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  • People News (June 2026)

    People News (June 2026)

    Welcomes

    We are delighted to share that this month, Ellie Vernum has successfully secured a contracted position within the Enterprise Team, having previously worked with us as a casual team member. Congratulations, Ellie!

    Later this month, we will be welcoming Shannon Bradley, Digital Growth & CRM Manager, and Anna Pickton, Events Operations Manager, to the Museum. We look forward to them joining the team.

    We have also welcomed a number of new casual team members across our Enterprise, Admissions & Welcome, Historic Character, and Cleaning & Recycling teams.

    Please join us in giving all our new colleagues a warm welcome when you see them around the site.

    Changes

    Susannah Green will now hold the title of Lead People Business Partner.

    Farewells

    In June, we say goodbye to Toni Tart, Ticketing Administrator, who is leaving the Museum to pursue her own business venture, and Carol Johnson, Historic Character, who has retired from the Museum.

    We thank Toni and Carol for their valuable contributions and dedication and wish them every success and happiness for the future.

    Sadly Departed

    It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of our colleague, Charlie Millward. Charlie had been a member of the Historic Character team since 2015. Our thoughts and condolences are with Charlie’s family, friends, and colleagues at this difficult time.

  • Festival of Vehicles

    Festival of Vehicles

    Date and times:
    Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th June 10.00 – 5.00pm

    Programme Concept:
    A light touch weekend offer celebrating Black Country Vehicles from our collection. The weekend will include activities for all the family, displays of vehicles around the site and a cavalcade showcasing iconic vehicles from Black Country History.
    Even our horses will get the chance to shine pulling their cart, before we showcase bikes, cars, and finally our ‘specials’ – unique vehicles from our collection that only come out on special occasions.
    We will also play host to a number of vintage vehicles travelling from all over the Midlands and beyond to showcase at BCLM over the weekend!
    For the first time EVER we will be selling our Vehicle Guide, whilst visitors will still be provided with a free trail to make sure they don’t miss any of the fun!

    Link to Trail: Click here to download

    Programme Context Sheet: Click here to download

    Contact:
    [email protected] (Programme)

  • Woodside Library, Our Approach

    Woodside Library, Our Approach

    Since opening this spring, Woodside Library has become one of the most popular parts of the Museum, attracting excellent feedback from visitors and helping us tell richer stories about life in the Black Country during the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s.

    A huge thank you to all the colleagues who have helped make it such a success, particularly those working in and around the library every day.

    The library contains more than 6,500 books, alongside magazines, newspapers and records. As some colleagues may have seen, there has recently been media interest in the advisory note included inside books in the collection.

    The advisory note appears in every book in the library. It is not a comment on any individual title. Rather, it explains our approach to sharing the collection with visitors.

    Much of the collection has been acquired through donations and, given its scale, it is not possible to review every item individually. We are also aware that some historical publications may include language, attitudes or assumptions that some visitors could find upsetting, inappropriate or outdated. The advisory note acknowledges this while explaining why we have chosen to preserve these materials and make them available for learning, discussion and reflection.

    As a museum, our role is to preserve and share the past. We did not edit or amend the books in our collection, and the advisory note helps provide context for visitors exploring the collection today.

    If you have any questions about the library, the advisory note or the approach we have taken, then please do talk with the Interpretation and Collections Team. Any external enquiries should also be directed to the Hannah Parsons in the first instance.

  • Our Kid of the Month –  May – The Results!!! 

    Our Kid of the Month –  May – The Results!!! 

    Thank you to everyone who took the time to nominate your colleagues for their GREAT contribution to Our Bostin Promise. We received a total of 46 votes across 13 departments. 

    Our Bostin Promise Postcards 

    3 postcards were given out this month: 

    • Janine Downes gave “Own our Part” postcard to Caitlin Miller for her work adapting tours and liaising with colleagues about younger educational groups and their needs.
    • Melanie Penn gave “Own Our Part” postcard to Kate Goode for her work on improving the cleaning task list, making it a more effective training tool for colleagues.
    • David Zebedee gave “Know Our Stuff” to Valentina Schiariti for her work in Laurie Thomas’ bringing the space to life for visitors – in character and with activity. 

