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Category: General News

  • DSE (Display Screen Equipment) – Process Update

    DSE (Display Screen Equipment) – Process Update

    The Museum will ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that staff are not harmed by the use of Display Screen Equipment (DSE) and that all relevant statutory requirements are met. Further information can be found in the Health & Safety Policy.

    Identifying DSE Users
    DSE users will be identified at the start of employment or where a change in job role requires the use of DSE. Any person who regularly uses display screen equipment for more than one hour at a time during their work is classified as a DSE user.

    The Museum will take all reasonable steps to:

    • Ensure workstations meet minimum requirements
    • Analyse workstations and assess and reduce risks
    • Plan work activities to include breaks
    • Provide eye tests on request and contribute towards spectacles where required solely for DSE use

    To meet these obligations, the Museum will:

    • Identify DSE users at commencement of employment or upon change in role
    • Require new users to complete a DSE assessment within 6 weeks
    • Ensure DSE users are reassessed every 12 months
    • Refund the cost of an eye test (up to £30) once every 2 years, or more frequently if recommended by an optician due to DSE-related visual difficulties
    • Refund up to £30 towards a basic pair of DSE-only glasses or corrective appliances

    Training and Assessment Requirements
    At the start of employment and then annually, the Talent & Development Coordinator will confirm whether an employee is a DSE user. If so, the employee will be assigned iHASCO DSE training and be required to complete DSE workstation assessment. You must have completed DSE training and submitted both your assessment and certificate to [email protected] before any reimbursement claims for eye tests or glasses can be made (this is required for each workstation, including home working where applicable).

    Eye Test and Expense Claims Process (Updated)
    DSE users are no longer required to complete an Employee Eye Test Request Form.
    All claims should be submitted via iplicit and coded directly to the People Team (budget code: 3600-PAC-CORE-BCLM), claims must include a valid receipt. Full details on how to claim expenses can be found in the Expenses Policy.

    For any question please email [email protected]

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

    Our Kid of the Month – 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 53 votes across 11 departments.
    Our Bostin Promise Postcards

    2 postcards were given out this month:

    • “Care” by Jon White to Kirsty Clarke for her work supporting a child with additional needs who was struggling to leave the shop to carry on with their visit happily.
    • “Welcome” by Carla Jasper to Ezra Brueton for going above and beyond welcoming overseas visitors from Spain in Spanish.

    Managers and Supervisors have these cards that they can give out to colleagues in recognition of their work on Our Bostin Promise.

    Our Kid

    • Sam Davies – Finance Team 

    Sam received 5 votes from across the organisation for her outstanding work on implementing our new ticketing system FuseMetrix. Her attention to detail, incredible knowledge, care for others in the process whilst delivering the project on schedule were mentioned several times. Feedback showed that she hit all 4 pillars of the Bostin Promise.

    Runners Up

    • Demi Whitehouse – Enterprise
    • Josh Cuthbert – Enterprise
    • Richard Abbott – Historic Character
    • Wallace Hill – Historic Character
    • Melanie Penn – Cleaning Team

    It’s been heartwarming to read all the nominations so do take a look. Every nomination submitted for April can be found: Our Bostin Promise Nominations April 2026. Winners will receive their vouchers at the upcoming briefings on 5, 7 & 9 May.

    Details of how scoring has been applied are set out below.

    Scoring Criteria

    You will receive one score for each nomination received using the “Not so Good to Great” Ladder criteria.
    Ok
    Positive interaction
    Doing your job well
    1
    Good
    High level of satisfaction
    Proactive and Adaptive
    Positive outcome
    2
    Great
    Above and beyond
    Sometimes outside of your role
    Exceed expectations
    3
    You can gain extra points by…
    A vote from somebody in another department
    +1
    Meeting all 4 pillars of Our Bostin Promise
    +1
    In a tiebreaker situation…
    Have you received a nomination from another department?
    +1
    Is feedback received varied?
    +1
    Have you met more pillars of Our Bostin Promise?
    +1

    Reminders

    • Don’t forget any votes received after 12pm on 30 April will be counted in May – and voting is already open!
    • A gentle reminder that each colleague should only vote once per month, multiple votes will be discounted.
    • You have until 12pm on 31st May to vote.
    • 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.

    Voting for May is open!

