Helpdesk

Iplicit

FuseMetrix

Planday

My ePayWindow

Intranet

Category: General News

  • 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. 
  • 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.

  • Update to Wellbeing Support: Moving to an EAP – Led Approach

    Update to Wellbeing Support: Moving to an EAP – Led Approach

    We want to share an important update on how colleagues can access wellbeing support across the Museum.

    Why we are making a change

    We want to make sure that everyone can access the right wellbeing support, at the right time, in a way that is consistent, confidential, and sustainable.

    Over time, we’ve learned more about how colleagues access support and what works best in practice. This has highlighted the value of providing direct access to trained professionals who can offer specialist, confidential advice whenever it’s needed.

    We’ve also found that the current Mental Health First Aider (MHFA) model can be challenging to sustain consistently across the organisation, and that the role has sometimes extended beyond its original scope.Moving to an EAP-led approach allows us to build on these learnings and provide a clearer, more reliable route to support for everyone.

    What is changing

    We will be moving to an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)-led approach for wellbeing support.

    This means:

    • The EAP will become the primary route for support, offering confidential access to trained professionals
    • Colleagues can contact the EAP directly at any time by calling 0800 756 0861, quoting “perkbox” and ” Black Country Living Museum”.

    Accessing support while at work

    If you need support while at work:

    • Please speak to your Duty Support (where available)
      • Enterprise: 07568 428543
      • Historic Characters: 0121 521 696
    • If none of the above are available, you can contact the Duty Manager; 07788 666161

    They will support you by:

    • Helping you step away from your duties where needed
    • Arranging cover if required
    • Providing a private, safe space
    • Offering a calm and supportive presence
    • Supporting you in accessing the EAP (for example, sitting with you while you make contact)

    While colleagues and managers are there to support you, they do not take on MHFA responsibilities. Their role is to respond appropriately and help you access professional support through the EAP.

    What this means for MHFAs

    We will be moving away from the MHFA role as it currently operates, including removing the duty MHFA phone and posters.

    We are grateful to all colleagues who have supported others as MHFAs and recognise the important contribution they have made.

    What will stay the same

    While the way support is accessed is changing, our commitment to colleague wellbeing remains the same. We will continue to:

    • Foster a supportive and open culture
    • Ensure colleagues feel safe, respected, and able to seek help
    • Provide clear and accessible routes to support

    If you have any questions in the meantime, please email: [email protected]

  • Mental Health Awareness Week: Wellbeing Support Through Perkbox

    Mental Health Awareness Week: Wellbeing Support Through Perkbox

    As part of Mental Health Awareness Week (12–18 May) and our ongoing commitment to Health & Wellbeing, colleagues with access to Perkbox can take part in virtual Wellbeing Assessments from 13 May.

    The assessment will help those who would like to better understand their wellbeing and learn more about the support available through Perkbox. You will receive clear insights and practical steps to help you feel and function better.

    The assessments are based on clinically validated non-diagnostic scales and are aimed to measure wellbeing, not provide diagnosis. The Wellbeing index has been developed by the World Health Organisation.

    Please note that all responses are completely anonymous.

  • 1960s Weekend

    1960s Weekend

    Dates: Friday 15th May (evening only), Saturday 16th May (day and evening), Sunday 17th May (day only)
    Description of programme:
    Mod or rocker, Beatles mad or Rolling Stones fan….Visitors will join us in the swingin’ 60s, as this defining decade in British history takes over our museum!
    They will hear their favourite 1960s music played by live bands, explore our 1960s buildings, see vintage vehicles, as well as 60s fashion trends. There will be opportunity to learn about technological advancements, attitude changes and liberation. Visitors will be able to take part in a protest and celebrate England’s World Cup in with our historic characters, as well as dance the night away to their favourite 60s music.

    Please check out the context sheet for more information about the programme activity. Here1960s Weekend Context Sheet  ​

    For any questions, please speak to the programme lead, Jozey Grae – [email protected]
  • Back to the Floor – Step Into the Visitor Experience

    Back to the Floor – Step Into the Visitor Experience

    We all have our routines, the same desk, the same screen, the same meetings, and probably the same outfits on rotation.

    This July, we’re launching Back to the Floor – a new opportunity for office based colleagues to spend a day supporting our front-of-house teams across the Museum.

    This initiative directly supports one of the Museum’s core strategic priorities that we shared with all colleagues in January: Deliver excellence in every experience. By spending time alongside our visitor-facing teams, we strengthen our understanding of the experiences our visitors, colleagues and partners have every day.

    Whether you’re welcoming visitors, supporting cleaning or our enterprise operations, assisting with events, or stepping into one of our Historic Character roles, this is a chance to experience the Museum from a completely different perspective.

    Think of it as a shadowing or immersion experience – an opportunity to step away from your usual routine, connect with colleagues across departments, and gain valuable insight into the day-to-day realities of visitor-facing work.

    Why get involved?

    • Contribute directly to our strategic priority to deliver excellence in every experience
    • Build stronger relationships across teams
    • Gain a fresh perspective on how the Museum operates day to day
    • Develop a deeper understanding of the visitor experience and what excellence looks like in practice
    • Experience the challenges, pace, and rewards of frontline roles
    • Step away from the desk and experience the Museum in action

    How it works

    A range of shifts are available across different teams and locations. You can sign up: Back to the floor Sign up

    On the sign up sheet you’ll find:

    • Dates and times for all available shifts
    • Details of what each role involves
    • Guidance on what to wear
    • Building notes for anyone taking part in Historic Character roles

    Managers have been closely involved in planning the initiative and are fully supportive of colleague participation. Time away from normal duties will be accommodated to ensure everyone has the opportunity to take part, as participation in Back to the Floor is mandatory for all office-based colleagues.

    We hope you’ll take this opportunity to learn something new, meet colleagues from across the Museum, and experience a different side of what we do. Most importantly, this initiative is about ensuring we all play our part in delivering excellence in every experience – for every visitor, every colleague and every interaction.

    We hope you’ll take this opportunity to learn something new, meet colleagues from across the Museum, and experience a different side of what we do.

    Let’s get back to the floor – together – and deliver excellence in every experience!

    Building notes:

  • Strategic Directions Drop-in Sessions update

    Strategic Directions Drop-in Sessions update

    Thank you to those of you who have signed up to attend the Strategic Directions Drop-in sessions. For those of you who wish to join these online, the Teams links for each session are attached below:
    All sessions run 5:15-6:15pm in Classroom One, Learning Centre.
    You’re welcome to join whichever sessions are most relevant to you or come along to all of them. There’s still time to sign-up.