Lisa Cowley (Deputy Chief Executive – Visitor Engagement & Operations) will be available for any staff that want to drop in to ask questions about BCLM: Forging Ahead the last Wednesday of each month from 5pm – 6.30pm in Hartills Offices.
The sessions are for any staff or volunteers who are interested to find out more about the project.
I’m pleased to let you know that we have this morning received confirmation from Arts Council England (ACE) that our application for £2.2million of National Portfolio Organisation investment 2018/19 – 2021/22 has been successful.
We will receive £550,000 for each of the four years of investment, a significant amount of which will support our major development project BCLM: Forging Ahead including the growth and development of our STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Maths) Learning Programme and Community Engagement Programme with communities across the Black Country.
Our four years as a National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) will immediately follow our successful three years as an ACE funded Major Partner Museum (MPM). NPOs and MPMs now merge into one National Portfolio made up of 831 organisations including museums, libraries and arts organisations.
In order to finalise the funding agreement, we must produce a number of action plans, including an Audience Engagement Plan and Digital Policy and Plan for submission in January 2018 in anticipation of investment beginning in April 2018.
You can find out more about the new National Portfolio, including how else ACE is investing in our area, by visiting the Arts Council England website – www.artscouncil.org.uk/NPO
In the meantime, if you have any questions about the portfolio or what this means for you or the Museum, please direct them to your line manager in the first instance.
Andrew Lovett
Director and Chief Executive
We are looking for two Visitor Engagement Team Demonstrators to join an ideas gathering trip to Kentwell Hall’s Tudor Recreation on Thursday 24th August 2017. Kentwell Hall is a stately home in Long Melford, Suffolk. Most of the current building facade dates from the mid-16th century, but the origins of Kentwell are much earlier, with references in the Domesday Book of 1086!
This is a paid development opportunity – you will be paid for your hours, overnight accommodation and dinner will be provided. We see this as an opportunity to having some ‘thinking space’ and reflect upon how the Museum could approach the challenge of really engaging our visitors. As such, you would be expected to complete a write up about your experience.
Two funded places will be provided. Deadline for expression of interest: 12 noon, Friday 30th June 2017
For more information and if you would like to be considered download an application form or pick one up from Carmel or Michaela in HR. Deadline 30th June.
Application form: Kentwell application 2017
In line with the Museum’s Collections Development Policy 2017-2021, the REO Speedwagon Charabanc is being deaccessioned for the following reason:
Manufactured in the USA and then imported to Britain, the REO Speedwagon Charabanc was purchased by the Museum in 1996 for use on site as additional transport for visitors but no connection to the Black Country has ever been established.
In line with the Museums Association Code of Ethics and Disposal Toolkit, the charabanc has been be offered to other museums for purchase for the past two months. There has been no interest, so the charabanc will be sold by public auction. The proceeds from the sale will be ring-fenced for maintenance of the vehicle collection and/or the purchase of appropriate vehicles to add to the vehicle collection.
The Collections Team
Thanks to all of you who were involved in making yesterday’s Antiques Roadshow event a success. We welcomed 2,200 visitors through the doors, most of whom brought with them an antique to be valued.
You may have also seen in the news that the Roadshow team valued one of its most expensive finds ever yesterday, with the story appearing in the Sun and the Daily Mail today.
Fiona Bruce and a small crew are at the Museum again today filming the introductions for the two episodes in which the Museum will be the host venue. They are due to air in the Autumn.
Laura
We’ve nearly recruited all of the volunteers we need to help make next week’s Antiques Roadshow at BCLM a success but we need your help to find a few more!
Do you have friends/family that would be interested in this unique opportunity or would you like to take up the challenge yourself? We are looking for volunteer event stewards to support the Antiques Roadshow team on the day (Wed 21 Jun), enjoy a fantastic team-building experience and learn what it takes to co-ordinate a large scale filming event.
If you or your friends and family are interested, please email or speak to our Volunteer Coordinator, Ricki Boden as soon as possible for full details and to sign up – [email protected]
We would like to create a working group of staff from across all Museum teams to review the draft Visitor Manifesto and consider how we can train and support staff and volunteers to understand and implement it in their roles. It will involve two workshop sessions of up to two hours. We would like you to join this working group to help us deliver the best visitor experience possible. We are limiting places to two staff members per team and two volunteers from across the Museum. If you are interested in getting involved please let HR know by 17 July.
Delivering a compelling visitor experience, day-in-day-out, is the most critical and challenging thing the Museum does. It goes to the heart of what we are here for, and it is essential to our success, financial sustainability and continued growth.
The drafted visitor manifesto sets out what all of us, staff and volunteers, can do to provide an outstanding visitor offer and deepen relationships between visitors and the Museum.
UPDATE: If you missed us on ITV Central and Midlands Today, see below.
The original announcement on 14 June below:
I’m pleased to say that tomorrow (Thursday 15 June) we will be making a public announcement about our recent Round One Heritage Lottery Funding success.
We are hoping that the media will be as excited as we are about this important stage in our BCLM: Forging Ahead project and in the future of the Museum. So keep a lookout over the next few days in your local press, on local radio and hopefully on TV as we share this big news!
In the meantime, here’s a sneak peek at the video that we’ll be sending out with the press release and using on our social media channels.
Thank you for your patience and confidentiality over the last few weeks – just one more day to go!
Laura Wakelin
Deputy Chief Executive (Communications & Marketing)
As part of the HLF round 2 work, the VE team are planning visits to other sites where they feel there is the opportunity to learn and share experience.
What is required?
Although a different a time period to the Museum the demonstrator techniques and the challenges of engaging the visitor remain the same. Specifically, the visit will be during the week-long ‘Tudor Hugh Summer’ event (Mon 21 Aug – Mon 28 Aug). There you’ll see some 200+ costumed Tudors in action, in first person, running stations as diverse as forge, foundry, cottages, stables, potters, stillroom, butts, alchemists, dairy and bacchus and the ever popular kitchen of the great house, feeding the gentry who reside there.
You’ll be needed to observe this from a demonstrator’s point of view, feeding back a written report on your learnings will also be required.
Where?
Kentwell Hall is a stately home in Long Melford, Suffolk, England. It includes the hall, outbuildings, a rare-breeds farm and gardens. Most of the current building facade dates from the mid-16th century, but the origins of Kentwell are much earlier, with references in the Domesday Book of 1086! In recent years it has annually been the scene of Tudor period historical re-enactments.
When?
Thursday 24 August – travelling down the day before and staying nearby overnight. This will all be funded by the Museum.
How do I apply?
Applications are invited from anyone with a permanent or casual VE contract. Please fill out this short form here: Kentwell application 2017
The deadline for a completed application is noon on Friday 30 June.
