Author: IT Team

Easter – programme

Date and times:

Saturday 12 April – Sunday 27 April 2025

10am – 5pm

Concept:

Out with the old, in with the new… The days are getting longer, the bulbs are shooting and the feather dusters are out! Join the Black Country folk as they prepare for the new season.

Celebrate all things spring with an egg and spoon race, learning how to knead with our Black Country baker and join in for choir practice at Providence Chapel. Keep an eye out for all the flowers in bloom and be sure to browse the produce in our shop windows.

Take a look at the map and activity trail.

For more information, please see the context sheet.

Contact:

[email protected] (Programme)

8 April 2025
Museum restructure – consultation stage concluded and confirmed structure

Dear Colleagues,

We want to express our heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of you for your patience, resilience, and unwavering commitment to the Museum since we entered a consultation process regarding restructure proposals on 3 February. The journey we’ve been on together has not been easy, but your dedication has been vital in helping us get to this point. This essential process was driven by the need to manage costs in challenging economic times, alongside a revitalised focus on enhancing visitor experience and excellence in Living History. We acknowledge that this has been a challenging period, and we want to thank each of you for your continued commitment to our visitors, your input during the process, and the consideration you’ve shown for your colleagues.

We are now at the conclusion of the consultation period, and we are pleased to share that the updated organisation chart is now available to view. Please do study the new staffing structure carefully to appreciate the responsibilities, working relationships and dependencies within the Museum Team. If you notice a mistake, please mention it to your line-manager. Our goal throughout has been to minimise the impact on our team, but unfortunately, a limited number of roles have been made redundant, with five people having their roles confirmed as such. The contributions made by these colleagues, especially during such a difficult time, are deeply appreciated, and we are incredibly grateful for their dedication to the Museum. Over the coming weeks, some will be completing handovers, while others will continue for a period of time as they undertake distinct pieces of work. We appreciate their ongoing support during this transition.

As we move forward to implement this new structure, which includes new roles, teams, and reporting lines, we enter a transition period. This phase will allow for a smooth and effective adjustment to the new roles and responsibilities, and your manager will be in contact with you directly to schedule the time necessary to make these changes as effective as possible. As we do that, we also commence recruitment for roles vacant in the new structure, and you can find the first of these opportunities here.

Once again, thank you for your understanding and support as we navigate this transition. We look forward to the bright future we will build together.

4 April 2025
Moo – Update!
As promised, we have a further update regarding ‘Moo’ the cat.

Following a brief visit to stay with Susannah (P&C) and her family for a few days (thank you Susannah!), Moo was picked up by Wild Acre Rescue and has been under their care in recent weeks.

He’s since received a further vet visit, including his first of two vaccines and a microchip. As similarly determined from the vet visit arranged previously by the Museum, Moo is in good health.

Wild Acre Rescue are now pleased to be able to offer the opportunity for Museum colleagues to pre-apply to adopt Moo before he is more widely advertised through their normal channels.

Here is Wild Acre’s details on the adoption;

Meet Moo. DOB 2020

Moo is a delightful young man that loves fuss and is very sociable. He can happily live with other cats but has not been dog tested.

It’s important that Moo remains an outdoor cat, as it would be unfair to keep him indoors at this stage.

To be considered as a suitable adopter, you will;
- Need to live at least 6-miles away (as the crow flies) from the Museum site, otherwise Moo may try to return to BCLM.
- OR – live within 6 miles of the Museum but have ‘catio’ ready installed for Moo to venture outside in a controlled manner.
- Not live on a busy main road (again, unless you’ll be using a catio)
- Not live above 1^st floor level in a flat
- Need to evidence that any other pets are neutered and vaccinated
Moo will require a second vaccination in 3-4 weeks from Vets4Pets in Stourbridge.

To ensure a suitable owner is selected, Wild Acre’s will undertake a home-check prior to adoption.

A small donation to the rescue will be requested in lieu of an adoption fee.

Interested? Please contact Wild Acre rescue directly on 07581 015 789 (leave a message with your name and contact number and the reason for calling) or by emailing [email protected]

The Museum won’t share a further update on Moo’s adoption. Should a colleague be selected, it will be their choice whether to share this wonderful news more widely!
3 April 2025
People News March 2025

In February, we said goodbye to Megan Greaves (Enterprise Team Member) and Glyn Beedles (Maintenance Assistant).

Megan has embarked on a new career as a Business Support Administrator at Murray Hall Community Trust. We wish her every success in this next chapter of her journey.

Glyn has retired after nearly 20 years with the Museum, having dedicated his entire career to the Maintenance team. We wish him a happy and fulfilling retirement.

In March, we said goodbye to several valued colleagues:

Sukhi Baden, Head of People & Culture, has left the Museum after 5 and a half years as a result of the restructure.

Adam Finney, Enterprise Team Manager, is moving on to an exciting new role as Food & Beverage Manager at Wilson Vale, Unique Venues Birmingham, to further his career progression.

We thank both Sukhi and Adam for their contributions during their time at BCLM and wish them every success in their future endeavours.

We also bid a fond farewell to Laqwon Hughes and Ellianna Boughton from the Historic Character Team and Lana Grinko, Visitor Welcome Administrator.

We send everyone our thanks and best wishes for the future.

