We’d like to kindly remind everyone that when events are taking place in the Museum Conference and Learning Centre, colleagues should use the green gate for access, rather than passing through the Centre, unless you have specific access requirements.
Thank you for your support and understanding.
We are pleased to announce that David Middlemiss will be joining the Museum as our Director of Development & External Affairs. David will commence his responsibilities officially on the 2 September 2024. However, he will be at the Museum for five familiarisation days during July and early August, to meet his team, wider colleagues and attend scheduled events. David will also take this opportunity to become familiar with important information, like the budget and targets for 2024, our audiences, key partnerships, funders, as well as current priorities for his team.
David attended Cambridge University and the London Business School and comes to the Museum after a Director role at Bicycle Association of Great Britain, CEO at Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust, and Rutland Cycling, and a senior international role with ExxonMobil.
Whilst David currently lives in Lincolnshire, he has strong roots to the Black Country and he and his family are regular visitors to the Museum.
Following a review of the Constitution and Terms of Reference, the Staff Consultative Forum has been renamed the Colleague Consultative Forum (CCF) to reflect the decision to include volunteer representatives, in addition to employees and casual workers.
The Museum recognises that effective and timely communications and consultations with its colleagues (which includes employees, casual workers and volunteers) are an essential part of managing a successful museum and will make a significant contribution to achieving the Museum’s vision and mission.
Further information can be found in the updated Constitution and Terms of Reference.
Elected CCF Representatives will come from the following constituents:
*In the interest of ensuring a cross representation of the Museum, the 2 representatives in these constituencies cannot be from the same team.
Please note that volunteer and casual representatives may be asked not to attend meetings where matters specific to employees only are to be discussed.
Due to the introduction of a Volunteers consistency, we would like to invite nominations for volunteer representatives (x 2). In addition there are vacancies in the following constituencies; Salaried (x 1), Enterprise (x 1), Cleaning & Recycling (x 1) and Casuals (x 1). Please note that participation of volunteers on the CCF remains on a voluntary basis.
If you would like to be considered as a CCF Representative, you will need a colleague from the same constituency as you to propose your nomination and the name of another colleague, again within the same constituency, who seconds the nomination. Unsure about which Constituency you fall under? Find out here.
The closing date for nominations has been extended to Wednesday 24 July 2024. Elections will be held following this date if we have multiple candidates for a single role. In the event that a candidate for nomination is unopposed, their constituents will be invited to endorse their candidature.
To put yourself forward, please complete and return a nomination form (which can be found here) to the People & Culture team (based at Canalside) either by hand, deposited in the black post box outside the People & Culture office, or via email to [email protected].
All employees (who have successfully completed their probationary period) are eligible to apply, with the exception of the Leadership Team. Casual workers may only apply
to represent the Casuals constituency and volunteers may only apply to represent the Volunteers constituency. As a reminder, the current CCF Representatives are:
Constituency – Representative(s):
Salaried: Elizabeth Peters, Lisa Bate*.
Historic Characters: Emily Banks, Greg Dunn, Matthew Robinson.
Visitor Welcome & Admissions: Lisa Edwards.
Enterprise: 1 x vacancy.
Cleaning & Recycling: 1 x vacancy.
Casuals: David Ball, 1 x vacancy.
Volunteers: 2 x vacancy.
*First term coming to an end therefore constituent post up for nomination.
Under the terms of the Colleague Consultative Forum Constitution, representatives can stand for two terms. Current representatives who are reaching the end of their first term and would like to stand for another term will be required to complete the usual nomination process and will be subject to election if necessary.
Several roads will be closed in Dudley town centre due to the elite cycling event, the Dudley Grand Prix circuit race. This event will take place on Friday 12 July as part of the Black Country Festival celebrations.
Roads and streets affected are The Broadway, Paganel Drive, Priory Road, Ednam Road, St James’s Road, Parsons Street, Wolverhampton Street, The Inhedge, Priory Street, Court Passage, Stone Street, New Street and Tower Street.
Important changes to traffic flow:
We advise all colleagues to plan in advance for these changes to ensure smooth travel and minimise any inconvenience.
We would like to inform colleagues about upcoming improvement works on the two horse paddocks, including the restoration of the area between the existing paddock and the Fairground.
The road between the Toll House and the Fairground will be closed off to pedestrians (including visitors) during the specified times, except on weekends. Please access the bottom end of site via the alternative route (past Jerushah).
Please be informed that today, Wednesday 19 June, the row of parking spaces closest to the road in car park 2 will be cordoned off. This is so that Joe and Pete can trim the bushes along the fence line.
The Museum has a team of Mental Health First Aiders (MHFAs) to provide support to colleagues who are experiencing poor mental wellbeing or just need someone to talk to. Please find below a list of the Museum’s MHFAs should you wish to have a supportive conversation with someone about your wellbeing. MHFAs can also signpost you to useful resources and professional help and support. Please be assured that any contact and discussion with a MHFA will remain confidential between the two of you.
In addition, as a reminder, the Museum has an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) available to all colleagues. The EAP provides confidential advice and support on a variety of matters including legal, financial, health and relationships, as well as a telephone counselling service. If you feel this service may be of benefit to you, you can access support via the 24 hour confidential telephone advice line by calling 0800 756 0861 quoting ‘Perkbox’ and ‘Black Country Living Museum’.
The Audience & Communication Team would like to invite you to participate in our upcoming Media Training sessions, designed to equip you with essential skills for interacting with the media effectively.
Dates & Times
Over the last few years, more and more of our colleagues have been asked to speak to journalists on our behalf. This has included pre-recorded interviews for TV, as well as live interviews for radio.
This training session breaks down what we mean by “the media”, what the different types of media are, and why the Museum works with the media. Hints and tips on what makes a good interview will also be run through.
To secure your spot in these informative sessions, email [email protected] with your preferred date of attendance. We look forward to seeing you there!
Preparations for the opening of our newest additions: Spring Hill Post Office, Halesowen and Hasbury Co-op, and Langer’s Army & Navy Stores are well underway.
We offer exclusive preview sessions for our colleagues as they open their doors to the public on 29 June 2024. Led by our Interpretation & Research team, these sessions will provide a first hand look at the fascinating buildings in the 1940s – 1960s high street.
Mark your calendars for Wednesday 19 June and Thursday 20 June 2024, as we will be hosting two sessions on each date. The sessions will run for 30 minutes each, with timings at 9:00 am and 4:15 pm.
If you’re interested in joining us for a tour, please send an email to [email protected], indicating your preferred date and time slot.