    A reminder to Managers and Supervisors to give out these postcards when you see exceptional service against one of the pillars of Our Bostin Promise.  

    And to record it Manager/Supervisor – Colleague Recognition Cards – Fill in form to ensure it is acknowledged. 

    Our Kid 

    •  Emily Jarvis – Historic Character 

    Emily received 5 votes from across the organisation for her outstanding work in character and especially during the 1960s event when she was enthusiastic, in character, encouraged visitors to participate – and provided an exceptional welcome and experience.  

     Runners Up 

    • Nigel Westwood-Burgess – Historic Character 
    • Sam Payne – Historic Character
    • Luke Rees – IT 
    • Clare Weston – Collections & Interpretation 
    • Rosie Waddell – Enterprise 
    • Karren Kennedy – Enterprise

    Due to one of our Historic Characters kindly not wishing to receive their voucher, as they felt they were simply doing their job, we have been able to recognise an additional historic character colleague this month.

    It’s been heartwarming to read all the nominations so do take a look. Every nomination submitted for May can be found: Our Bostin Promise Nominations May 2026

    Winners will receive their vouchers this week/early next week and be acknowledged at the next All Staff Briefings. 

    Voting for June is open! 

    Living the Bostin Promise – Colleague Recognition – Fill in form 

    Or complete a slip and post in the white boxes across all break areas. 

    • You have until 12pm on 30th June to vote. Any votes received after 12pm on 30 June will be counted in July – and voting is already open! 
    • A gentle reminder that each colleague should only vote once per month, multiple votes will be discounted. 
    • There will always be 6 winners in total – the highest scoring being Our Kid of the Month with 5 runners up; 2 from Enterprise, 2 from Historic Characters and 2 from all other departments. 
  • 1960s Staff Survey

    1960s Staff Survey

    Thank you so much to everyone who took part in and supported our 1960s events this year! We’ve had some really great feedback from visitors!

    “The whole experience, from waiting at the gate to ending the night, fun fair, to bands, to the fight in the street, chip shop, it was just absolutely brilliant, fantastic time”

    As always, your feedback is extremely valuable to us, so please take a few minutes to fill in our colleague survey, here: https://uk.culturecounts.cc/s/6tJERK

    In general, visitors gave positive mention to the atmosphere and all of the bands (particularly the Daisy Chains and the Rolling Clones). This year, there was a notable increase in positive comments about the drag artist (and the Gay Flamingo), as well as the characters or “actors” and the “drama” taking place.

    More constructive comments from visitors mentioned the length of the event not allowing them to experience/ see everything, not enough places to sit (especially in the wet weather) and some mentioned food being cold or not up to standard.

    • 96% overall satisfaction rating (80% excellent and 16% good)
    • 90% felt that it was an immersive experience
    • 89% felt they had an opportunity to participate
    • 89% satisfaction with food and drink at the event.
    • 38% of visitors also reported that the event had changed their perception of LGBTQ+ history,  which is up massively from 14% last year (the first time we asked this question).

     “I have always as a member of the LBGT community been extremely PROUD of the men and women who through the 60s were fighting tooth and nail for the freedoms so many LGBT take for granted now… Thank you for showing this side of the 1960s my wife and I hope to see such again when your 60s weekend returns.”

    Thanks again to all teams. Please fill in the survey and if you have any questions or feedback, please email [email protected].

  • Visit from HRH The Duke of Gloucester

    Visit from HRH The Duke of Gloucester

    We recently welcomed our patron His Royal Highness the Duke of Gloucester for a visit to the Museum. Please see below a message from our Chief Exec Andrew Lovett, reflecting on the visit.