    Or complete a slip and post in the white boxes across all break areas.

  • Strategic Directions Drop-in Sessions, May 2026

    Strategic Directions Drop-in Sessions, May 2026

    At January RESET, we shared the Museum’s overall strategy and the direction for each team. We’re now opening up a series of informal drop-in sessions to take a closer look at how these are being delivered.
    This is a chance to hear directly from colleagues about their priorities, ask questions, and see how the bigger picture connects across the organisation.
    Session schedule:
    • Mon 11 May – Operations (Nick Sellers)
    • Tue 12 May – Cultural Enterprises (Kate Kirkpatrick)
    • Wed 13 May – Public Programmes (Janine Downes)
    • Thu 14 May – Finance (Diane Harvey)
    • Mon 18 May – Development & Communications (Hannah Parsons)
    • Tue 19 May – Interpretation & Collections (Matthew Cowpe)

    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.

     

    If you’re not able to attend in person you are welcome to join online. Links will be sent out nearer the time.

     

    To take part, please sign up using the link here – ​Strategic Directions Drop-in Sessions​ or contact [email protected], or drop into the Hartill’s office.

  • Another major funding success for the Museum

    Another major funding success for the Museum

    Another major funding success for the Museum

    We’re delighted to share that the Museum has secured £454,159 from the Museum Estate and Development Fund (MEND), delivered by Arts Council England, to carry out essential repairs to five historic buildings across the site

    This is fantastic news for the organisation – and comes just after the success of our recent DCMS/Wolfson funding announcement, reinforcing the strength of our programme and the confidence being placed in the Museum at a national level.

    Culture Secretary, Lisa Nandy said: “The Black Country Living Museum is an iconic place where local history comes alive for visitors from all backgrounds. Famous as a filming location for Peaky Blinders, it draws people from across the country and beyond. This £454,159 investment will protect five at-risk historic buildings, ensuring this iconic space remains safe and open for everyone to enjoy. Places like this are irreplaceable. They tell the story of our communities and the people who built them, and this government is committed to ensuring venues like this can continue to share our national story at a local level for future generations to come.”

    What this funding will support

    The investment will fund vital roof and structural works to ensure key buildings across the site remain safe, accessible and fit for purpose.

    The five buildings included in this project are:

    • Trap Works
    • Rolfe Street Learning & Conference Centre
    • The Drift Mine
    • Collections Centre
    • Bradburn & Wedge Motor Garage

    These are the spaces that underpin so much of what we do – from immersive visitor experiences and learning programmes to collections care and behind-the-scenes operations.

    Why it matters

    This funding is a significant vote of confidence in the Museum – recognising both the importance of our collection and the impact of our work in championing the Black Country and its communities.

    It ensures we can continue to:

    • Care for our buildings and collections
    • Support our teams and volunteers
    • Deliver high-quality experiences for visitors
    • Build for the future with confidence

    A big thank you

    A huge thank you to everyone involved in developing the bid and supporting this work.

    This is a shared success across the Museum – and another important step in securing our future.

  • All Colleague Briefings May 2026

    All Colleague Briefings May 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 take place on:
    • Tuesday 5 May (The Workers’ Institute)
    • Thursday 7 May (Hall 2)
    • Saturday 9 May (The Workers’ Institute)

    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 May 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.
  • 🎫Ticket Swap Ballot update 🎉

    🎫Ticket Swap Ballot update 🎉

    The ticket swap ballot has now been drawn, and we’re pleased to share that everyone who entered has successfully won tickets.

    We apologise for the delay in confirming the ballot. This was due to waiting for some tickets to arrive from participating attractions.

    For those who won digital codes, these have been sent via email where possible. Please check your inbox, as well as your junk/spam folders, for a message from [email protected].

    If you have not received an email or Planday message containing your digital codes, physical tickets are available for collection from the People Office.

    Please note that the People Office is open Monday to Friday, 8:00am–5:00pm.

    For any questions please email [email protected]

  • Restoration and extension of trolleybus network made possible thanks to investment

    Restoration and extension of trolleybus network made possible thanks to investment

    We’re delighted to share that the Museum has secured £272,000 from the DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund to restore and relaunch our historic trolleybus network. 

    This is a significant moment for the organisation and a real vote of confidence in our work, following a highly competitive national process. 

