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Category: General News

  • Attention all Colleagues – we have some thrilling new activities for you!

    Attention all Colleagues – we have some thrilling new activities for you!

    After reviewing the feedback from the Health & Wellbeing survey, we are excited to announce two new activities for you to get involved in!

    Get ready to get active, social, and get your game on!

    1. Quiz Night!
    Let’s make this an evening to remember!

    Are you ready for a night of fun, laughter, and friendly competition? The Health & Wellbeing Group is thrilled to invite you to our exciting Quiz Night event at the Elephant & Castle Pub on Thursday 12th October 2023, arrival at 5:30 PM, for a 6pm start.

    Prize: The winning team will each receive a family ticket to Hoo Zoo, Dinosaur World – a fantastic opportunity for a fun day trip.

    Refreshments: The bar will be open for you to purchase your favourite drinks and snacks throughout the event as well as a few free nibbles.

    Relax, enjoy a beverage, and unwind with your fellow participants.

    How to Participate: Please assemble a team of four members and give yourselves a creative team name!

    To secure your spot, please email [email protected] by Friday 6th October. Please make sure to provide the names of all team members and your team’s name.

    (Please note, the quiz is free to enter but is capped at 13 teams due to space).

    2. Embrace Autumn – Wreath Making!

    As the vibrant colours of autumn begin, it’s the perfect time to get creative and embrace the season’s beauty.

    Come and celebrate the season by crafting your very own beautiful wreath. Immerse yourself in the artistic process while enjoying the company of colleagues and friends, join the Health & Wellbeing Group at 4.30pm – 6.30pm on Tuesday 17th October in The Brickworks, where we’ll craft small autumnal wreaths together.

    Cost: The workshop is priced at £7 per person, which covers all the necessary materials.

    To secure your spot at the workshop, please email [email protected] by Friday 6th October. Spaces are limited, so sign up early to avoid missing out.

    Foraging Adventure: For those who sign up early, we’re offering a unique opportunity to forage for some of the materials in the picturesque surroundings of Mary Stevens Park at 10.30am on Saturday 14th October 2023. It’s a wonderful way to connect with nature and gather special elements for your wreath. If you choose to join us for the foraging activity, please bring comfortable outdoor attire and a sense of adventure. This activity is optional, and all materials for wreath making will still be provided.

    We can’t wait to see your artistic talents shine.

    If you have any questions regarding these two activities, please email [email protected]

    Thank you.

     

  • Infant Welfare Centre & Cast Iron Houses Preview

    Infant Welfare Centre & Cast Iron Houses Preview

    We are thrilled to announce that the opening of our new Infant Welfare Centre and Cast Iron Houses exhibits is fast approaching.

    Before these new buildings officially open to visitors, we would be delighted for you to be among the first to experience these exciting new additions during an exclusive sneak preview event.

    These sessions will take place on:

    • Monday 9 October 2023, 09:00-9:45
    • Tuesday 10 October 2023, 09:00-9:45
    • Wednesday 11 October 2023, 16:15-17:00
    • Friday 13 October 2023, 16:15-17:00

    Places are limited so if you would like to attend, please email [email protected] by Friday 6th October, indicating which session you would like to attend.

    Thank you.

  • Health & Wellbeing Survey – the results are in!

    The Health & Wellbeing Survey results are in!

    To gain valuable insights into the needs and preferences of our dedicated employees at the Black Country Living Museum, we recently conducted a survey – to view all results, please follow this Link.

    In this article, we will outline our plans to enhance health & wellbeing for all, here at the museum.

    Based on the survey results, we are committed to taking the following actions to support your health and wellbeing at BCLM:

    1. Colleague Wellbeing Initiatives:

    Exercise Initiatives: We will explore options for exercise initiatives such as walking groups and cycling activities.

    Social Engagement: Our team will work on planning social events and activities to promote colleague engagement. Our first event will take place in October – Watch this space!

