Category: Information Sharing

  • We need you! Summer Promotional Video

    Calling all staff and volunteers! Would you and your family like to appear in our summer promotional video for 2019? 

    We’ll be filming at various points across the Museum on Saturday 29 June during opening hours and want to capture families and other groups enjoying their day out.  Your visit for the day will be free for all the family and we will only need you for a short time during your visit.

    We are looking for:

    • A young couple (ideally age 18 – 25)
    • Two families with children ideally aged between 7 – 12
    • An older couple (ideally aged 60+)
    • A group of young adults (ideally age 16 – 18)

    The video will be used on our YouTube channel, on the Museum website and on our other social media channels.

    If you’d like to get involved and all of those that will attend with you are happy to appear on film, please contact Hannah in the marketing team: [email protected]

  • Community Advisory Panel

    Our dedicated Community Advisory Panel will be meeting this week on Thursday 13 June to discuss accessibility and diversity at the Museum.

    If you are passionate about the Black Country and would like to get involved in developing community engagement projects our panel meetings are held once a month from 6.30-8.30pm.

    Everyone welcome!

    If you would like to find out more contact Community Engagement Manager, Glenis Williams on 0121 557 4242 or email [email protected]

  • Staff and Volunteer Summer Social Evening

    We are pleased to announce that the date of Tuesday 25 June 2019 has been put aside for this year’s Summer Social Evening to be held in Folkes Park.

    The evening, which will include food and drink, will start at 5.30pm and conclude around 8.00pm. If you have any ideas for the evening and/or would like to join the small organising team, please speak to Ben in the HR Team.

    Full details of the evening will be shared closer to the time.  

  • Staff Announcement

    We will be bidding a fond farewell to Dianne Rivers on 14 June.

    Di has played a key role in building up the Museum’s reputation and capability as an organisation where volunteers make an important contribution.  We’re grateful for the work Di has done in building and looking after a team of very talented volunteers.

    Please wish Di all the best for the future.

  • Staff Announcements

    After undertaking an external competitive assessment, the Trustees and myself are delighted to announce that Carol King has been appointed as the new Director of Programmes, starting on 1 July.

    Carol has worked in museums for 10 years, most recently with us since last September as Interim Head of Collections Team.  Carol’s previous role was the strategic lead for Heritage, Culture & Visitors at the National Civil War Centre, Newark.  Carol has experience with learning programmes and visitor engagement, has a degree in English & History and MAs in Culture & Colonialism and Museum Studies.

    We’re delighted that Carol will be staying with us in this new key strategic role.

    And congratulations go to Sophie (Fi) Howell, Development Coordinator who will be taking up the role of Development Manager from Monday 10 June.

  • Staff Announcements

    We will shortly be waving a fond farewell to Pat York.

    Pat joined us as a Guide/Demonstrator in 2002 and will be sorely missed by the Learning Team. We would like to thank Pat for her hard work and commitment shown to the Museum, and wish her every success in the future.

    We would like to also wish Jacqueline Gordon every success for the future after leaving us for pastures new.

  • Meet the Volunteer – Wal

    In the latest in our series of ‘Meet the Volunteer’ profiles we hear from Wal who is a volunteer with the Steam Team.  

    “I started volunteering 18 years ago in January 2001. The previous year I had met with Bob Chater (previous team leader) at Claymills Pumping Station and he persuaded me to do some pipework on the steam boiler on Boxing Day!

    I mostly do pipefitting and general maintenance on the colliery site. I also operate the steam boiler. You can usually see me on Mondays and Saturdays working on or around the Racecourse Colliery, and sometimes carrying out maintenance on the Anchor Forge.

    Volunteering has given me a new found interest connected to the boiler and engines, both maintenance and repair, especially since I retired two years ago.

    The most important thing about volunteering is to pass on the interest of what a 1920s colliery was really like, with live steam and engines providing the power, to the visitors.”

  • BCLM: Forging Ahead – Public Announcement

    BCLM: Forging Ahead – Public Announcement

    I’m pleased to say that tomorrow (Wednesday 29 May) we will be making a public announcement that we have been given the final go ahead to begin our transformational £23m development project BCLM: Forging Ahead thanks to confirmation of £9.4m funding from National Lottery Heritage Fund.

    We are hoping that the media will be as excited as we are 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!

    Thank you for your patience and confidentiality over the last few weeks – just one more day to go!

    Carolyn Sankey, Deputy Chief Executive (Development)

  • Room Bookings Update

    From 25 May the co-ordination of bookings for Halls 1 & 2, Rooms 2/3 and the WI Committee Room will change from Jon White to Tom Law.

    Bookings should continue to be requested through the usual process using the Outlook calendar.

  • New Leadership & Management and Staffing

    Following extensive consultations the move to the new structure is nearing completion and will take effect from Monday 3 June. Following briefings with the new teams last week I am pleased to confirm colleagues in the following new roles:

    Nicola Rowe, Head of Museum Operations
    Management of all visitor-facing operations, events management, visitor and formal educational engagement, commercial activities, ICT, costume production, on-site transport, visitor admissions, security, car parking and duty management. Reports to Managing Director.

    Mel Weatherley, Head of Programme Development
    Originating programmes which effectively engage audiences in the history of the Black Country and its connections to and impacts on, contemporary life. Develop themes, topics subjects for Museum activity and the stories we tell, collaborating with colleagues across the Museum and developing external partnerships. Reports to Director of Programmes.

    Hayley Merchant (nee McCafferty-David), Head of Collections Care & Management
    Care, management and development of the Museum’s collections including collections strategy, developing external partnerships, maintaining Designation and Accreditation standards, management of Collections Care & Management team. Reports to Director of Programmes.

    Jon White, Engagement Operations Manager
    Manages the Museum’s visitor and formal educational engagement operations, duty management, security, on-site transport, costume production and car parking, to optimise customer service and visitor experience. Reports to Head of Museum Operations.

    Giles Hammond, Museum Enterprises Manager
    Leads on the Museum’s food&drink and retail activities, to optimise financial results, customer service and visitor experience. Reports to Head of Museum Operations.

    Tim Shields, Transport Manager
    Manages the Museum’s road and rail transport and other motorised equipment, including historic and modern vehicles. Reports to Head of Site Conservation, Transport & Maintenance

    Liam Parkes, Engineering Manager
    Project managing, advising on and overseeing the maintenance of the Museum’s historic mechanical, industrial and operational collections, including boats. Reports to Head of Site Conservation, Transport & Maintenance.

    Clare Weston, Researcher
    Research into the history of the Black Country and the Museum’s collections to inform programme development. Reports to Director of Programmes.

    Helen Taylor, Collections Manager
    Care, management and development of the Museum’s collections including for example access to collections, acquisitions, conservation, appropriate use and display. Reports to Head of Collections Care & Management.

    Ricki Boden, People Administrator
    Assists the People Administration & Support Manager to deliver effective Human Resources systems and administration such as recruitment, induction and training, payroll, pension and volunteers.

    The new leadership, management and staffing structure can be viewed in full here.

    A number of vacancies still remain which are/will be being recruited to in the coming weeks and months, internally first and externally if required. Do keep an eye on the intranet for these opportunities.

    If you have any questions do get in touch with Helen Astill, [email protected] or on 219.

    With thanks for your cooperation and patience during this process.

    Andrew