    “The warmest day of the year saw us welcome our Patron, HRH The Duke of Gloucester. This was The Duke’s third visit to the Museum in recent times, giving us the opportunity to show how we are continuing to develop our impact through new stories and expanding the estate with new historic features.  I am pleased that The Duke was able to meet so many members of staff.

    The Duke honoured us with an official opening of Woodside Library, and in his accompanying remarks reflected how crucial libraries are to society, especially for young people.

    We were also able to show our Patron Laurie Thomas, the Army & Navy Store and finally the Co-op, before being driven off in our 1939 Alvis.

    A huge amount of planning is required for such visits and I am enormously grateful to everyone on the Museum Team for putting together a faultless itinerary, in liaison with many stakeholders, including the Lord Lieutenant,  the Mayor of Dudley, and the police. Can I also thank all those staff who talked to The Duke about the work of the Museum, making his visit even more memorable.

    With my sincere thanks.

    A”.

    We have since received a letter of thanks from the Duke for his visit which can be seen below.

  • Our best-ever quality assessment score from VisitEngland achieved this month

    Our best-ever quality assessment score from VisitEngland achieved this month

    Earlier this month, we had our annual assessment from the Visitor Attractions Quality Assurance Scheme (known as VAQAS) which is operated by VisitEngland. With the fantastic combined efforts of all involved, we achieved 95%, improving our 2025 score of 94%. This accreditation is a nationally recognised initiative that highlights the very best in days out. The assessment is thorough and rigorous, and helps us to demonstrate to our visitors that we are among the best places to go in England. Our impressive score of 95% also shortlists us for a Gold Award, which we achieved for the first time last year.

    Some stand out comments from our assessor include:

    There is little not to admire about the experience. The museum’s cross-generational appeal is
    particularly commendable, creating opportunities for families to share stories and memories
    across age groups. This emotional connection elevates the attraction beyond simply being an
    open-air museum.

    Staffing is a clear and significant strength and plays a major role in the attraction’s success. The
    team consistently delivers warm, engaging and highly professional customer care, which greatly
    enhances the overall visitor experience. A score of 95% is fully justified and reflects the
    exceptionally high standards observed throughout the visit.

    A visit is not complete without trying the famous Hobbs and Sons fish and chips. Cooked in beef
    dripping and served hot in paper, they lived up to their reputation. The food was excellent,
    perfectly cooked fish and crisp, flavoursome chips in keeping with the heritage setting.

    We’d like to thank everyone for your continued fantastic work in making us an outstanding visitor attraction, worthy of such a fantastic score. The results show that your hard work in embodying the values of Our Bostin’ Promise truly make us an unforgettable experience for our visitors.

    In particular, some of the colleagues that were working on the day of the assessment (Saturday 16 May) who are mentioned in the report include:

    • The admissions team, who “provided a warm and friendly welcome and clearly explained both the annual return offer and the Gift Aid scheme”
    • The mine gas show team who delivered their show “with enthusiasm, humour, audience participation and dramatic effects – creating a memorable experience for all ages”; as well as those who delivered the colliery tour who “vividly brought the story of mining and industrial heritage to life”, ensuring visitors still gained a strong understanding of this important aspect of the region’s history”.
    • Some of the Historic characters who were named include Lizzie and Matthew in the 1940s Cast Iron House, Rich A on the Cinema, and Steve and Denise on transport
    • The cleaning team: “Cleanliness standards across the museum were excellent throughout the visit and clearly reflected a well-managed, proactive approach to presentation and housekeeping”.
    • Hobbs team: “The outlet was very popular, with queues out the door. Staff worked efficiently to keep lines moving and maintain a positive atmosphere.”
    • The gift shop team, who achieved a 100% satisfaction score from the assessor.

    We’ll find out whether we achieve a Gold Award once again later this Summer. If you would like to read the report in full, please get in touch with Head of Operations Nick Sellers or Head of Development & Communications Hannah Parsons.