    Healthy Eating: We will consider offering cooking and healthy eating classes to support your dietary preferences.

    Work Environment: Improvements to work environments, including rest areas and equipment.

    1. Diverse Activities:

    Excursions and Events: We will organise excursions and events, including quiz nights, movie nights, and other activities based on your interests.

    Skills Sharing: Colleagues interested in skills sharing will have the opportunity to contribute to our planned activities.

    1. Activity Timing:

    Flexible Timing: We will schedule activities to accommodate different preferences, including after work and evening options.

    1. Communication and Feedback:

    Intranet Updates: We will ensure that the intranet is regularly updated with information about upcoming activities and events.

    Open Dialogue: Your feedback and suggestions will continue to be welcomed and valued.

    1. Inclusivity:

    Supporting All Colleague Types: We recognise and appreciate the contributions of all colleague types at BCLM, including salaried, hourly paid, and volunteers.

    Your input has been instrumental in shaping our plans, thank you for being an essential part of Black Country Living Museum, we are excited to embark on this journey to prioritise health & wellbeing.

    Many thanks,

    The Health and Wellbeing Group

  • 1950s: A Rockin’ and Rollin’ Evening – UPDATED LINK

    1950s: A Rockin’ and Rollin’ Evening – UPDATED LINK

    Thank you to those of you who worked or came along to our first 1950s Event.

    Over 1000 visitors joined us to celebrate Rockin’ and Rollin’ the night away. We value your feedback – whether you worked on or attended the event – please let us know your thoughts so we can feed it back into discussions about next years 1950s weekend!


    Survey

     

    Comments from visitors:

    “My partner and myself did so much dancing the sweat was dripping off her chin she is 79yrs old and she said it makes me feel like I’m 16 again this was the best night out for many years”

    “Would have been good to have a dance workshop too”

    “The atmosphere was amazing. It was well organised & really was like stepping back in time. I love the new street”

    “Queue times were quite bad too. My friend spent most of the evening waiting for fish and chips!”

    “Making it an all day event, with access to the rest of the museum, would be brilliant”

    “I think the engagement from immersive actors could be better”

     

    119 people responded to the survey with the following results:

    • 72% of people learnt something new about 1950s history
    • 91% felt it was an immersive experience
    • 77% said the event was Excellent – with a further 21% saying it was Good
    • 94% of people bought food with 54% purchased from Hobbs & Sons Fish and Chip Shop
    • 86% satisfaction rate with food and drink purchases
  • Changes to accessing the Employee Assistance Scheme for BCLM Colleagues

    Changes to accessing the Employee Assistance Scheme for BCLM Colleagues

    The EAP scheme provides Museum colleagues access to mental health support 24/7, 365 days a year, via Health Assured.Health Assured’s trained counsellors can provide a listening ear and in-the-moment support to talk through any difficulties you might be facing — from pressures at work to relationship struggles and financial pressures to bereavement.Health Assured have recently made a change to how you access this service. Previously, when you called Health Assured, you had to quote ‘Perkbox’. As of Monday 18 September, you now need to quote ‘Perkbox’ AND ‘Black Country Living Museum’ when calling Health Assured on 0800 756 0861.

    If you have any further questions about this process, please email [email protected]

    Thank you.

  • Discounted staff tickets – Peaky Blinders Nights (September)

    Discounted staff tickets – Peaky Blinders Nights (September)

    We are happy to share that staff tickets for the Museum’s Peaky Blinders Nights this Friday 22 September and Saturday 23 September can be purchased from the Ticketing office at a discounted price of £10 per person. Four tickets can be bought per staff member.

    If you have any questions, or wish to order tickets, please visit our Ticketing team in the Canalside office.

  • Flu Jab Vouchers

    Flu Jab Vouchers

    We are committed to supporting a healthy working environment and continuously strive to enhance the quality of working lives for everyone involved.

