Category: Museum sector

Weekly update 22 Jul
With less than a week to go until the Museum’s preview day of its reopening programme, ‘Unlocking the Black Country’, there’s lots of activity taking place on-site. Screens and signage are being installed in relevant indoor areas, catering deliveries are arriving on-site, and colleagues are attending the Covid induction and other training sessions in preparation for reopening.

Museum reopening soft launch – Preview Day on Tue 28 Jul

The chance to book tickets to our soft launch preview day on Tue 28 Jul was offered to Members, Passholders, and others who completed our survey about reopening. The free preview tickets were launched on Thu 16 Jul and were all reserved within 30 minutes! We were heartened by the strong demand and hope this is a positive indicator of people’s interest in returning to visit the Museum.

Ticket available for staff wishing to visit on the afternoon of Tue 28 Jul

Tickets to the afternoon of the preview day are now available for members of staff who have not yet had an opportunity to return to site and who would like to have a sneak preview of the visitor offer before general opening later in the week on Sat 1 Aug. We’re therefore able to offer one free ticket per staff member who would like to attend the preview as an afternoon visitor. Please note that tickets are only available for the personal use of BCLM staff and are not transferable to friends or family. Unfortunately, we’re unable to admit staff into offices and back of house areas who have not yet attended the Covid induction. Therefore, we’d request that you keep to the public areas of the Museum and enjoy the experience as a visitor when attending the preview.

Tickets must be pre-booked and will be valid for use for the 2.30 pm entry time on Wed 28 Jul.

How to book a ticket to the preview

We’ve adapted the general ticketing site just for this afternoon session, so you may see some text that may not appear relevant to you.
1. Please choose ‘1’ ticket from the drop-down menu
2. You can skip past the Gift Aid and Donate pages, as these are for general visitors
3. Unless you already have a Museum ticket account, we recommend that you choose the ‘guest’ option to reserve your ticket
4. We’ll need to take your contact details – including a mobile telephone number for the purposes of Test and Trace, so please make sure to complete these fields when booking
Book your preview ticket here.

BCLM Express & Star interview

You may recall last week that we mentioned Andrew had given an interview to the Express & Star ahead of reopening. You can read the full interview here.

General admission and pre-booked entry timed tickets

General admission tickets and pre-booked timeslots have now gone on sale via our website – we’ve seen a good response so far from people wanting to share in the story of the Black Country and we’re keeping a close eye on sales over the coming days.

We hope everyone is keeping safe and well and look forward to seeing our visitors in four months at the preview.
22 July 2020
Update 16 Jul

This week’s update is brief compared to the volume of news there was to share last week. However, that doesn’t mean that things haven’t been busy behind the scenes at the Museum. Preparations for reopening are gathering pace with the installation of protective screens, signage, and sanitising units in key areas of the site as some of the most visible ways the Museum is being made ‘Covid-secure’.

Mapping ‘Unlocking the Black Country’

Following on from last week’s update about the forthcoming programme, we wanted to share the map that’s been designed for ‘Unlocking the Black Country’. Poster-size versions of the map will printed for display at the Museum and we’ll encourage visitors to take photographs of it on their phones so that they can refer to it whilst minimising handling (and saving paper!)

Covid Induction Sessions

Colleagues returning to the Museum next week will attend an induction on coming back to site safely and adhering to new protocols to make the Museum Covid-secure. Colleagues will be notified of the relevant sessions for them via line managers/PlanDay.

Welfare Calls

We hope that by now almost everyone will have received a welfare call from their manager. If you have yet to have your call/agree a time for your call, please do get in touch with your manager, or email [email protected]

And finally…

It’s been a busy week for the Museum in the media. Andrew has been interviewed for a pre-opening feature in the Express & Star, due for publication in the next few days, and also appeared on BBC Radio on Sun 12 Jul talking about the future of museums in the UK. You can listen to an excerpt of the interview here:

16 July 2020
Weekly update 8 Jul

You’ll likely have seen from media coverage that this has been an important week for the cultural sector. The Government’s announcement of a £1.57bn funding package has been received positively by sector leaders given its size and scope. There will be much work to do over the coming days and weeks to understand how organisations can access the funds and how monies will be distributed. However, this is incredibly welcome news – particularly for performing arts venues, such as theatres, who still must remain closed due to restrictions around Covid-19.

