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  • People News – July 2024

    People News – July 2024

    Welcomes

    Earlier this month we welcomed Matthew Cowpe (pictured) as Head of Collections & Interpretation. Matthew comes to us with a wealth of experience and knowledge from the Royal Armouries Museum, University of Birmingham and the National Trust.

    In addition, Jenny Barton joins the Visitor Welcome & Admissions team as a Visitor Welcome & Admissions Team Member, and Joshua Hughes joins the Maintenance team as a Multi-skilled Maintenance Operative.

    Leavers

    Louise Weaver and Tracey Power from the Cleaning & Recycling team both leave us this month. We wish them all the best.

    Sadly departed

    We were recently informed of the sad news that Jean Ambrose, a previous colleague who left the Museum in 2014 after 30 years of service, passed away at the end of last year. Our deepest sympathies to Jean’s family and friends.

  • Penkridge Open Air Summer Festival – Free tickets

    Penkridge Open Air Summer Festival – Free tickets

    BCLM have generously received free access to the ultimate summer celebration at Penkridge Sports and Recreation Centre, happening this weekend from 5th to 7th July 2024.

    🎶 Immerse yourself in a world of music with live performances by top-notch artists, bands, and local talent across multiple stages.

    🍔 Savor delicious cuisine from food trucks and stalls offering a diverse range of culinary delights.

    🎨 Explore a vibrant arts and crafts market featuring the work of talented artisans and creators.

    🌞 Enjoy family-friendly activities, games, and entertainment for all ages.

    🍹 Sip on refreshing beverages, and soak up the summer vibes.

    Don’t miss this chance to create unforgettable summer memories with friends and family in the heart of Penkridge. Get your tickets now and be a part of the Penkridge Open Air – Summer Festival 2024!

    With only 50 tickets available, act quickly to reserve yours at www.penkridgeopenair.co.uk using promo code BCM100.

    Tickets are available for Friday and Sunday (not Saturday).

    We especially encourage families to choose a family ticket and visit on Sunday, when there will be plenty of activities and attractions for all ages.

  • Spring Hill Post Office – Our Wendy Box

    Spring Hill Post Office – Our Wendy Box

    When we embarked on creating our new 1940s-1960s town we knew from the outset that we wanted it to be representative in every sense of the word. Representative of what the Black Country was like, representative of the diverse communities who lived and worked in the region, and representative of the positive and negative aspects of changing social attitudes.

    We want to ensure that all colleagues are equipped with key information about the Wendy Box, and some context around the charity to enable colleagues to confidently discuss the context with our visitors and with each other. As an organisation we have worked with Scope and our Community Advisory Panel to determine the best way to display and provide context to this object.

    • The collection box was created by what was originally known as the National Spastics Society in the 1950s. The charity then changed its name to The Spastics Society in 1963, and later changed its name to Scope in 1994 as it is known today.
    • The young girl depicted in this object, known as Wendy, was one of a family of boxes which portrayed children with cerebral palsy (the name for a group of lifelong conditions that affect movement and co-ordination).
    • Over the years following the creation of the boxes, the word ‘spastic’ was used as a derogatory, cruel insult. People with cerebral palsy disliked the depiction and campaigned for their removal. Valerie Lang, who has cerebral palsy, was instrumental in the removal of the boxes.
    • The boxes themselves were phased out from 1979. Instead, the charity started to focus on positive images and messages of people living with cerebral palsy.
    • Today, Scope takes a pan-disability approach, works closely with people with lived experience, and campaigns against barriers of inequality.

    The Wendy Box has been equipped with a scanner and is accompanied by a QR code. This enables visitors to access our dedicated webpage about the object using a mobile phone while they are experiencing it. If a visitor would like to know more but does not have a smartphone, please direct them to the colleague in Spring Hill Post Office for more information.

    If you yourself, or a visitor you encounter, feels uncomfortable or would like to share some feedback please get in touch:

    • Colleagues may contact their line manager, duty manager or a trusted colleague to discuss.
    • Visitors may provide feedback either via telephone on 0121 557 9643, via email to [email protected], or via our postal address.

    Further information:

  • May Half Term Staff Survey

    May Half Term Staff Survey

    Thank you to everyone who participated in our May Half Term programme – Made in the Black Country! We’ve had some great feedback from visitors! And, as part of this programme, we introduced our first D/deaf character (David Smith) and so feedback around this has been and will be extremely valuable for us. As well as feedback around the programme in general, as always. So please take a few minutes to fill in our staff survey with your responses to the programme.

    • 92% of visitors rated their overall experience of the programme as “good” or “excellent”
      87% of visitors said they learned something new about Black Country Heritage
      79% of visitors said they felt the museum represented their heritage
      22% of visitors said that they encountered our D/deaf characters or stories of D/deaf history

    Here are some comments from visitors (both positive and constructive) about the programme in general:

    • The man who acted as the director of Frankenstein was amazing to interact with and so good with the children. The bus driver and teacher were also great! The tour guide for the mines (an older fellow) was absolutely amazing.
    • I liked the variety of things on offer and how interactive it is. The school experience was great. We also made a rosette and participated in the march.
    • Children loved brick making and school.
    • It was very busy and the queues for something’s were long …then people shut for lunch so came back and found there was another break so did not get into 1949s and 50 s house ..mine sweet shop or chip shop
    • Some of the staff in character did not interact with the public openly, which was a shame. This missed a great opportunity to enhance the ambience, experience and overall feeling of the Black Country.
    • Make the shows/events available to more people by putting on extra timeslots. Many people were disappointed because they couldn’t experience (for instance) the coal mine or mothers’ meeting.

