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Category: General News

  • Board of Trustees update

    Board of Trustees update

    We are pleased to share that recruitment for the next Chair of the Board of Trustees is now live with details available here.

    We’re also pleased to announce that Phil Atkins has joined the Board of Trustees having been nominated by the Association of Black Country Authorities. Phil brings extensive experience in public service and healthcare leadership, including as a Dudley councillor and Operations Manager at Russells Hall Hospital, alongside a strong connection to the Black Country and its communities. You can read more about Phil and our other trustees here.

    This month also sees a new appointment to the Board of the Enterprises Company in Olivia Horner, Director of Commercial and Operations at Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust. Olivia already knows the Museum well and we look forward to benefitting from her extensive experience in growing commercial, experiential and filming activities at Chatham in the years ahead.

  • 🤠 What a Bostin’ Hoedown! 🤠

    🤠 What a Bostin’ Hoedown! 🤠

    A huge thank you to everyone who came along and helped make our Hoedown Social such a fantastic evening. You certainly didn’t disappoint with your cowboy and cowgirl outfits – it was great to see so many of you embracing the theme and getting into the spirit of the event!

    We’d really love to hear your feedback. Whether you joined us on the night or not, your thoughts will help us make future socials even better.

    👉 Share your feedback here: Colleague Hoedown Feedback – Fill out form

    We’d love to know:

    • What you enjoyed most about the event
    • Any ideas or suggestions for future socials
    • If you didn’t attend, what prevented you from coming

    We know lots of photos were taken throughout the evening. However, as we do not have image consent from everyone featured, we won’t be sharing the photos on the intranet.

    If you would like a copy of a photo that includes you, please email [email protected] and we’ll be happy to share it with you where possible.

    Thank you again for making it such a memorable night – we can’t wait to hear your feedback and start planning the next one!

  • ☕BCLM Drink Loyalty Card Scheme – A Little Perk for all Colleagues

    ☕BCLM Drink Loyalty Card Scheme – A Little Perk for all Colleagues

    We’re delighted to be rolling out a BCLM Drink Loyalty Card for all colleagues as part of our colleague benefits!
    Fancy a drink on your break? Perhaps a tea or coffee to get you through the afternoon? Now you can enjoy your favourite drink on your break and collect stamps along the way.
    How do I sign up?
    Colleagues can sign up and collect a BCLM Drink Loyalty Card by visiting the People Team Office, located above Hartills.
    How it works?
    Once you have your card, simply present it when purchasing an eligible drink and receive a stamp.
    After collecting 4 stamps, you can redeem your 5th eligible drink FREE! You can then continue collecting stamps and working towards your next free drink.
    What drinks are included?
    The loyalty card applies to the following standard drinks in the Museum Visitor Centre and Workers institute only (drinks can include various syrups):
    • Tea
    • Coffee
    • Hot chocolate
    • Iced coffee
    Premium drinks, speciality drinks (Matcha, smoothies, etc.) are excluded from the loyalty scheme.
    For full details of the BCLM Drink Loyalty Card scheme, including eligibility and redemption rules, please see the BCLM Drink Loyalty Card Scheme Terms & Conditions.
    So, whether you’re a tea or coffee person, hot chocolate enthusiast or iced coffee fan… your next drink could be on us!
  • 🏋️ Free Gym Day Passes Available!

    🏋️ Free Gym Day Passes Available!

    We’ve been given a limited number of complimentary gym day passes by the Gym Group and would love for colleagues to make use of them.

    If you’re interested, please email [email protected] or pop into the People Office in Hartills to request a pass.

    We look forward to helping you make the most of this opportunity to focus on your health and wellbeing.

  • Our Kid of the Month – August Results!!!

    Our Kid of the Month – August Results!!!

    Thank you to those of you who took the time to nominate your colleagues for their GREAT contribution to Our Bostin Promise. We received a total of 35 votes from 9 departments.  