ACE Emergency Response Fund

You may also have seen that, alongside other Midlands cultural organisations, BCLM has secured emergency funding from Arts Council England (ACE). A full intranet update on this is here. This support from ACE will play a crucial role in helping us to realise our plans for reopening, as well as contributing to some of the shortfall in income during our closure period.

Reopening Programme – Unlocking the Black Country

Last week, we promised an update on the reopening programme. The theme for reopening is ‘Unlocking the Black Country’.

There are two strands to this programme. Firstly, to ensure we are unlocking safely with measures in place for colleagues and visitors and, secondly, to unlock history in a way that engages visitors.

Detailed information around protective measures, risk assessments, and new protocols to protect colleagues on-site will be rolled out as part of the return-to-work process and staff training. There will also be public comms about safety measures to provide reassurance to visitors.

In the meantime, we wanted to provide some highlights on how we’re proposing to ‘unlock history’. One of the key concepts behind the programme is to take an ‘inside-out’ approach. This means that, wherever possible, we want to make more active use of the outdoor space offered by the site. Part of the plan is to make more use of the Museum’s vehicle collection to create greater outdoor spectacle and to adapt some of the shows originally developed for school audiences into demonstrations that will engage visitors of all ages.

We’ve been working on creating distinctive themed ‘zones’ around the Museum site to give visitors the sense of travelling through time and the chance to hear about different facets of the Black Country story. In all, there will be five zones:

1. ‘Marvellous Machines’ – Located at Newcomen and areas below terrace

“From the Newcomen to the internal combustion engine, discover the manufacturing heritage of the Black Country”

2. ‘Black Gold’ – Located at Mine/Colliery area

“The story of Black Country coal and how it fuelled the industrial revolution”

3. ‘Victory Park’ – Located at Folkes Park

“It’s 1945 and the end of war in Europe has just been announced. Come and celebrate and help us remember those we’ve lost”

‘4. Village Voices’ – Located at Canal Street and Station Road

“A village of hardship and strife, but also of people working together to improve their lot”

5. ‘Workshops of the World’ – Located at the canal arm, Anchor Forge, Rolling Mill, Chain Shop

“Hear the stories of the people who crossed borders to keep Black Country industry thriving”

The programme is based on much of the existing learning that Museum colleagues hold. Where there are adaptations and new ideas to be tested, full training will be given to colleagues where this is relevant. We will update people on the timetable and plan for training in due course.

Our Food and Drink and Enterprise offer is being designed in parallel to complement the visitor programme.

The above information is meant to provide a taster of the offer. Further details will be published soon. The programme has been designed encourage visitors to travel around the site in a more structured manner than they usually would, and to encourage them to spend time in each of the zones interacting with colleagues in a safe, socially-distanced manner.

Keeping in touch – wellbeing conversations

Line managers are in the process of contacting all colleagues to have a wellbeing call and check-in. By the end of this week, all colleagues should have received a call and an opportunity to talk to their manager. Please do questions you may have regarding reopening with your managers, or if you have any questions you’d like to ask in confidence – please do email [email protected] Following on from these initial conversations, managers will be back in touch to discuss specific plans for each individual colleague.

In the meantime, we hope that you and your loved ones stay safe and well.

8 July 2020
BCLM Awarded Arts Council England Emergency Funding

The Museum has received £1.175m of financial support from the Arts Council England Emergency Response Fund. This funding will provide a lifeline during such a critical time in the Museum’s history.

As for many other businesses and charitable organisations throughout the UK, these are difficult and uncertain times. During lockdown, the Museum has lost £3.1m in revenue and an anticipated 150,000 visitors. With 94% of Museum income coming from visitors, the lockdown has had a devastating financial effect.

This emergency support will go some way to help to fund the Museum’s plans for reopening and meet costs incurred during closure when the Museum was unable to generate visitor income.

