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Category: General News

  • Museum Update: 21 April

    Museum Update: 21 April

    This is a brief update to let you know about training plans, a look ahead to the forthcoming visitor programme, and our plans for opening up online booking again.

    Training plans

    Work to prepare the Museum for opening continues, including the finalisation of training plans.  By now, all colleagues should have received the timetable for the pre-opening training sessions they are due to attend.  If anyone hasn’t yet received notification, please get in touch with [email protected] and a member of the team will be able to help you.

    Visitor programme

    From the previous Museum Update you will know that BCLM will reopen with ‘Discovering the Black Country’, which run as our main daytime programme until the summer holiday.  However, for the Whitsun holiday (Sat 29 May – Sun 6 Jun), ‘Loff Out Loud’ will run as the half-term programme.  Loff Out Loud will be a celebration of Black Country humour, its distinctive characteristics, and how seeing the funny side of life has enabled local people to survive through difficult times as well as good.  Brand new characters are being introduced as part of Loff Out Loud.  More details will be shared on this as part of training.

    Subject to the Government’s Roadmap making continued progress, we’re also planning on holding 1940s Weekend on Sat 17 and Sun 18 July.  1940s Weekend will also include a 1940s Evening on Sat 17 July.  Peaky Blinders Nights will also be back with a bang and a refreshed approach in September and November.  An update on our forthcoming events programme will be shared as part of training.

    Bookings reopening

    General admission tickets will go on sale next week. Members will be invited to book tickets from noon on Tue 27 April; UnChained Passholders/general public will be notified of ticketing being back online again from noon on Thu 29 April.  As in August 2020, entry to the Museum will be via a pre-booked entry time only and with a fixed daily attendance to aid social distancing.  We will issue public communications on bookings in the next few days, so please avoid sharing any public information about this on social media until we post from the Museum’s official accounts.

    National Lottery Open Week (NLOW)

    National Lottery Good Causes will run their ‘Thanks To You’ campaign between Sat 5 and Sun 13 June this year as National Lottery Open Week (NLOW).  This is an opportunity for Lottery-funded organisations to say thank you to Lottery players for their support.  As you will know, the National Lottery Heritage Fund is a major investor in Forging Ahead, therefore, the Museum will be participating in National Lottery Open Week in order to drive awareness of our project and other Lottery good causes.  We’re finalising our plans, but it’s likely that we’ll be able to offer two chances for Lottery players to visit the Museum during NLOW – one on a week day and another at a weekend.  Please keep a look out for further updates on this.

    We’re looking forward to seeing colleagues return to the Museum soon.  Thank you everyone for your continued support and perseverance. 

  • BCLM on the Gadget Show

    As some of you may be aware, we recently welcomed Channel 5’s The Gadget Show team to the Museum to film an episode for their latest series. The episode will be broadcast tonight on Channel 5 from 7pm.

    Following the broadcast the show will be available to watch via Channel 5’s catch up service My5. You can find out more about The Gadget Show here.

  • Museum Update – Wed 7 April

    With the Prime Minister’s recent confirmation that Step 2 of the Government’s Roadmap will go ahead as scheduled from Monday 12 April, we’re increasingly confident that conditions will be positive for Step 3 to take place from Monday 17 May and, with it, the re-opening of the Museum.

    The Museum will re-open with the spring programme ‘Discovering the Black Country’.

    The model for this programme will be our August 2020 approach with ‘zoned’ areas across the Museum site and an emphasis on storytelling and outside visitor interaction where possible.  At Step 3 visitors will be permitted to enter our historic buildings in line with social distancing regulations – currently planned to be either under the Rule of Six, or as two households.

    Some of the key highlights from ‘Discover the Black Country’ will be:

    Zone 1 – Marvellous Machines (Turning Circle)

    Selected vehicles from the transport collection will be on display to tell stories of how Black Country vehicles – and public transport in particular – turned the wheels of industry and society.

    Zone 2 – Black Gold (Racecourse Colliery)

    Visitors will hear stories of the dangers of working underground ‘in the Thick’ as miners extracted the black stuff from pits across the Black Country.  These stories will be brought to life with the Mining Madness show that has proved to be so popular with visitors of all ages.