    Our Kid

    Jen Kettle – Historic Character

    Jen was nominated this month by 3 people within her team. She was recognised because she went above and beyond to create outstanding experiences for both visitors and colleagues. She demonstrated the Bostin Promise through her thoughtful approach to making an inaccessible house experience meaningful for a wheelchair user, bringing the story and activities to them. She has also shown exceptional calmness, initiative and professionalism in an emergency, providing immediate first aid and reassurance to a visitor who collapsed. Time and again, Jen steps up wherever she is needed — whether supporting first aid, transport or visitor engagement — quietly making a significant difference to the people around her and to the wider Museum experience.

     

    Runners Up

    • Aaron Williamson – Enterprise; Calmly supported a fallen visitor, following first-aid procedures and keeping him safe and reassured until help arrived.
    • Cerys Chilton – Admissions; For her enthusiasm, reliability and exceptional support to colleagues and visitors, consistently going above and beyond when needed.
    • Chantelle Richards – Programming; For her kindness, compassion and thoughtful support, taking time to comfort a colleague and check in afterwards.
    • Benjamin Lucas – Enterprise; Caring, inclusive approach and ability to quickly learn and share Museum history with warmth, humour and professionalism.
    • Ryan Colton – Historic Characters; Willingness to help, positive attitude and care for the Museum, while taking time to support and learn from colleagues.

     

    Our Bostin Promise Postcards 

    3 postcards were given out this month: 

    • Jo Turner gave Kev Cooksey a  “Care” postcard for acting quickly in a First Aid call and possibly saving someone’s life. 
    • Demi Whitehouse gave George Homer “Care” postcard for ensuring some disabled visitors felt included by singing to them outside the chapel. 
    • Jon White gave Drew Rhodes a “Know Your Stuff” postcard for demonstrating how good cleaning impacts the visitor experience and understanding how it connects to other operational teams 

    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. 

     

    Voting for September 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.

     

    Reminders 

    • A gentle reminder that each colleague should only vote once per month, any votes after the first will be discounted. 
    • You have until 12pm on 30th September to vote. Any votes received after midnight will be counted in October.
    • There will usually be 6 winners in total as long as sufficient nominations per team have been made, the highest scoring being Our Kid of the Month. 2 from Enterprise, 2 from Historic Characters and 2 from all other departments. 
  • A Message from the Board of Trustees

    A Message from the Board of Trustees

    Dear Colleagues

    On behalf of the Board, it is with enormous pride that we pass-on the grateful thanks and admiration of the Trustees to each and everyone in the Museum Team for the fantastic performance of the all important summer season.

    You may know that the Board meets every two months, and our meetings always include discussions about our lively programme of events and activities, feedback on the visitor experience and our financial performance.  These themes are especially important when Trustees meet at the end of August, when we look back at the summer.  Trustees are acutely aware that these past six-seven weeks are the busiest concentrated time for the Museum and that this puts a great deal of added pressure on all colleagues.  So, to come through as successfully as we have is a wonderful achievement and proof of the professionalism, skill and commitment of you all to our common cause – the visitors we serve.

    Some Trustees have also engaged with Back-to-the-Floor during the summer and this has given an even keener appreciation for the entire operation of the Museum.

    So, whatever your role at the Museum and for the contribution you make and the support you provide for your colleagues – thank you.

                           

                                         

    Duncan Bedhall                                 Louise Jones

    Chair, Museum Board                  Chair, Museum Enterprises Company

  • Introducing Afternoon Tea

    Introducing Afternoon Tea

    At 12pm today, we will officially launch our new Black Country Afternoon Tea offer. Inspired by the region’s rich heritage and the Museum’s historic stories, this unique new experience will welcome its first guests from Saturday 19 September.

    Designed to delight both loyal supporters and new audiences, the afternoon tea combines traditional regional flavours with creative presentation. Guests can enjoy a menu featuring miniature fish and chips, Black Country cheese and onion cobs, Coronation Chicken, ration-inspired favourites, retro school cake, and our innovative “profitercoals” served in their own miniature coal bucket.

    Adding to the experience, the afternoon tea is presented inside a miniature replica of two of our iconic historic buildings: Veal’s Baker’s Shop and Hobbs & Sons Fish and Chip Shop.

    What Do I need to Know?

    • Afternoon Tea will be available on Saturdays and Sundays in the Black Country Café.
    • Guests can choose from standard, vegan, or gluten-free menus.
    • Bookings can be made online for up to five guests, with larger groups accommodated via our Ticketing team.
    • Museum admission is not included and must be purchased separately, unless visitors hold a valid Membership or UnChained Annual Pass.

