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Category: Events

  • February half term – Programme

    February half term – Programme

    Date and times:

    Saturday 15 February – Sunday 23 February

    6.30pm – 10pm

    Concept:

    Visitors will explore how people spent their leisure time in years gone by. They will find out how hobbies changed as technology and workers’ rights led to an increase in leisure time from the Victorian era until the 1960s.

    Visitors can follow the trail to find and take part in various activities, from meeting new historic characters to playing some dominoes and having a go at a dance class!

    Please, check the map and activity trail.

    For more information, please see the context sheet.

    Contact:

    [email protected]

    [email protected]

  • Wellbeing events on pause

    Wellbeing events on pause

    Please note that, for the time being, we will be pausing our wellbeing special events calendar. This means that the pub quiz on February 12 will no longer be taking place.

    Please do check back here for updates about the next wellbeing events.

  • Join us for February’s Health & Wellbeing social events!

    Join us for February’s Health & Wellbeing social events!

    The Health & Wellbeing group has some great social events lined up for February – a chance to unwind, connect with colleagues, and have some fun. Whether you love dancing, reading, quizzes, or games, there’s something for everyone!

    Dance Workshop – Get moving and have fun!
    📍 Infant Welfare Centre
    🕔 5.15-6.15pm
    📅 Every Wednesday starting February

    Bookworms Book Club – A relaxed drop-in session to discuss The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and pick our next read!
    📍 LC Classroom 1
    🕣 8.30 – 9.30am
    📅 Wednesday 12 February

    Pub Quiz Night – Test your knowledge, win prizes, and enjoy a great night out!
    📍 Elephant & Castle Pub
    🕔 5pm – 7.00pm
    📅 Wednesday 12 February

    Games Night – Cards, dominoes, board games – bring your competitive side!
    📍 Elephant & Castle Pub
    🕟 4.30 – 6.30pm
    📅 Wednesday 26 February

    Come along and join in – we’d love to see you there!

  • Volunteer Reset session

    Volunteer Reset session

    All volunteers are invited to attend this year’s Volunteer Reset session. Join us to find out more information on the following:
    • Update from our Chief Executive on last year and outlook for the year ahead
    • Hear about essential new emergency protocols, safeguarding responsibilities, and reporting harassment
    • Learn about a large and diverse collection of objects that bring Black Country stories to life
    • Enhance your understanding of what the ‘Bostin Promise’ means and how it applies to your daily responsibilities
    Date: Monday 10 February 2025
    Time: 10am-1pm (hot drinks available from 9.30am)
    Location: Hall 2 (Black Country Living Museum)
    Light refreshments (tea/coffee/water) will be available.
    Please contact Ricki at [email protected] or 0121 521 5690 ext. 302 if you have any questions.
  • Christmas programmes – Colleague evaluation survey

    Christmas programmes – Colleague evaluation survey

    Thank you so much to everyone who took part in and supported all three of our Christmas programmes – Santa Hunts, Unwrapping and Glad Tidings! All three have had really great visitor feedback, celebrating the work that all teams put in to bring the all important Christmassy feel to the site. We have included an example of one great and one constructive comment for each programme under the headings below.

    As always, your feedback is extremely valuable to us, so please take a few minutes to fill out our colleague survey for each programme (linked under each heading below). 

    Santa Hunts
    Visitor Satisfaction Rating: 89%
    • 89% of visitors felt that they had an opportunity to participate.
    • 95% of visitors felt that the experience was immersive.

    Please share your thoughts on Santa Hunts in our colleague survey.

    Example of visitors’ comments:

    • “The staff were fantastic – so entertaining and interactions with the kids was appropriate and consistence. The actual hunts was so different from last year – makes coming back each year worthwhile.”
    • “I have been on a Santa Hunt at BCLM a few years ago and I felt it was much more authentic as a historical adventure… During this visit, whilst I can appreciate that it needs to change year on year, I felt that we were on the periphery of the real museum. “
    Unwrapping
    Visitor Satisfaction Rating: 93%
    • 87% of visitors felt that they had an opportunity to participate.
    • 95% of visitors felt that they learnt something new about Black Country heritage.
    Please share your thoughts on Unwrapping in our colleague survey.
    Examples of visitors’ comments:
    • “We always enjoy visiting the museum, but Christmas time has that additional charm with the fires and decorations. We particularly enjoyed sitting in the Victorian pub drinking mulled wine with the accordionist playing while sheltering from the rain.”
    • “Some staff seem as if they’re fed up. Family friendly food options when buying a large amount of food. Found the map a little difficult to understand and felt we missed a lot of things.”
    Glad Tidings
    Visitor Satisfaction Rating: 69%
    • 75% of visitors felt that the experience was immersive.
    • 72% of visitors rated the food & drink as excellent or good.
    Please share your thoughts on Glad Tidings in our colleague survey.
    Examples of visitors’ comments:
    • “Myself and my daughter came. What a fantastic evening!! We loved every minute of it, to seeing inside the houses of how Christmas used to be, the Carol Singers, the Gospel Choir were amazing and bought a great atmosphere got everyone up singing and dancing. Food was very reasonably priced and delicious. The atmosphere around the museum was very Chrismassy everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. Would definitely visit Glad Tidings again and recommend to family and friends.”
    • “Many of the staff seemed fed up or indifferent about the experience. Those in costume did not take on any kind of persona to convey authenticity of the time for visitors other than one street performer. We couldn’t see the gospel choir as it was full and there were long queues for various places. There was a lack of information regarding the history and culture of Christmas in many of the locations in the museum and I found it very difficult to understand what the difference was between a normal visit and the widely promoted and expensive Christmas experience. We were disappointed.”
  • Irish Histories drop-in sessions

