Unfortunately, the Museum’s main contractor for the reconstruction of Woodside Library has ceased trading and gone into administration. Despite this set back, we remain committed to completing the outstanding works and opening the library as soon as possible, to enable its stories to be told. We are currently working up alternative arrangements to complete the building and will share an updated opening timeline in due course.
Category: Forging Ahead
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Our Bostin’ Promise – update for Managers
Thank you all for your support so far in getting the message out to your teams about Our Bostin’ Promise. We hope it has landed well and that you and your teams are getting to grips with understanding what it means for you and our visitors.You will have seen posters going up in break spaces and work areas and hopefully, you’ve all had a chance to watch the video and start to think about how you can apply the promise to your work and set goals for your team. Progress Review time is a good moment to use Our Bostin’ Promise to highlight and commend best practice or identify areas for improvement. A reminder of the resources available to you including the FAQs and Guide with examples of best practice and where there is room for improvement. This has been updated with a Team Bostin’ Promise Template, which you can use to create your version of the Guide, making it relevant to your and your team’s work.We wanted to make sure there are opportunities for you to feedback about the promise so far. To hear from you about how the launch went, what questions colleagues are asking, whether you’ve used the Promise in 1:1s already, and what support you think you will need going forward for your teams to uphold the promise. All comments, thoughts, and ideas are welcome Our Bostin’ Promise Manager Feedback FormAs we go into the New Year training will be provided for frontline staff to get more familiar with the promise and better understand their role and impact as they uphold it. As the New Year progresses we will be looking at how we recognise best practice around the Promise. -
Final call – send us your “Crossed finger” selfies!
Since the first draw was held in 1994, the National Lottery has raised over £49 billion for good causes and awarded over 690,000 individual grants to projects and organisations, making a real difference to local communities.
We’ve been hugely supported by the National Lottery through the National Lottery Heritage Fund over the years, most recently to make our 1940s-60s development possible.
We’re joining in with the National Lottery’s 30th birthday celebrations, with dedicated content across our social media channels and website. For the big day on 19th November, we want you to get involved!
We’re making a final call to ask colleagues to send over “crossed finger selfies” – make the famous Lottery “crossed fingers” gesture and snap a photo of yourself in situ in your role, whether that be in a forge, down the mine or behind the counter in Hobbs!
Get involved:
- Pose with the crossed finger gesture and snap a selfie on your phone
- You can do it in groups or on your own, it’s up to you
- Think about the background – if you’re visitor facing, think about the Museum building you’re in
- Remember if you work back of house to make sure there are no sensitive or private documents on walls or desks around you
- If you are visitor-facing, please make sure to snap your photo before 10am or after 5pm
You can send your selfies to [email protected] or send them via WhatsApp to the Museum press phone on 07703 670530.
Please note that by sending your photo you agree to us sharing it as part of the promotion, so do make sure you are happy with us using your photo before sending it over – if you have not signed a BCLM photo consent form please speak to Hannah Brown ([email protected]) in Audiences & Communications to sign one.
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Woodside Library – Update
You may have noticed that we are slightly ‘overdue’ opening Woodside Library. This is due to the complex nature of translocating this historic building.
BCLM and the contractors want to make sure the library meets the highest possible standards and provides visitors with another unique experience at the Museum, so we now plan to launch the building in early 2025.
Behind the scenes there has been a huge collecting project, with over 4500 books being donated and catalogued. These will fill the library shelves and provide the catalyst for a dynamic visitor experience in this unique space.
We look forward to welcoming colleagues and visitors in 2025.
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Inclusive Language Guide Launch
We are pleased to launch a new guidance document to enable colleagues to feel confident with sharing inclusive stories and engaging in inclusive conversations between colleagues.
The Inclusive Storytelling Language Guide has been produced and aims to:
- Support colleagues with telling stories about a variety of communities and experiences
- Ensure all colleagues are using the most up-to-date terms and ensuring consistent language use across the Museum
As the first part of the launch, managers will have an opportunity to attend support sessions with members of the Inclusive Storytelling Working Group. Subsequently, all colleagues will be provided with a paper copy of the current version of the document during training sessions along with an opportunity to ask any questions in the coming weeks.
The guide has been written for all colleagues – while it is of particular importance for visitor-facing colleagues, it will be shared with everyone (including volunteers). It is our collective responsibility to ensure it is digested and implemented.
The guide will always be available to download from the intranet, and paper copies of guides will be stationed in key areas around the Museum. Colleagues are encouraged to contact their line managers with any questions.
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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:
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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.
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Red By Night – Event Relevant Information
Internal Event Description:
Exploring Living Industrial History, when the factories and industry in the area made the Black Country ‘Red By Night’! Featuring steam action, industrial demonstrations, and (for the evening event) live entertainment.
Buildings will operate as normal but with a particular focus on industrial buildings and relevant characters. We will have more industrial buildings open, such as Lenches and the lady chain makers, as well as operating the Anchor Forge and colliery engine with steam.
Relevant information for the event:
- See Event Map and Home of Industry Trail.
- For any doubt about the program, please visit the programme info sheet.
Talking points in these buildings will also consider the environmental impact of the region’s industrial history. We will have steam engines positioned across the site over the weekend, and we will also be launching and showcasing the new Industrial Quarter!
Please remember that we are offering exclusive preview sessions for our colleagues. Read our Industrial Quarter – Colleague Familiarisation article for further information.
Programming lead: [email protected]
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Industrial Quarter – Colleague Familiarisation Sessions
While preparations for the opening of our Industrial Quarter are well underway, opening its doors to the public during Red by Night, we are offering exclusive preview sessions for our colleagues. Led by our Interpretation & Research team, these sessions will provide a first hand look at the fascinating buildings within the Industrial Quarter.
Mark your calendars for March 7th and March 14th, 2024, as we will be hosting two sessions on each date. The sessions will run for 30 minutes each, with timings at 9:00 am and 4:15 pm.
If you’re interested in joining us for a tour, please send an email to [email protected], indicating your preferred date and time slot.
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All Colleague Briefings – October 2023
As part of our continual programme of ensuring engagement and communication across the Museum’s operational and strategic activity, we will be holding briefings to update all colleagues on the Museum’s progress and the plans for the remainder of 2023, a critical year following the opening of the row of six buildings in our new street.
These briefings will take place on:
- Wednesday 18th October 2023
- Thursday 19th October 2023
- Saturday 21st October 2023
All the briefings will be held in the Museum’s Workers’ Institute, and will commence at 9.00, finishing at 9.30.
- Many of you will already be scheduled by your line managers to attend one of these sessions. If you have not yet been scheduled, please contact your line manager.
- All contracted colleagues are mandated to attend these sessions. We would also strongly urge colleagues from both our volunteer and casual community to all attend.
- You only need to attend one of the briefing sessions.
- Refreshments will be provided in the WI.
Can you please sign up using the following link: All Colleague Briefings
If you have any trouble signing up for the briefing because you do not have a BCLM email address, please speak to your line manager who will be able to add your name for you.