The support we’ve received from ACE, other funders, and our fantastic Members and visitors has been vital to the Museum’s immediate survival but, given the depth of the financial losses incurred as a result of the pandemic, these much-needed funds will not completely offset the fall in income.

Therefore, we’re focused on doing all we can now to preserve jobs and livelihoods for the future so that we can keep operating the Museum as the remarkable community asset it has grown to be.

7 July 2020
Weekly update 24 Jun

The Prime Minister yesterday announced some important changes to relax the lockdown and, also, further steps towards opening up the economy. One of the most important parts of the announcement for the Museum was the confirmation that museums and galleries will be permitted to open again from Sat 4 July.

Whilst the announcement is undoubtedly positive news, permission to reopen does not resolve the challenges facing the museum sector – particularly for those organisations for which reopening will cost more than staying closed. Therefore, AIM (Association for Independent Museums) has published a joint statement along with the National Museum Directors’ Council and Museums’ Association calling for the Government to make a long-term financial investment in the sector to support its future resilience and sustainability. This high profile advocacy is designed to raise awareness of the issues facing museums and to keep the sector front-of-mind for policy-makers within Government. Please click here for the full joint statement.

As we’ve previously communicated, BCLM’s plan is to reopen in a phased approach from Sat 1 Aug in order to give us time to make our large 26-acre site safe and to develop a programme that engages visitors within a covid-secure environment. More details about the reopening plan and programme will be shared with colleagues as soon as possible. Both the reopening plan and programme design had already anticipated some of the measures announced by the Prime Minister. Consequently, we’re in a position to progress our plans without the need to make major changes.

It goes without saying that it’s the people working at the Museum who are the most important factor in delivering what visitors find so special about BCLM. Therefore, thank you to everyone who completed the staff survey. Almost 200 people participated in the survey ahead of today’s deadline for completion. The findings will be used at an overall level to inform the people plan for reopening.

When plans are finalised, managers will be in contact with team members to discuss the reopening and the role we can each play in successfully welcoming visitors back to the Museum over the coming months.

As businesses operating within the visitor economy now look at their strategies for reopening in line with the latest Government guidance, Black Country Chamber of Commerce are focusing their next ‘In Conversation with…’ webinar on the subject of the visitor economy. On Tue 30 Jun (2-3pm) a panel of industry leaders, including Museum Chief Executive Andrew Lovett, will be discussing the sector’s response to Covid-19 and how tourism and visitor attractions will meet the challenges ahead. To book a place on the webinar, click here.

24 June 2020
Public statement on BCLM’s planning for re-opening

The following statement has been posted on the news page of the BCLM website and a status posted on Twitter to update visitors on our planned opening date in light of recent announcements (as of Wed 10 Jun) from other visitor attractions regarding their plans for opening.

“Following ongoing Government announcements regarding re-opening of open spaces, and now wildlife attractions, we are aware that some people may assume BCLM should now reopen too.

Unfortunately this is not possible. BCLM is an accredited museum, so in accordance with Government guidance we would have not looked to re-open any earlier than Step 3, currently 4 July 2020.

Whilst we are lucky to be situated on a 26-acre largely open air site, the nature of our Museum and visitor day out, lots of small properties and close interactions with historic characters and other staff, means we need to take more time to make sure we are safe place for staff and visitors; so we will remain closed until our planned phased re-opening on 1 August 2020.

We are very busy planning the reopening, which places great emphasis on the health and safety of both visitors and staff, and have been delighted by the very large and positive reaction to our visitor survey about these measures.

Once we do re-open, we will have new health and safety measures across the Museum including limiting visitor numbers. We need time to plan and install these new measures in order to ensure that we are prepared, so that we can open safely and we can stay open.

As a Museum that prides itself on being at the core of our community, and relying on visitor income for over 90% of our funding, being closed for nearly three months at this point means we must be measured in the way we begin to incur large costs again. The Government’s Job Retention Scheme has been a lifeline to us during this period and our planned reopening will allow us to create, once again, a fun day out for our visitors balanced with our fiscal responsibilities.

We completely understand the pressing needs of zoos to re-open more quickly than museums as their fixed costs have not reduced during the lockdown period due to their commitment to the welfare of their animals. Their need to create income again is particularly understandable.

