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Category: General News

  • Ticket Swap!

    Some good news!

    We are delighted to confirm that not only has the ticket swap returned, we have been successful in adding Trentham Monkey Forest and Drayton Manor to our list of partners!

    For new colleagues, the ticket swap scheme is an annual ballot to obtain free tickets for one of the attractions listed below. 

    We have tickets available for (family ticket or equivalent):

    Dudley Zoo

    West Midlands Safari Park

    Sea Life Centre

    LEGOLAND Discovery Centre

    Hoo Zoo

    Wolves FC Museum

    National Space Centre

    Kenilworth Castle

    Twycross Zoo

    Think Tank

    Silverstone Museum

    The Snowdome

    Wookey Hole Resort

    Dudley Canal Trust

    Crich Tramway Village

    Trentham Monkey Forest

    Drayton Manor Park & Zoo

     

    Ballot slips are available from The Guide Hut, in communal areas and from the People & Culture Team. You can also download and print (or return by email) ballot tickets via this link: Ticket Swap Ballot Slip 2023

    Please return ballot slips to the black post box located outside of the People & Culture Office no later than Wednesday 15th February by 6pm.

    Any ballot slips received after this time will not be included.

    If you have any questions, please email [email protected] 

    Thank you.

     

  • Safe Together at BCLM: Slips, Trips and Falls

    Safe Together at BCLM: Slips, Trips and Falls

    For this month’s safety notice, we are focusing on slips, trips and falls and what to do in the case of an emergency.

    To reduce the risk of slips, trips and falls, please read the following:

    • Cleaning up or reporting spillages
    • Keeping walkways clear
    • Avoiding trailing wires
    • Reporting worn flooring
    • Wearing suitable footwear for the conditions underfoot

    You can read the February Health and Safety notice now, via the link.

    If you have any concerns please contact your Line Manager.

    Thank you.

  • Motoring down memory lane: rare machine arrives at Black Country Living Museum

    Motoring down memory lane: rare machine arrives at Black Country Living Museum

    A 1959 DKR Defiant scooter, manufactured by the now defunct Wolverhampton-based automotive manufacturer DKR, has been acquired by the Museum and is now on display, helping to keep this little-known story of automotive history alive.

    Relatively affordable, reliable and convenient to use, scooters became a popular means of transport during the 1950s and 60s. Retailing at £188 1s 3d (approximately £4,488) when new, the DKR Defiant was a Black Country-built machine that aimed to capture a share of this market.

    Established in 1957, DKR took its initials from the three founders of the company: Barry Day, Cyril Kieft and Noah Robinson. Many of the scooter parts, including the body panels, were made locally by the Willenhall Motor Radiator Company, with the machine itself assembled in workshops at Pendeford Airport, Wolverhampton.

    Powered by a 197cc fan-cooled Villiers two-stroke engine and a four-speed gearbox, the scooter could reach a respectable top cruising speed of around 60mph. The Defiant had a rather unusual styling, with the large front fairing offering good weather protection for the rider. Another unusual design feature was a storage locker, with a drop-down lid that converted into a small picnic tray for meals or drinks on the go.

    Commenting on the acquisition, the Museum’s Transport Manager, Tim Shields, said: “The DKR Defiant is a rare example of a Black Country-built scooter, of which few survive. This stylish, high quality and well-engineered machine fills an important gap in our collection. Not only were they a user-friendly means of transport, but scooters also came to symbolise Mod culture and youth fashion.

    “This is a theme we will be exploring as part of our new development. Our 1940s-60s high street, due to open later this year, will give us the opportunity to share these stories.”

    Although DKR launched several models of scooter, production ceased in 1966. This was largely due to falling sales and increased competition from foreign manufacturers, such as the Italian-built Vespa and Lambretta, which eventually came to dominate the market throughout Europe.

    Visitors will be able to take a look at the DKR Defiant alongside the rest of the Museum’s transport collection, which also includes motorcycles by Black Country manufacturers, a 1924 Guy-Morris fire engine and several buses and trolleybuses.