    Zone 3 – Festival Park (Folkes Park)

    It’s 1951 and the Festival of Britain is in full swing.  Visitors will be able to enjoy a Festival of Britain exhibition – including the Festival Fayre show, which will showcase some of the popular dishes of the time as the nation began to emerge from the tight restrictions of rationing.

    Zone 3 – Village Voices (Canalside Village)

    Residents of the Canalside Village will celebrate the launch of the Titanic with its Hingley Anchor and will commiserate when they hear of the ship’s sinking on its maiden voyage.

    Zone 4 – Workshops of the World (Canal Arm/Boat Dock)

    During weekends a new demonstration will take place: Building the Titanic.  This demonstration will show the quite literal links between history’s most famous ocean liner and Black Country industry.

    And as if all that wasn’t enough, St James’s School will show visitors what it was like to go to school in the 1940s and visitors will even be able to try their hand at popular wartime games.  Drill practice, anyone?  A full food and drink offer is also in development and will play a key role in complementing the visitor offer outlined above.

    The training programme to introduce colleagues to the new experiences outlined above is currently in development and will be delivered as part of training from w/c 3 May.  Further details on scheduling and attendance will be shared with colleagues by Monday 19 April at the latest.

    We hope that this update gives you a taste of the new programme and how we’ll be able to welcome visitors back to the Museum to share in our stories.

  • Museum Update: 24 March 2021

    In this bulletin we share an outline approach to re-opening and work patterns, as well of news of wellbeing visits to the Museum, and a special letter we’ve received from our Honorary Patron.

    Re-opening Principles

    As a reminder from the previous Museum Update, we are planning to re-open from Step 3 of the Roadmap and are working to be open again from Monday 17 May.  This date is subject to the four tests that accompany the Government’s Roadmap being met – including the continued decline of infection rates and hospitalisations.

    The Museum will re-open with the Spring programme, ‘Discover the Black Country’.  The principles behind re-opening in May will be based on how we welcomed visitors back to the Museum in August 2020, namely:

    • Predominantly online ticketing with a daily visitor attendance cap
    • Maintaining social distancing (including one-way routes and household/bubble-only entry to historic buildings)
    • Making use of outdoor spaces for demonstrations and storytelling
    • Accessibility-only transport offer (i.e. Doris running, but no other passenger vehicles until a review at Step 4 of the Roadmap – currently scheduled as 21 Jun)
    • Enterprise offer in Gift Shop, WI, Hobb’s, Bakers, Sweet shop in line with prevailing social distancing measures. We are also reviewing the opportunity to reopen Tubeworks and Morrall’s.

    As a reminder we will be open seven days a week when we reopen in May, welcoming visitors from 10-4. During July and August we will be open 10-5, and then return to 10-4 and seven days in September. From 1 November to 19 December we move to Wed to Sun, 10-4, then open 20 Dec to 31 Dec seven days 10-4 except 25 and 26 Dec. 

    Work patterns & training

    Training to introduce colleagues to the new programme and visitor offer will be scheduled to take place from w/c 26 April.  Further updates will be published in due course.

    Line managers, or a member of your departmental management team will also be in touch with colleagues to update everyone on their proposed work pattern as we move closer to re-opening.  Where possible, we will endeavour to give people one week’s notice of any changes to your work pattern.  The Museum will continue to deploy furlough flexibly until the end of September.  Further details will be sent to colleagues to whom this applies in a letter from the People & Culture team.

    Colleagues should also continue to be advised by their line manager as to whether or not they should work from home, or be needed on-site.

    The NHS Vaccination Centre

    The Engagement Operations team are working closely with NHS colleagues to understand how we work together when both teams are back onsite.

    Wellbeing visits to the Museum

    As of April we can offer welfare visits to the Museum site for those colleagues who feel they would benefit from walking around on-site ahead of re-opening.  As per last year, these visits must be pre-booked via the Duty Manager and will be available between 12.00-3.00pm on the following weekend dates:

    Because of the continuing social distancing rules, please note you can bring along a maximum of one other person to accompany you, and we will have a maximum of two sets of visitors on site at any point.  Places can be reserved on a first come, first served basis either by emailing [email protected], or by calling the DM line on 07788 666161.  Only outdoor areas of the Museum will be accessible and entry into site should be via the green gate at the side of the Rolfe Street building.