  • Car Parking Notice to colleagues for Half-Term

    Car Parking Notice to colleagues for Half-Term

    As May Half Term continues, and we expect to get busier, we must make sure our visitors have parking priority. To ensure our visitors can park as easily as possible and enable our car park team to make the most of available spaces, we kindly ask that colleagues park in the following areas of the Rolfe Street car park:

    1. The gravel section on the left as you go in that runs along the fence line backing onto the Museum site (please do not continue around the corner into the coach parking area).
    2. Once this area is full, please use the marked bays along the Tipton Road fence line.

    A reminder that the marked disabled bays are reserved for colleagues who require close access to the Museum for accessibility reasons.

    Please use your common sense and park sensibly, and don’t leave awkward gaps between vehicles where possible.

    Please follow the directions of our car parking team on arrival.

    Thank you for your cooperation!

     

  • All Colleague Briefing Q&A – May 2026

    All Colleague Briefing Q&A – May 2026

    Following the colleague briefings that took place on 5, 7 and 9 May 2026, please find the questions and answers asked over the sessions;

    Has the removal of premium rates of pay made it more difficult to attract staff to work on these public holidays?

    Bank Holidays are not seen as an extra working day but the usual working pattern of the Museum. The fair allocation of working hours also takes into account weekends and evenings. We are, for the best part of the year, a 7-day operation.

    Could a pay incentive be given to staff in line with their experience, knowledge and work abilities?

    Performance-related pay is not easy to implement and there are other aspects to job roles that could be taken into account, such as specialist skills and length of service. There are other important aspects of our roles, such as influencing, making change, leading staff, decision-making. This year we will be looking to review our pay & grading system.

    And for those staff who don’t take any sick leave during the year?

    We will consider this as part of the pay & grading system review as mentioned above.

    Why do Members receive a larger discount on site than staff?

    We will review this in line with the new ticketing system that has been rolled out this year, and bring it in line with other staff benefits, such as receiving Museum admission tickets.

    What’s the latest on developing accommodation on site?

    This is still something we are considering, particular the idea of developing a hotel on site. It’s part of a wider project: to consider a Master Plan of the site.

    Is there any funding to repair the Museum’s roads?

    We have had a small amount to fix some potholes but there are no resources to do the whole road network at present. We are working up a plan to address this.

    Could the Boat Dock be tidied up / repaired?

    We note this was flagged following the recent Tug Boat weekend and will bring it to the attention of the teams with responsibility for that area.

    For visitors from abroad, when searching for things to do in Birmingham the Museum doesn’t come up.

    The team are focused on Google Analytics to make sure we appear for relevant search terms for all visitors, including international ones. Search results vary by time of day and user, and the Museum benefits from the consultancy of a strong digital marketing agency to optimise value for money in these activities. In June a new Digital Growth & CRM Manager joins the team to help us with this important work.

  • People News May 2026

    People News May 2026

    Welcomes

     

    This month Kyle Salmon, Owen Larkens, Amy Churm and Melanie Toy have been successful in gaining a contracted position in the Enterprise Team, all 4 were previously engaged as casual team members.

     

    We have also welcomed a number of casuals to the Enterprise and Cleaning & Recycling Teams.

     

    Please join us in giving them all a warm welcome when you see them on site.

     

    Changes

     

    The work of our People Team; Following Hayley Boswell’s return from maternity leave at the beginning of May and a review of the needs of the Museum, Hayley will be returning to focus on a number of important projects, including developing our People Strategy, reviewing and implementing a Pay & Grading Framework, and further developing the Museum’s Manager Hub.

     

    Susannah Green will continue with the day-to-day management of People work, as Susannah has been doing during Hayley’s maternity leave, including continuing management of the People Team, and continue to report to Andrew.

     

    We will review this arrangement in three months’ time to make sure they are supporting the needs of staff and the Museum.

     

    Farwell’s

     

    In May we say goodbye to Martin Crage from the Cleaning & Recycling team and Carol Johnson, Colin MacDonald and Alex Orchin from the Historic Characters team.

     

    We thank them all for their contributions and wish them every success for the future