Museum. 

    I carry out repairs and restoration of vintage radios and other vintage electronics, and have repaired equipment for other museums such as the Coffin Works Museum. I have also built and continue to maintain four background music ‘sound points’ playing period and seasonal music in various locations around the Museum. I also repair and restore antique clocks around the Museum. 

    I have been volunteering for just over seven years. I started in January 2012, initially visiting just once a fortnight while I was still at work. I retired in 2013 and increased my volunteering sessions to one day a week at the Museum.

    I’m on site most Tuesdays, and you’ll most likely see me wearing a brown works coat and cloth cap as I go round the Museum, winding-up and adjusting the clocks in various locations. It’s nice meeting and getting to know more of the demonstrators. I sometimes work in the radio workshop behind Gripton’s, but more often in the Rolfe Street Workroom in the basement. 

    Volunteering lets me use my knowledge and skills to help improve the visitors’ experience at the Museum, at the same time as enjoying my own hobbies of radio, music and clocks. I also volunteer on the Severn Valley Railway one day per week plus occasional weekends and special events, and I volunteer as a repairer at Bewdley Repair Cafe once a month. Volunteering has helped me broaden my interests and teach myself new skills.

    Volunteering gives me opportunities to work with other like-minded enthusiasts as part of a team, although I am just as happy working on my own. It is a privilege to be able to work as a volunteer at one of the country’s leading Museums and to have been allowed and encouraged to expand the scope of my work over time.”

  • Update on National Lottery Heritage Fund announcement

    Although the embargo on the news of our successful funding application to the National Lottery Heritage Fund is technically lifted tomorrow (3 May), owing to European elections and our plan to announce publicly in conjunction with NLHF, our announcement will not now take place until 29 May.

    Your continued cooperation in keeping the news out of the public domain is appreciated. Should you receive any media enquiries at this time, please direct to Abby Bird in Comms team.

  • P60’s 2018/2019

    The P60 data for the tax year 6 April 2018 to 5 April 2019 is now available. Log in as you would for your payslip and you will see a P60 icon where the document can be accessed.

  • Volunteer Coffee Mornings

    Our next coffee morning is next week, Monday 29 April. We hope that these coffee mornings give you the chance to come in and have chat with us, meet fellow volunteers, and catch up on Museum news. We’d love it if you could attend.

    For info, the dates of future coffee mornings are below:

    Tuesday 21 May

    Wednesday 26 June

    Thursday 25 July

    (Aug – Dec dates to be confirmed later in the year)

    All take place 10:30 – 11:30am in Conference Rooms 2/3 (through the gift shop). We hope you can come along and we look forward to seeing you all soon.

    Kind regards,

    The Volunteer Team

  • Leaving Drinks for Laura

    Leaving Drinks for Laura

    As you are aware Laura Wakelin, Deputy Chief Executive (Communications and Marketing) will be leaving the Museum on Tuesday 30 April. There will be a chance to wish Laura well at the Bottle & Glass Inn from 5.15pm on Tue 30 April.

  • 1940s Cast Iron House Closes – Monday 29 April

    The 1940s Cast Iron House will close to visitors from Monday 29 April 2019, the last day of opening to visitors will be Sunday 28.  This is to enable the objects to be packed up and moved out by 31 May, as part of the Forging Ahead programme of works for the new Visitor Centre. 

    The demonstrator post will be moved to other buildings on site, including opening Gripton’s Radio Shop on weekends, Bank Holidays and holidays.

    The Cast Iron Houses will be dismantled and reconstructed as part of the new town development, with one house continuing to depict the Vernon family in the 1940s and the house next door reflecting a 1950s home, with the bedrooms being opened up and displayed for the first time.

    The 1940s room objects will be packed and stored away during the closure period.  Features such as the range, fireplace and bathroom furniture will be removed by the appointed contractor, stored during the de-build and re-instated.

    Many of the cast iron objects from the cast iron exhibition, which closed in March, are being cleaned and returned to store, with a number of them positioned to be highlights on future store tours.  A cast iron fireplace is being installed in Doo’s ‘Photo Studio Parlour’.  The contents of the Print Shed are being relocated to the small classroom behind the main school building, with the plan to recruit volunteers to operate and demonstrate the equipment in the near future.