    This exciting new offer provides visitors with another memorable way to engage with our stories, food heritage and hospitality, while creating new opportunities to attract group travel and special occasion bookings.

    For booking enquiries, visitors can contact [email protected] or call 0121 557 9643 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm).

  • All Colleague Briefings – September 2026

    All Colleague Briefings – September 2026

    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 for 2026.

    These briefings will all take place in the Workers Institute on:

    • Tuesday 15 September
    • Thursday 17 September
    • Saturday 19 September

    All the briefings will commence at 9am, finishing at 9.30am.

    • 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.

    Can you please sign up using the following link: ​​All Colleague Briefing September 2026​​

    Slips will be available for colleagues to submit questions or comments in advance.  These can be submitted anonymously, which is especially helpful for anyone unable to attend or who prefer not to speak up on the day. We will place some in break areas, but they will be available from line managers at morning 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.

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

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

    Thank you to those of you who took the time to nominate your colleagues for their GREAT contribution to Our Bostin Promise. We received a total of 34 votes from 14 departments.  

    Our Kid 

    • Pete Knowles – Cleaning & Recycling Team

    Pete was nominated by 3 people across 3 teams including his own. He does his own cleaning and supervising the team brilliantly – supporting colleagues on Back to the Floor, but also notices and supports other teams. He takes a proactive approach to making sure the visitor experience is the best it can be – noticing and reporting when things aren’t as they should be or fixing things in an emergency. 

    Runners Up

    • Ciara Costello – Collections & Interpretation; Going over and above for a last minute filming request
    • Andrea Williams – Historic Character; Delivering truly excellent living history interpretation and bouncing back after absence
    • Akriti Athi – Historic Character; For noticing and supporting a colleague in another department struggling
    • Demi Whitehouse – Enterprise; For going out of her way to replace an ice cream for a customer
    • Ziara Mahmood – Enterprise; For her dedication to the new afternoon tea offer
    • Clare Bevin – Enterprise; for helping out colleagues in other teams at a busy time

    Our Bostin Promise Postcards 

    7 postcards were given out this month: 

    • Jess Bently gave George Walker a Care postcard for looking after Charlie Millward’s wife on her visit.
    • Janine Downes gave Ricki Boden a Care postcard for resolving an issue with recruitment – going out of her way to make sure the candidates had a good experience. 
    • David Zebedee (Zeb) gave Dave Field an Own Our Part postcard for his can-do attitude and always putting the visitor first.
    • Melanie Penn gave Kevin Cooksey a Know Our Stuff postcard for looking out for her all day when she wasn’t well.
    • Susannah Green gave Melanie Penn a Know Our Stuff postcard for making the Back to the Floor experience so meaningful.
    • Karen Kennedy gave Luke Whitehouse an Own Our Part postcard for going above and beyond with visitors – making sure a sandwich was made with no butter/marg for an allergic customer.
    • Lisa Edwards gave James O’Toole an Own Our Part postcard for learning the Mine Supervisor role so well – taking on changes and training new colleagues with enthusiasm.  

    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. 

    It’s been great to read all the lovely comments and to see a wide range of colleagues being nominated so do take a look. Every nomination submitted for July can be found here; Our Bostin Promise Nominations July 2026

    Voting for August 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 or download here. 

    Reminders 

    • Don’t forget any votes received after midnight on 31st  August will be counted in September – and voting is already open! 
    • A gentle reminder that each colleague should only vote once per month, any votes after the first will be discounted. 
    • You have until 12pm on 31st August to vote. 
    • There will usually be 6 winners in total as long as sufficient nominations per team have been made, the highest scoring being Our Kid of the Month. 2 from Enterprise, 2 from Historic Characters and 2 from all other departments. 
  • Annual Report & Accounts 2025

    Annual Report & Accounts 2025

    Our Annual Report & Accounts for 2025 has now been published.  The full report can be found by clicking the below link.

    Annual Report & Accounts 2025

    You can find out more about the Museum by reading our annual reports, which set out our major achievements, performance, public benefits and future plans. Previous reports are available on our website.