  • Christmas Feedback

    Christmas Feedback

    Hi all,

    We are looking for your feedback regarding our 2022 Christmas events and programme.

    Please cast your mind back to any Christmas events you may have worked or attended as a visitor, and share your feedback in the survey below.

    2022 Christmas Staff Survey  

    If you have any questions, please email [email protected] 

    Thank you for all of your hard work and continued support.

     

  • Entering the Museum

    Hi all,

    Please can all staff use the green door to enter the Museum.

    Please do not walk through the brown delivery gates when open, this is extremely unsafe and violates our Health and Safety policy.

    Our brown delivery gate has a sensor which operates on movement; therefore, this enables the gates to remain open allowing public and external vehicles to enter the Museum.

    We would like to kindly remind every Line Manager to speak to their team during morning briefings and make sure everyone follows this important update.

    Thank you for your cooperation.

     

  • All Staff Briefings: Andrew Lovett’s perspective (January 2023)

    At the recent All Staff Briefings, Andrew Lovett, our Chief Executive, reflected on the highlights of 2022 as well as looking ahead to 2023. He also posed three questions for everyone to think about; see the end of this post.

    Our people

    We have a great team. We all have our part to play. But, there are inter-relationships between us all. We support each other, and success by someone supports the success of someone else. Do a great job and learn from each other.

    Reputation and profile

    Both largely very positive. We see a universal respect for the Museum from local, regional and national government, and our peers in the world of museums and heritage, and increasingly from businesses. And visitors, we overwhelmingly get it right. Reading reviews on TripAdvisor are a good way of seeing what our visitors think.

    Sustainability

    Our financial position at the year-end is better than we budgeted. Local and regional market continues to be strong for us. Events have been good and general admissions strong. Schools are weaker, with more factors out of our control to reverse the trend. Memberships are the strongest we have ever seen.

    Building openings

    There will be multiple openings from Forging Ahead this year, including the row of shops – Stanton’s Music Shop, West Bromwich Building Society, Marsh & Baxter’s Butchers, Minett’s Ladies Fashions, Laurie Thomas Hairdressers and Burgin’s Newsagents, plus the Weighbridge – by mid-June. The Infant Welfare Centre by early September, and the Cast Iron Houses and Industrial Area by mid-October.

    Our new Learning Centre will be a great new facility, and one of the ways in which we intend to attract back schools. It will be opening in April.

    Arts Council England investment

    We are on the final furlong of finalising the funding agreement with Arts Council England, which will see almost £2.3m invested, including £600,000 to support Key Stage 1 school children across the Black Country.

    Relationship with visitors

    We have seen growth in the use of the Unchained Pass and Membership. Turning first-time visitors into loyalists is how we will succeed. We have set a forecast of 400,000 visitors for this year. And we have increased admission prices for the first time in a couple of years, linked to our strategy to create long-term relationships and that emotional connection to the Museum. If we reach our forecast of 400,000, we’ll be welcoming our 11 millionth visitor by December.

    Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

    This will continue to be integral to our work, impacting the breadth of our storylines, staffing and our Board of Trustees. It is important so that we are better reflecting modern society, breaking down barriers and tapping into the full range of skills and experience available to us.

    New Strategic Plan

    Work on this has already got underway. As a project, it is being led by Vicki Stanley and Carolyn Sankey (Co-Directors of Development), and they will be setting out very soon how you can get involved.

    A big thanks to you all. You make me a very proud Chief Executive.

    Over to you

    Andrew also posed the following three questions for you to think about:

    1. We all buy things and services to solve a problem(s).  If you think of the Museum in this way, what problem(s) are we solving for visitors?
    2. During your time at the Museum – long or short – what do you think is the biggest lesson we have learnt, or should have learnt?
    3. What would you like to see the Museum achieve over the next 10 years? Or if that’s a bit too far ahead to think about, what about by 2028, when the Museum will celebrate its 50th anniversary?