Please respect our decision to remain closed at this time, and we look forward to welcoming you back to the Museum in August.

In the meantime, be safe, and keep connecting with us via our digital channels.”

Ends.

10 June 2020
BCLM praised as part of BBC Radio 4’s “Curating the Future”

Black Country Living Museum has been highlighted as part of Curating the Future, a BBC Radio 4 series hosted by Tristram Hunt, Director of the V&A Museum London. The series questions the role and relevance of museums in the 21^st century.

Episode two, ‘Museums are not neutral’, discusses the role of museums in society and how they reach and represent their audiences.

BCLM is mentioned an organisation with an exemplary approach to storytelling which creates engagement with a much broader audience than that of a ‘traditional’ museum (approx. 24 mins into the episode).

You will hear perspectives from Tony Butler of Derby Museum, as well as from Sara Wajid (Head of Engagement at Museum of London) and Bernard Donoghue (Director of Alva).

The series is available to listen to on demand at BBC Sounds via their website or app.

3 February 2020
Do you have a great idea for a Museum event?

We’re looking for ideas to develop the Museum’s programme of events for next year and beyond.

If you have an event idea you’d love to see brought to life, click on the link below and fill in a short survey to tell us all about it.

No matter how big or small your idea is, we’d like to hear about it. Tell us what we can do to come up with new ideas to engage our audiences and let us know how you want to get involved with planning our programme for the future.

Click here to share your ideas.

16 August 2019
BCLM selected for Google Arts & Culture Initiative for its Creative Enterprise

The Museum has recently been selected by the Museum Prize Trust, in partnership with Google Arts & Culture and the Association for Cultural Enterprise, as one of six heritage organisations demonstrating exemplary ‘creative enterprise’. Next Tuesday (9th April), filming will be taking place across site to produce a 5-minute film showcasing the Museum which will be profiled on Google Arts & Culture to launch the Trust’s new annual prize for Creative Enterprise.

Penelope, Viscountess Cobham, Chair of the Museum Prize Trust said “We had a fascinating time studying the applications from across the country and I’m delighted that Black Country Living Museum has been chosen for inclusion in the Google Arts and Culture initiative.”

The other five organisations are: SS Great Britain, London Transport Museum, Sir John Soane’s Museum, Bodleian Libraries, Oxford and the Horniman Museum & Gardens.

3 April 2019
Research opportunity to visit Imperial War Museum

We have 10 places available on a voluntary research visit to the Imperial War Museum on Tuesday 19 March 2019.

Why are we going?

The Imperial War Museum (https://www.iwm.org.uk/) explores conflict and its impact on people’s lives, recording conflict and difficult histories. We are visiting to take inspiration from IWM, to share ideas and to see how other museums tackle difficult histories within a learning environment. We will be looking at trails, activities and interpretation methods used to inform visitors. Everyone attending will be asked to complete an activity work book, which will be collected at the end of the visit. This is a great opportunity to see the work of a highly regarded national museum, and to get to know other members of staff, volunteers and supporters.

Exhibitions:

Making a New World: explores how the First World War shaped society, using immersive live music, performance and public debates.

The Holocaust Exhibition: The Holocaust Exhibition tells the story of the Nazi persecution of the Jews and other groups before and during the Second World War.

MIMESIS: African Soldier: Millions of African and Colonial soldiers contributing to Victories throughout the First World War.

Moments of Silence: Moments of Silence, exploring the origins, history and future of remembrance rituals.

Life after the First World War in Photography: Through a rich collection of photographs, discover the innovation and resourcefulness that shaped regeneration of the World Post-War.

Who is it available to?

Any member of staff or volunteer.

Please note, the cost of the trip is being funded by the Museum. You will not be paid to visit the Imperial War Museum unless you are a contracted staff member and have permission from your line manager to attend as part of your role.

How to reserve your place?

If you would like to attend, simply email [email protected] leaving your name, team and contact telephone number. Tickets will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

Pick up and drop off

Leaving BCLM at 8am and leaving London at 5pm

Approx. return time at the Museum 8.00-8.30pm

21 February 2019