    We ask that staff only travel the Museum if it is safe for you to do so and we politely request that you do not post any pictures or comments on social media about visiting the Museum to avoid any potential confusion for the public about the Museum remaining closed and the vaccination programme.

    A letter from our Honorary Patron, HRH The Duke of Gloucester

    BCLM’s Honorary Patron, HRH The Duke of Gloucester, has written a letter expressing his gratitude and admiration for the efforts of all colleagues – including volunteers – to support the Museum and local community during these very challenging times.  You can read the full text of the letter here .

  • A letter of thanks from our Honorary Patron, HRH The Duke of Gloucester

    We have recently received the letter below from the Museum’s Honorary Patron, HRH The Duke of Gloucester, expressing his gratitude and admiration for the work everyone has done during these very challenging times. 

    The Duke takes a keen interest in the work the Museum does and is kept up-to-date with all the latest developments.  We hope he will be able to visit soon.

    A Thank You from HRH The Duke of Gloucester, Honorary Patron of BCLM

  • Museum Update: Wed 10 March

    In this update we’d like to share news of the Museum’s plans for re-opening, changes to the Board of Trustees and an update on Forging Ahead.

    Plans for re-opening

    Following publication of the Government’s Roadmap, the Museum will re-open at Step 3 in line with other museums and indoor attractions.  Step 3 is currently scheduled to begin from Monday 17 May, and this is the date we are working towards for re-opening. 

    Opening the Museum at Step 3 will enable us to welcome visitors back with a full, but socially-distanced offer in a similar manner to August 2020. Therefore, we hope that we can take what we learned from last year and make this year’s re-opening just as successful.

    More detail will follow in the coming weeks about the programme and what the re-opening means for working patterns, including training.  Line managers will be in touch with colleagues in due course.  If you have any questions in the meantime, however, please do email [email protected].

    Please note that all dates quoted in the Government’s Roadmap are ‘no earlier than’ dates and are subject to change should criteria including infection rates and hospitalisations begin to increase again. 

    Also a reminder that in line with Government’s current ‘stay at home’ rule, which will be in effect until 29 March, colleagues should only be at the Museum for essential work.  Although  the ‘stay at home’ rule will end on this date, people should continue to work from home where they can and minimise the number of journeys they make where possible, avoiding travel at the busiest times and routes.

    Please note that the decision to open at Step 3/17 May has not yet been communicated to the general public. We’ve chosen to leave this slight gap between internal and external comms so that all colleagues will have the chance to learn the news before we make it public. We will communicate publicly via our website and social media early next week. In the meantime, we’d ask that you avoid posting this news on social media, or making public comments about our re-opening plans. Thank you.

    Changes to BCLM Board of Trustees

    We’re pleased to announce changes to the Museum board.  Dr Paul Belford has been elected as Chair of the Board of Trustees and Jonathan Badyal and Vikki Jessop have been appointed as Deputy Chairs.  You can read more about this here.

    Forging Ahead

    Major works on Forging Ahead continue.  Balfour Beatty are progressing work by digging trenches to provide cabling and services to buildings. 

    The de-build of Woodside Library in Dudley has begun and architectural items from the building have started to be delivered to the Museum.  One interesting item that has been discovered as part of the take-down of the building is a piece of architrave that was signed by the joiner – a Joseph E. B.  Round – who installed it during the building’s original construction in 1894.  There may be a family connection between Joseph Round and a contractor working on Woodside now, which would be a fitting story if one generation of a family helped to put the building up and another generation helped to take it down and bring it to the Museum for preservation!  The piece of architrave is now in the Museum collection and is shown below:

    We’re expecting the first pallet of what will be a total of 400 pallets of bricks to arrive on-site in April, with the translocation of all materials from Woodside scheduled to be completed by the end of May this year. 

    Overall project timings for Forging Ahead are currently on schedule, enabling us to open the Visitor Centre in Spring 2022 and the Historic Development in Spring 2023.  We’re planning to run some Forging Ahead familiarisation sessions as part of re-opening training, so please watch this space for further details.