    Please share your thoughts and feedback to Andrew by emailing [email protected] by 6 February 2023.

  • Need some space?

    Need some space?

    The Museum has opened the doors to a new wellbeing room, located above Doo’s Chemist shop in the Village.

    This will be a designated safe place for reflection or, a room to host a private wellbeing meeting to safely discuss ideas.

    Please note, this is not a break out area or lunch space. 

    Enjoy.

     

  • Visitor Centre – important information

    Visitor Centre – important information

    Hi all,

    We will need to carry out a deep clean of the Visitor Centre flooring ahead of the Drift Mine Press day and of course Saturday when we reopen to the public. As you may have noticed, the floor in the Visitor Centre reacts to the salt used to grit outside and so we need to make sure that these deep cleans take place when the Visitor Centre is not in use to try and keep them looking presentable for visitors.

    Thursday (In preparation for the Mine Press day): We will be closing the LG Level of VC from this evening (18th) to enable the cleaning team to get a head start on this area so please walk around the building if you need to access the entry level. We will also be using the barriers to create a smaller walk way to the café/ toilets for staff attending the training tomorrow (19th) so that the other side of the atrium can be treated and we ask that all staff stick to this marked walk way and try to leave VC promptly once training ends to allow the team to complete the deep clean.

    Friday (in preparation for Saturday Opening): We will close VC as soon as the Mine press day is finished and the cleaning team will then clean all floors ready for opening on Saturday morning.

    For staff needing to use VC before we open on Saturday, there will again be a walkway to follow to ensure minimal impact to the floors.

    Thank you for your cooperation.

  • Underground mine experience: reopens Sat 21 Jan

    Underground mine experience: reopens Sat 21 Jan

    Our underground mine experience is back, giving visitors the chance to learn how Black Country mines were run, find out how timber props were used to support the roofs and experience the harsh reality of a coal miner’s life in the mid-19th century, especially for ‘little Billy’ who started working down the mine at just 10-years-old.

    Visitor information

    • The underground mine experience is included in the price of general admission.
    • Tours are limited to small groups and run regularly throughout the day.
    • Visitors will spend approximately 30 minutes underground with their guide.
    • There are areas where the height is limited so visitors will need to bend and crouch for a short moment to access some of the tunnels.
    • Visitors will be required to wear a helmet while underground and are to stay with their designated tour guide at all times.
    • The underground mine experience is not accessible for wheelchairs or people with limited mobility.
    • The minimum recommended age is 8-years-old. Pushchairs are not allowed.

    Mining in the Black Country

    For centuries, the Black Country was renowned for its mining, helping the region to earn its reputation as ‘black by day, red by night’ owing to the blackened and scarred terrain created by heavy industry and the smoke that filled the air.

    The area was home to the famous ‘Staffordshire Thick’, a single seam of coal some 10 yards in thickness that lay beneath much of the Black Country. It was the thickest coal seam in the UK and the greatest energy resource of the Industrial Revolution.

    As you head underground in a recreated small Black Country coal pit, you will be able to experience the darkness a miner endured, explore a maze of roadways and working areas, and hear what ‘Elija Wedge’ has to say about the world of an 1850s Black Country coal miner.

    You will learn how the mines were run and how timber props were used to support the roofs, as well as facing the harsh reality of a coal miner’s life in the mid-19th century, especially for ‘little Billy’ who started working down the mine at just 10 years old.

    Audio-visual techniques bring to life the sounds and feelings that would have accompanied a miner’s day, from the tapping of pickaxes to the whinnying of a pit pony and the rumble of a nearby collapse.

  • Site updates: Village power supply and cable works

    Village power supply: a temporary repair has been successfully completed and the two generators currently on site will be collected next week. We will be working on a long-term solution to replace the village power supply over the coming months.

    Electric feed to Lavenders: the road will be closed tomorrow, Friday 12 January, between the Industrial Area and Lenches to allow access for Balfour Beatty cable works. It may run on more than one day, in which case the road may remain closed into next week.