    And some additional comments from visitors about our new D/deaf characters:

    • The deaf character as we had a profoundly deaf person with us who really appreciated having a great conversation in signing. This is a wonderful thing to do and it made his day.
    • It was fantastic to see and engage with David and his friend. I learnt how to say hello and was given a leaflet which has now spurred me on to take sign language classes.
    • We found the encounter very interesting, understanding their difficulties, particularly before the birth of technology.
    • It would have been a much better idea to have based them (the D/deaf characters) somewhere rather than them ‘roaming round the 60’s street” – what we were told by the ticketing staff on admission. It would have been great to see them and we were very disappointed not to have that opportunity. Please can this be a feature in future.
  • Forging Ahead – three shops opening

    Forging Ahead – three shops opening

    Detailed Story Notes are now available ahead of the official opening of Langer’s Army & Navy Stores and Spring Hill Post Office at 1960s Evening on Saturday 29 June:

    You can also read the Story Notes for Halesowen and Hasbury Co-op, which will be opening on Thursday 4 July.

    All of our available Story Notes can be found under Useful Documents – Storytelling – Story Notes.

  • 1960s Programme Info

    1960s Programme Info

    It’s almost time for visitors and staff alike to join us in the swingin’ 60s, as this defining decade in British history takes over our museum for the first time! Visitors will be able to hear their favourite 1960s music played by live bands, explore our new 1960s buildings, see vintage vehicles, as well as 60s fashion trends. Learn about technological advancements, attitude changes and liberation, and dance the night away with our historic 1960s characters.

     Please note: This programme is happening on Saturday 29th June as an evening event only. And then as a daytime programme on Sunday 30th June. The programme will not appear during the Saturday daytime.

     This programme will feature two new LGBTQ+ characters, telling the story of LGBTQ+ safe spaces or venues in the Black Country during this time period – such as Auntie’s Bar. Also, look out for the mods and rockers!

     More information about the entertainment happening on both the Saturday evening event and the Sunday daytime, as well as more information about key characters, can be found in the programme context sheet attached. Also, check out the flyer for the evening event.

  • Windrush Takeover Day Programme Information

    Windrush Takeover Day Programme Information

    Windrush Takeover Day is a daytime programme happening on Saturday 22 June. We will be commemorating Windrush 76 through immersive stories and scenarios across our entire site, following the epic success of last year’s event.

    We are proud to commemorate Windrush Day, a symbolic moment in our nation’s history, showcasing Black British contribution to the Black Country and the wider UK, from Commonwealth countries and beyond.

    Visitors will have a chance to discover stories in a host of locations around the site, including:

    • Visit the Windrush pop-up living room, located in the Visitor Centre
    • Enjoy choir practise in Providence Chapel and hear how gospel music, faith and religion became a coping mechanism against a backdrop of racism
    • Learn to play dominoes in the Elephant & Castle Pub, learning tricks of the game to play your hand like a Jamaican
    • Look out for colourful Windrush characters who will be interacting with visitors and inquiring about finding a job and a place to call home in the Black Country
    • Our enterprise offer will be brought to life with a taste of the Caribbean as we serve up curry patties, ginger beer and jerk chicken wings. Or, for those with a sweet tooth, there’ll be rum and raisin fudge or ginger ice cream.

    To see the full programme, download the activity trail.

    For any questions, please contact the programme lead Glenis Williams (Community Engagement Manager) via [email protected]

  • Quiz Night at the Elephant & Castle Pub! (Round 2)

    Quiz Night at the Elephant & Castle Pub! (Round 2)

    Calling all quiz enthusiast!

    Join us for our latest Health and Wellbeing event: A Quiz Night at the Elephant & Castle.

    There will be prizes to be won and snacks on offer. Put your thinking caps on and make up a team with your colleagues, friends and family – the more, the merrier!

    Drinks will be available from the Bar (Card payments only).

    Date: Thursday 18th July

    Time: 5.30-7.30pm

    Location: Elephant & Castle Pub

    Admission: £2 per person (cash on night)

    Please note; This event is popular and places are limited so please email [email protected] to sign up.

     

     

  • Car park 2 – notice

    Car park 2 – notice

    Please be informed that today, Wednesday 19 June, the row of parking spaces closest to the road in car park 2 will be cordoned off. This is so that Joe and Pete can trim the bushes along the fence line.

  • Mental Health First Aider Update

    Mental Health First Aider Update

    The Museum has a team of Mental Health First Aiders (MHFAs) to provide support to colleagues who are experiencing poor mental wellbeing or just need someone to talk to. Please find below a list of the Museum’s MHFAs should you wish to have a supportive conversation with someone about your wellbeing. MHFAs can also signpost you to useful resources and professional help and support. Please be assured that any contact and discussion with a MHFA will remain confidential between the two of you.

    • Lee Adams – Historic Character.
    • Emily Banks – Historic Character.
    • Hayley Boswell – People & Culture Manager.
    • Michelle Darby – Horse/Livestock Handler.
    • Adam Finney – Enterprise Team Manager (Operational Delivery).
    • Dave Holloway – Historic Character.
    • Carla Jasper – Admissions Coordinator.
    • Kate Kirkpatrick – Corporate Sales & Development Manager.
    • Amit Persaud – Historic Character.
    • Elizabeth Peters – Admissions & Ticketing Manager.
    • Izzy Taylor – Public Programme Producer.

    In addition, as a reminder, the Museum has an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) available to all colleagues. The EAP provides confidential advice and support on a variety of matters including legal, financial, health and relationships, as well as a telephone counselling service. If you feel this service may be of benefit to you, you can access support via the 24 hour confidential telephone advice line by calling 0800 756 0861 quoting ‘Perkbox’ and ‘Black Country Living Museum’.