    We’re looking forward to sharing the next steps on plans for re-opening in the next update on Wednesday 24 March.  In the meantime, we hope you keep safe and well.

  • Changes Announced to Board of Trustees

    Museum Board of Trustees elects new Chair and appoints two new Deputies

    We’re delighted to announce that Dr Paul Belford has been elected as the Museum’s new Chair, with Jonathan Badyal and Vikki Jessop appointed as Deputies.

    Formerly Deputy Chair, and a Trustee since 2014, Dr Paul Belford takes on the role of Chair following the retirement of Lowell Williams in December 2020.  Paul is only the sixth Chair in the Museum’s 43 year history.  As a senior heritage consultant with expertise in planning, education, and community engagement, Paul’s knowledge and experience will prove invaluable as we seek to re-engage our current visitors and reach new audiences in the run up to opening the new development in early 2022 and 2023.

    Paul’s appointment as Chair is accompanied by two new Deputies. Serving Trustees Jonathan Badyal and Vikki Jessop each become Deputy Chair to support the Chair and the Board. Having grown up in Wolverhampton, Jonathan is now Head of Communications at Universal Music UK, where he is a vocal champion of British music and culture. Jonathan previously spent five years working for Government’s ministers responsible for the arts, creative industries and tech where he advised them on policy and communications.

    Vikki Jessop grew up in Dudley and Stourbridge and is currently the Art Handling Manager at Christie’s, where she oversees their team of technicians responsible for the movement and installation of artworks. Vikki will work alongside Jonathan to support Paul and the work of BCLM’s Board of Trustees. With a decade of experience gained from organisations including the V&A Museum and Whitechapel Gallery, Vikki is passionate about encouraging women to pursue technical-based careers in museums, and has lectured extensively about this subject at universities across the UK.

    Commenting on his new role of Chair of the Board of Trustees, Paul Belford said:

    “I’m delighted to be able to support the work of the Museum as Chair of the Board of Trustees. The Trustees are an energetic and dynamic group that provide encouragement and a valuable diversity of thinking to the leadership of the Museum. I’m particularly pleased that the appointment of Vikki and Jonathan as Deputy Chairs means we’ll be in an even stronger position to provide support to the Museum team. The new Deputy Chair roles will be regularly rotated across the Museum’s Trustees to give people an opportunity to contribute in different ways to the governance of the Museum as it grows and develops over the next few years.”

    Speaking about his appointment as Deputy Chair of the Board of Trustees, Jonathan Badyal said:

    “The Black Country Living Museum was the first cultural organisation I visited as a kid and some of my earliest memories are sitting on the grass bank of Old Birmingham Road eating fish and chips with my family. So it really is an honour, some 20 years later, to be appointed Deputy Chair and to work alongside Vikki and Paul in supporting the Museum at this crucial time.

    “Working for Government arts ministers gave me first-hand experience of the integral part museums play in their local communities, not just in terms of job creation and the sense of belonging they provide, but also the role they can play in health and wellbeing and also in helping us to better understand the world around us.  I can’t wait for the reopening and getting stuck in to help the team grow and engage new audiences in the Black Country and beyond.”

    Remarking on her new role as Deputy Chair of the Board of Trustees, Vikki Jessop said:

    “I am delighted to be appointed as Deputy Chair, as without the influence of the Museum I would not have pursued a career in the arts and heritage sector. Having grown up on a nearby council estate and benefited from the Museum at a young age, it is therefore a privilege to be supporting it now. Since joining the Board in 2020, I have witnessed an admirable demonstration of creativity and resilience from the Museum team in the face of the challenges presented by Covid-19.

    “I’m excited to be more involved with the Museum’s future projects, including getting stuck into Forging Ahead and the opportunities it gives the Museum to develop its audience relationships.  I’m looking forward to working alongside Jonathan in this role and strengthening my relationships with Andrew, Paul and across the Museum’s incredible team.”

    Andrew Lovett said:

    “I warmly welcome the election of Paul as Chair and the appointment of Vikki and Jonathan as Deputies.  It will be a real honour to work alongside them and the Board in a collective effort to fulfil the potential of the Museum for so many visitors who have come to value it as an important part of their lives.  I am also delighted to have this opportunity to thank Lowell Williams for his exemplary leadership of the Museum and support, including during the most testing of times in 2020.  Thank you, Lowell.”