    Irish Histories drop-in sessions

    All staff are invited to the Irish Histories drop-in at 1:30pm on Friday 17th January and Monday 20th January which will be taking place in Learning Centre Classroom Two. This is a chance to contribute to the development of stories and characters at the museum in 2025. Many people in the Black Country and at the Museum have Irish heritage, often from those who came to live here in Victorian times, or those who came after the Second World War. This will be a short, fun session to seek ideas, feedback, and stories that we could be telling at BCLM.

  • Glad Tidings – Programme

    Glad Tidings – Programme

    Date and times:

    Friday 13 December, Saturday 14 December

    Friday 20 December, Saturday 21 December, Sunday 22 December, Monday 23 December

    6.30pm – 10.00pm

    Concept:

    Time spent together in good company, with live music, a warm and lively village/canal dock with characters, braziers, outdoor seating, street vendors and a small market with quality local goods. Opportunities for visitors to join in with Christmas decoration making and sing along Carollers. Explore how different communities have celebrated Christmas including the origins of a traditional Victorian Christmas, the lively church and leisure music of people who moved to the Black Country from the Caribbean to work, to the Christmas crooners of the 1950s/60s along with the start of the Christmas TV specials we know and love.

    Please, check the map and activity trail.

    For more information, please see the context sheet.

    Contact:

    [email protected] (Programme)

    [email protected] (Event)

  • Festival of Light – Colleague evaluation survey

    Festival of Light – Colleague evaluation survey

    Thank you to everyone who participated in our Festival of Light Event. We have had some brilliant feedback for the programme and now we need to hear from you!

    Please take a few minutes to fill in our colleague survey to tell us what you think.

    Here are some highlights of what our visitors thought:

    “The festival of light was excellent! The light parade was particularly impressive and there was a real sense of togetherness and community there”

    • 78% of visitors rated their overall experience of the programme as “good” or “excellent”
    • 86% of visitors used their Trail which is typically higher than average usage and it scored a rating of 85%.
    • 95% of visitors were aware of the link between Festival of Light and Diwali
    • Visitors repeatedly mentioned that they enjoyed speaking to roaming characters and participating with the investigation story line.
    • Visitors mentioned that they spent a lot of time in queues, that there needed to be more authentic South Asian food and more light displays: “More Indian food options and more light effects”

    Well done to all teams and please do complete the survey. For any specific questions on the programme or feedback, please email [email protected]

  • Unwrapping – Programme

    Unwrapping – Programme

    Dates:

    • Unwrapping (weekdays from Wednesday 4 December – Friday 20 December)
    • Unwrapping PLUS (weekends from Saturday 30 November and school holidays from Saturday 21 December – Sunday 5 January)

    Concept:

    The festive season is in full swing at Black Country Living Museum until Sunday 5 January. Visitors can bring their friends and family along to ‘ave a warm by the hearth; the fires are lit, the stockings are hung and the period shops and houses are brimming with Christmas cheer! For the Unwrapping PLUS dates only, visitors can follow our family Christmas trail to explore stories of Christmases past, they can enjoy their favourite seasonal tunes and join in with festive crafts.
    For more information, please see the context sheet. Any questions, email [email protected].

     

  • October half term – colleague evaluation survey

    October half term – colleague evaluation survey

    Thank you to everyone who participated in our October half term programme – Crime & Capers. We have had some brilliant feedback for the programme and now we need to hear from you!

    Please take a few minutes to fill in our colleague survey to tell us what you think by clicking here.

    Here are some highlights of what our visitors thought:

    “The children loved the half term detective trail, particularly seeing the spiv get arrested by the detective & marched off the prison whist he was selling his stolen goods! We came for two days (stayed in hotel) the children still wanted to stay another night & visit again today!”

    • 95% of visitors rated their overall experience of the programme as “good” or “excellent”.
    • 40% of visitors used their Trail which is typically higher than average usage.
    • Visitors repeatedly mentioned that they enjoyed speaking to roaming characters and participating with the investigation story line.
    • Visitors mentioned that locations were sometimes difficult to find, queues in enterprise units and not all characters interacting: “Some actors were outstanding others just sat and didn’t get out of their chair.”

    Well done to all teams and please do complete the survey. For any specific questions on the programme or feedback, please email [email protected]