    The project will allow us to return three locally built trolleybuses to operation and extend their route into the 1940s–60s High Street, completing a key part of the Forging Ahead vision. 

    Why this matters 

    For the past three years, the trolleybus network has been out of use. As many of you know, it’s not just a popular visitor experience, it’s a vital part of how we move people across site, and a key part of how we tell the story of the Black Country. 

    This investment: 

    • Safeguards an important part of our collection 
    • Improves accessibility for visitors 
    • Reduces reliance on diesel vehicles 
    • Strengthens the overall visitor experience 

    A timely moment for the region 

    This all comes as Dudley prepares to welcome the Metro later this year, reconnecting the town to the wider transport network. 

    There’s something powerful about bringing historic electric transport back at the same time as new electric transport arrives. 

    What happens next 

    The grant secures the core of the project, but we’ll now be working to enhance what we deliver, including interpretation and accessibility. 

    There will be opportunities for teams across the Museum to get involved as the project develops. 

    A huge thank you to everyone who contributed to the bid, and to the teams who will help bring this project to life. 

     

  • Introducing: Bostin’ Promise Recognition

    Introducing: Bostin’ Promise Recognition

    We love celebrating the brilliant work our teams do every day – and now there are even more ways to recognise them when we see our colleagues going above and beyond.

    Monthly recognition scheme – Our Kid 

    If you’ve seen your colleagues putting their Bostin’ Promise best practise in action, you can now nominate them in our recognition scheme.

    To nominate someone, you can use our online form. You can also complete a paper form and pop it in the post boxes available in all break spaces, or the People Team post boxes at Rolfe Street or Hartills.

    Colleagues may only vote once – any double votes will be disregarded. 

    Every month, a panel will come together to review the nominations and select the top six. To thank the top six for their demonstration of the Bostin’ Promise, they will be gifted a £20 voucher. The best of the six will be named Our Kid of the Month and will be gifted a £40 voucher. All monthly winners will go into a draw to win Mukka of the Year and will be recognised for their achievement during January Reset.

    Please note that vouchers are gifted in good faith to recognise and thank special one-off contributions made by colleagues that go above and beyond, in line with the Bostin’ Promise. Vouchers cannot be transferred or exchanged i.e. for a different voucher type or equivalent cash value. 

    Manager Recognition Cards

    Managers and supervisors will also be on the lookout for great examples of the Bostin’ Promise in action. Managers have four recognition cards to award (one per pillar of the Promise) which can be given to any colleague they personally see living our values.

    Colleagues who receive all four of the different Bostin’ Promise Recognition Cards will receive a special thank you gift!

    All recognition, colleague nominations and manager-awarded cards will be shared monthly on the intranet under the People News section.

  • Sector news: Sir Neil Cossons OBE

    Sector news: Sir Neil Cossons OBE

    In news from the Museum sector, we are saddened to hear of the passing of Sir Neil Cossons OBE. A pioneering figure in the Museums sector, he was the first Director of Ironbridge Gorge Museums and went on to lead both Royal Museums Greenwich and the Science Museum. He was also a founding member of the Association of Independent Museums, as well as a former Chair at English Heritage.

    Alongside all of this he was also a member of the National Lottery Heritage Fund, and was instrumental in championing our cause when we were awarded investment for the Forging Ahead project.

    He has been described by Andrew Lovett as “an inspirational figure in the world of museums, heritage, and engaging people in history.”

    His passing has been marked across the Museum sector, including by the Museums Association and AIM.

  • ✨ Craft Workshops with Val & Susannah ✨

    ✨ Craft Workshops with Val & Susannah ✨

    Looking for a relaxing and creative way to spend your afternoon? Come along to our friendly craft workshops and explore a mixture of crafts including embroidery, rock painting, and crochet!

    Whether you’re a complete beginner or just want to refresh your skills, these informal drop-in sessions are perfect for unwinding and getting creative.

    🗓 Dates:
    • Tuesday 21 April 2026
    • Tuesday 19 May 2026
    • Tuesday 16 June 2026

    ⏰ Time: Drop in anytime between 4:30pm – 6:00pm
    📍 Location: Café Black Country
    💷 Cost: Free – all materials provided! You can even take your creations home.

    Bring your friends and family – everyone is welcome! To sign up please email [email protected].

    We’d love to see you there 💛