3 April 2025
Quiz today – cancelled
The below event has been cancelled.

Get your thinking caps on for a chance to win the cash prize at our next Pub Quiz!
- Thursday 3 April
- 5pm – 7.30pm
- Café Black Country
- £2 pp entry (all money goes to cash prize)
- Card-only bar
31 March 2025
Red by Night – programme

Date and times:

Saturday 5 April, 6.30pm-10pm

Concept:

Red by Night will showcase the Black Country as the home of industry, told and demonstrated by the people who lived and worked there throughout our time periods.

There will be additional demonstrations including operating the Anchor Forge PLUS a variety of steam engines being showcased across the site!

Buildings will operate as normal but with particular focus on industrial buildings and relevant characters. We will have more industrial buildings open / with a character including: lady chainmaker, Broomes, Joes Tools and Newcomen.

Please note, we will be running a light touch programme over the weekend called ‘Home of Industry’, which will encourage visitors to engage with the theme and make sense of the steam engines around site

Take a look at the map and activity trail.

For more information, please see the context sheet .

Contact:

[email protected] (programme)

[email protected] (event)

31 March 2025
Safe together at BCLM – Fire safety
If you discover or suspect a fire:

Your safety comes first – focus on getting yourself out and alerting others.
- Raise the alarm by pressing the nearest red fire alarm call point (these are usually found on walls near stairwells and exits).
- Evacuate the building and encourage those around you to do the same. Head to a safe spot outside, such as across the street.
- Fire extinguishers should only be used if you’re trained, unless you need one to help you get out safely.
Preventing fires and reducing risks:

A few small actions can make a big difference in keeping everyone safe:
- Be mindful with extension cables. Just because it has four sockets doesn’t mean it’s safe to use them all at once! High-power devices, like mobile heaters, shouldn’t be plugged into extensions. If you need more sockets, log a helpdesk ticket with maintenance for advice.
- Keep escape routes clear. Fire exits and corridors must always be accessible – please don’t block them, even for a short time.
- Don’t prop open internal doors. Many are fire doors designed to stop smoke and flames from spreading.
- Stay on top of waste disposal. Empty bins regularly and recycle cardboard to prevent buildup.
- Leave fire extinguishers where they are. They’ve been placed in specific locations for a reason.
- See something concerning? Let the Duty Manager know so they can take action.
By keeping these simple steps in mind, we can all help keep our workplace safe!
20 March 2025
Spring and Summer Health & Wellbeing Events
We are hosting exciting Health & Wellbeing events for this spring and summer!

Join us for a Bostin’ Quiz! Come along and put your thinking caps on for a fun evening.
- Thursday 3 April
- 5pm – 7pm
- Café Black Country
- £2 pp entry (all money goes to cash prize)
- Card-only bar
Join Bookworms Book Club this month!
- Wednesday 9 April
- 8.30am – 9.30am
- Learning Centre Classroom 1 – The Clive Richards Room
- Participants will receive the next book, The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman, and enjoy tea and biscuits together.
Dance Workshops with Sheila!
- Starts on Monday 28 April for 5 consecutive weeks
- 5.30pm – 6.30pm
- Lea Road Infant Welfare Centre
- Free
Crochet workshops!
- Thursday 5 June, Thursday 12 June, Thursday 19 June
- 5.15pm – 6pm
- Café Black Country
- Free
Textile craft!
- Tuesday 1 July, Tuesday 15 July, Tuesday 29 July, Tuesday 12 August, Tuesday 26 August
- 5.15pm – 6pm
- Café Black Country
- Free
To sign up for any of these events, please email: [email protected].

We look forward to seeing you there!
20 March 2025
Winners at the West Midlands Tourism Awards

Last night at the West Midlands Tourism Awards it was an honour to be awarded the top prize for Large Visitor Attraction. The win puts us through as a contender in the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence, coming later this summer.

The judges “loved this immersive experience where visitors can step back in time, from 1940s kitchens to 1960s record shops. Passionate staff bring history to life, making it an unforgettable visit!”

We shared our category with other fantastic local attractions, including Shakespeare’s Birthplace, Ikon Gallery and Alderford Lake.

You can find out more about the awards and winners in other categories at the Visit Birmingham website.

19 March 2025
Moo the cat – latest news

Dear colleagues,

We’d like to share an update to colleagues regarding our most frequent Museum visitor, the black and white cat affectionately referred to by many as ‘Moo’.

Colleagues had been asked to follow the guidance from animal charities not to encourage Moo’s attendance by providing food, in the hope that Moo would venture elsewhere and make more use of his home.

Given growing concerns over Moo’s welfare, including signs that the cat has been seeking shelter overnight in buildings on site, the Museum has attempted to make further contact with the established owner on several occasions but without success.

As a result, having taken advice from external sources, the Museum paid for an initial medical assessment at a local vet. Thankfully, Moo appears in generally good health but without a microchip and he has therefore been classed as a stray. We’re pleased to have been able to arrange a place with a local cat refuge until such time as contact with the owner can be re-established by them, or a new home is found for Moo.

We’d like to thank those colleagues who have been sharing with managers their growing concerns of late. It has been important to identify the most appropriate and responsible actions for the Museum to take to best support Moo’s ongoing welfare, and both the vet and refuge lead are pleased with the steps that have been taken.

Of course, it is very much the hope that Moo will have a new, permanent home in no time. The Museum will share any updates on the re-homing process, especially if there is an opportunity for any willing colleagues to be considered by the refuge charity!

Thank you

13 March 2025