    Under the banner of ‘Health and Wellbeing,’ we are pleased to confirm that the Museum will again be offering prepaid flu jab vouchers, redeemable at Boots outlets, to all our colleagues.

    How to Obtain Your Prepaid Flu Jab Voucher

    To make it easier for you to access your prepaid flu jab voucher, please contact [email protected].

    In your email, let People & Culture know your preferred method of receiving the voucher code and the team will promptly send you the voucher code to the provided email address or phone number.

    To redeem your prepaid flu jab you can book online at your nearest available Boots outlet; Book Flu Jab Online.

  • 75 Black Country babies needed!

    75 Black Country babies needed!

    To celebrate the opening of our replica of Wolverhampton’s Lea Road Infant Welfare Centre, we are inviting 75 Black Country babies born in 2023 to a free preview event on Thursday 12 October, from 9am-11am.

    • Do you have any family members born since 1 January 2023 or know of any friends with 2023 babies?

    *Update* Thank you to everyone who filled in the form or shared it. We’re delighted to see just how many Black Country babbies want to take part in our preview day.

  • Summer programme – staff survey

    The 2023 Summer Programme, Tunes Through Time, received an overall visitor rating of 91%, rating either Excellent or Good (62% Excellent).

    However, only 49% of visitors were aware of the Tunes Through Time programme, with only 6% of visitors using the trail. Of the 6% of visitors who used the trail, 93% rated it as excellent or good. 85% of visitors surveyed agreed that BCLM “reflects the unique character of this area and the people”.

    Positive Comments:

    • “The new street is amazing, it bought back wonderful memories of my childhood. I’ve always loved BCLM but this is something special.”
    • “The characters were knowledgeable, believable and very convincing in the roles they were playing.”
    • “One of the lady actors in the houses was fab with the kids and really interactive”
    • “Honestly, I’d love it if it were open an hour longer”

    Constructive Comments:

    • “More interaction from people in the houses, some just sat there and didn’t even say hello when you enter to look around”
    • “We needed to queue for over an hour to enter the mine,”
    • “Clearer information about specific times for activities/ events happening during the day to help plan a route etc”

    If you have a spare 5-minutes, please fill out the staff survey below, thank you.

    Staff Survey 

  • The summer of 2023

    The summer of 2023

    Although we are now seeing the hottest temperatures of 2023, summer officially ended on 31 August and a new school term has begun, and I wanted to thank you all for the relentless work required during the busiest of weeks of the year for the Museum (10 July – 3 September).

    It is always an especially unyielding time for front-line staff, but all professions feel it at this time of year.  To come through with such great visitor feedback on the programme, the Row of Six and its new storylines and characters, as well as strong visitor attendance is a fabulous achievement.

    So far as visitor attendance, we have performed very well (despite the vagaries of the weather), being 30% higher than a comparable period in 2022, although 5% below the budget we set for the eight weeks of summer. So, during the eight weeks we welcomed 107,619 visitors – our busiest ever summer, with three of those individual weeks seeing over 16,000 people visiting the Museum. The Summer Lates also continued to be popular, with 8,368 visitors across the four Fridays in August, an increase of 17% on last year.

    The dip against forecast during August means the year-to-date results (i.e., from the 1 January 2023) are now almost exactly on budget: 261,607 against a budget of 260,750.  That result also means we are currently 15% ahead of a comparable period in 2022, buoyed by Forging Ahead developments and continued strong demand for UnChained Annual Passes, both of which are strengthening the Museum’s beneficial long-term relationships with visitors.

    A special word of thanks for everyone involved in getting Hobbs’ and Sons Fish & Chip Shop back up and running within just a few days of the range fire. It is a special part of the character of the Museum and, as we know, much loved by visitors.

    We now gear-up for the autumn-winter events season, with plenty to look forward to.

    At the next staff briefing, I provide further updates.

    With my thanks.

    Andrew Lovett OBE
    Chief Executive