    Please join us in wishing Paul, Jonathan, and Vikki all the best in their new roles.  You can learn more about and read the biographies of each of our Trustees here.

  • An update from Andrew – 24 Feb

    An update from Andrew – 24 Feb

    Andrew has recorded a short video to update colleagues on the latest Museum news.

    In the video below Andrew talks about the beginning of major works on Forging Ahead and gives an initial response to the publication of the Government’s roadmap out of lockdown.

    Further information on plans for re-opening will follow as soon as possible, so please do keep a look out for intranet updates and notifications via PlanDay.

    As a reminder to all colleagues, we’re hosting virtual coffee catch ups every Wednesday between 2.30-4.00pm on Microsoft Teams – via this joining link.

  • Forging Ahead Update

    We’re pleased to share with you that major works for our new development, Forging Ahead, are now commencing! For a refresher on what the project is all about, please take a look at our latest video on the project.

    BCLM has been awarded a Heritage Capital Grant from the Capital Kickstart Fund (as part of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s £1.57bn Culture Recovery Fund). We’re one of 22 heritage organisations to have received investment from the Fund today (19 Feb).

    These grants, administered by the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), are for organisations with projects that are already funded; but that have experienced disruption due to the pandemic. Investment from DCMS and NLHF now means that work on the project can begin in earnest.

    Please look out for the Museum on local news, including BBC Midlands Today at 6.30pm on Fri 19 Feb. The public article on our News Page is here.

    Forging Ahead is one development in a much bigger scheme to regenerate Dudley and boost the economy of the wider West Midlands. To find out more about the broader plans for the future in the area, visit Regenerating Dudley’s website.

  • Museum Update – 10 Feb

    We hope everyone has been keeping safe and well and enjoying the sight of the snowy landscape, if not necessarily the temperature!

    In this update we wanted to focus on the positive role that the Museum is still playing in the community despite our closure to visitors.

    The Vaccination Centre

    The Vaccination Centre continues to run successfully; approximately 1,000 per day, seven days a week, are receiving their vaccination at the Museum and contributing to the total of more than 12.6m people who have received their first dose of the vaccine so far in the UK.

    The Vaccination Centre also continues to make positive headlines too; BBC Midlands Today presenter Nick Owen received his vaccination at BCLM last week.  You can see the report below:

    Community Engagement

    The Community Engagement team have taken some of their programme online to ensure that the Museum can still connect with audiences during lockdown.  A new monthly series of ‘Access Heritage’ films will launch from Thursday 11 February as an alternative to on-site specialist tours for visually impaired and deaf visitors.  The films are designed to be accessible and can be enjoyed by all audiences.  Visit BCLM’s YouTube channel from 11 February to see the first set of films.  This month’s content is themed around Valentine’s Day and features some surprising objects from the Museum’s collection.

    Work with community partners such as our Access Panel also continues, including the ‘Me, Myself and I’ group which supports carers and their family members living with dementia.

    Once a month the Community Engagement team participate in the talking therapies sessions offered by ‘Me, Myself and I’ where a Historic Character will make phone calls and sing songs and share traditional Black Country stories to a range of vulnerable older people who are lonely and isolated.  Through this work the Museum continues to reach out and make a difference to so many local people’s lives. Thank you to all colleagues who are providing their time and support to this vital initiative. 

    Connecting through Virtual Coffee & Catch Ups

    Within our own Museum community, the People & Culture team piloted virtual coffee and catch up sessions last week (w/c 1 Feb) which proved a real success both in terms of participation and feedback.  We’re offering more of these sessions over the coming weeks as a way of helping colleagues to connect with each other and share their experiences.  You can find more details here.  If you have any feedback, or would like to suggest a theme/share helpful advice at one of these future sessions, please do get in touch via [email protected].

    As ever, we’d also be delighted to hear how our colleagues are passing the time; any tips and stories would be very welcome. Please do send your experiences to [email protected] and perhaps we can share these with your permission.

    We know that colleagues are still connecting with each other, be that through virtual coffee mornings, or through checking-in in other ways.  We’d encourage everyone to stay in touch and support each other in whichever way works best for them during this time.