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Author: IT Team

  • Farewell Michaela!

    After almost 3 years at the Museum, Michaela Fallon-Williams will be leaving us on 11 April to take up a new role as HR Business Partner for Ansaldo NES in Wolverhampton.  We wish Michaela every success in her new role and thank her for her contribution to the success of the Museum.

    We will let colleagues know of the interim HR arrangements we will put in place soon.

    Helen Astill (HR Consultant) remains with us to lead on HR projects, including the proposed leadership and management restructure.

  • Ice Cream flavour suggestions wanted

    Ice Cream flavour suggestions wanted

    We’re working with local supplier Churchfields Ice Cream and have the opportunity to create bespoke ice cream flavours which reflect the Museum.

    If you have a suggestion for a flavour which you think sums up the smells or the tastes of the Museum and/or the wider Black Country region we want to hear from you!

    Eight flavours will be trialled with the top six going forward to a public vote on social media.

    We hope to launch the flavours at the ‘Red by Night event’.

    Please email Giles Hammond [email protected]  by April 8th with your ideas.

  • Collections store tours

    Thank you all for your interest in taking a tour of the stores – please note that both dates for the tours in March are now fully booked.

    Please look out for future updates as further tours will be planned throughout the year.

  • Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month March 2019

    On Friday 29 March from 10am we will be holding a Bake For Change to encourage colleagues to come together for cake and coffee while raising awareness of the symptoms of Ovarian Cancer.

    The kitchen in Rolfe Street and the rest area above Doo’s will have cake and coffee available to all staff and volunteers. If you would like to bake your own cake for this event that would be gratefully received!

    There will be information available on the signs and symptoms of Ovarian Cancer as well as wrist bands and the opportunity to purchase a pin badge in support of Target Ovarian Cancer charity.

    We do hope as many people as possible will support this charity and the great work that they do.

  • Disabled Access Day

    Saturday 16 March 10am – 4pm

    Join us on Disabled Access Day and ‘try something new’ in one of the many free activities we’ll be running at the Museum to celebrate great access and inclusion.

    Meet Canine Partners and see their Assistance Dogs in action or take part in one of our free “try something new” workshops – maybe an accessible exercise class or how about a Laughter Yoga Session?

    Visit our disability information hub (in Hall 1, Rolfe Street) with over 20 stalls; discover artefacts from our historic collection with specialist talks throughout the day; or join one of our Deaf Friendly or Audio Descriptive Tours.

    All activities are free of charge. Booking Essential.

    Contact the Sales and Ticketing Team on 0121 520 8054 or book via email: [email protected]

  • Next Volunteer Coffee Morning – Change of Date

    The next volunteer coffee morning has been rescheduled for Friday 5t April. We apologise for any inconvenience and hope you can still come along.

    Time and location remain the same: Rooms 2/3 at 10:30am.

    For info, dates of future coffee mornings are below:

    Monday 29th April
    Tuesday 21st May
    Wednesday 26th June
    Thursday 25th July
    (Aug – Dec dates to be confirmed later in the year)

    Kind regards

    The Volunteer Team

  • Pool Car back in action

    Pool Car back in action

    The pool car is now back at the museum and is available for use. It can be booked as normal through its dedicated calendar.

    All staff are reminded that the pool car (or one of the museum vans) should be your first choice when going off site on museum business. 

    If you do use your own vehicle for museum business you must have ‘business use’ included and listed on your personal insurance policy otherwise you may find yourself not insured.

  • Malicious Emails

    Following various malicious emails that have been doing the rounds over the last few days, here’s a little information.

    The attack basically uses social engineering, i.e tricking people. The email contains no viruses or malware, simply clicking the link will do nothing to your device or computer, this attack is purely relying on human behaviour to succeed.

    It works like this;

    • An email is sent to a user from someone they know with a familiar subject line and a button to click usually labeled ‘Read email‘.
    • When clicked the button opens a webpage with the museums logo and a box to enter their password.
    • The user enters their password in to the box.
    • The attacker then uses the password to log into their email account and send more emails out, and so the cycle continues.

    There are just two simple rules that will protect you (and the museum) from the majority of attacks on both your work and personal systems.

    • Do not click links in unfamiliar or unusual emails
    • NEVER EVER EVER enter your password to any page you’ve arrived at from a link in an email.

    Be rest assured in the specific email that’s been doing the rounds recently clicking the button/link in the email alone will not do any damage, it is entering the password that causes problems.

    Although we use various tools and methods to protect the museums systems and the majority of malicious emails it’s very hard for us to block every single one and our strongest protection comes from you.

    As far as we can tell the attack primarily targets corporate users such as the museum and not personal accounts, although this may change and there are many similar emails around so stay vigilant.

    Top tip: If you ever feel any of your personal accounts have been attacked in any way, from any source, change your password, this will stop the large majority of attacks.
    Remember passwords should be unique (never use the same password on multiple sites), should be made up of letters, numbers and symbols, and be of decent length (over 12 characters). Short phrases make really good passwords that are easy to remember.

    If you have any question of queries please don’t hesitate to get in touch via your line manager.

  • Record visitor numbers for Feb half-term

    Over the course of the 9 days of February half term, we welcomed an astonishing 14,804 visitors with 12,258 visitors attending between Monday 18 & Sunday 24 Feb. This is 63% ahead of budget and 43% more than the same week last year.  This makes Feb half term 2019 the best on record by far and actually comparable to Whitsun Week in 2018.

    What’s more – people had a great time!  12 of the 19 reviews left on Tripadvisor over the last 7 days awarded the Museum 5 stars, including the one below:

    ‘Marvellous Museum’

    I had an absolutely lovely day at Black Country Living Museum. Such a lovely environment filled with excitement, joy and happiness… I had a very special and memorable day and I will totally come back.

    Well done and thank you to everyone involved!

  • Update: Pension contributions

    The government introduced automatic enrolment in 2012 to help employees and workers get the retirement they want. Since then, millions of employees and workers, supported by contributions from their employers, have begun saving into a workplace pension. The next step is for the minimum amount paid towards your workplace pension – by the Museum and by you – to increase to 8%. This will help towards building your pension pot for your future.

    From 6 April 2019, for individuals in the Auto Enrolment Pension Scheme, the Museum will contribute 4% (currently 3%), and you will be required to contribute 4% (currently 3%) from your qualifying earnings, making a total of 8% paid into your retirement savings.

    Did you know that:

    • Saving into a workplace pension is a simple and easy way to help ensure you get the kind of retirement that you want
    • The earlier you begin saving, the more time your savings have to grow. You can also choose to save more than the minimum if you wish
    • The money will remain yours, including the contributions made by your employer, even if you change jobs
    • When you retire, you will be able to choose how to use your pension savings