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Category: People News

  • BCLM Mental Health First Aiders

    A reminder of the support available to all colleagues at BCLM. Our team of Mental Health First Aiders (MHFA) are on hand to offer support as appropriate. If you click on their names below, you will see a brief bio of each.

    Carla Jasper
    Carla Jasper

    Contact: [email protected]
    Location on site: Main Reception/Admissions

    “     Hi, I’m Carla. I am the Area Lead for the Retail and Admissions Team and I have worked at the Museum for just under 2 years.

    My main hobbies include running, crafting, watching films and singing. These all make my heart happy. I also enjoy spending time with my friends and family when I am able to.

    Mental health is as important to overall health as is physical health, although we don’t treat is as such. I decided to become a Mental Health First Aider to support my colleagues during what has been and what may continue to be, a very trying time for everyone.     ”

    Dawn Hampton
    Dawn Hampton

    Contact: [email protected]
    Location on site: Rolfe Street Office

    ”     Hi, my name is Dawn. Many of you have seen me around the Museum, but for those who haven’t, I am part of the Finance Team.

    I have worked at the Museum since 2001 – starting in the Sales and Ticketing (Bookings) Office.

    I am currently studying for my AAT Level 3 at Dudley College, and enjoy volunteering with my daughter, at the Greyhound Trust on a Sunday, walking and feeding the dogs and cleaning their kennels.

    At the moment, we are still able to volunteer, and getting out has helped with our mental health during this pandemic.

    I am married and have two teenage children, and two greyhounds at home. Life is never dull!

    Being a Mental Health First Aider is very close to my heart, and I want people to know there is always someone there and to never feel alone.     “

    Hayley Boswell
    Hayley Boswell

    Contact: [email protected]
    Location on site: Canalside Office

    ”     Hi I’m Hayley, I work in the People & Culture Team and I have worked at the Museum for over a year. 

    Alongside full-time work, I am studying part time for my Level 7 CIPD Advance Diploma in Human Resource Management. This requires me to have strong organisational and time management skills to effectively manage my priorities at work and in my studies.

    In my spare time I enjoy keeping fit, walking and spending time with my family and friends.

    COVID-19 has disrupted important milestones and caused a lot of anxiety and stress for all of us. For me in particular, there has been significant disruption to my studies and I was faced with the difficult decision of postponing my wedding just a couple of months before I was due to get married.

    I became a MHFA to provide support to my colleagues and to help the Museum in its commitment to creating a health working environment.     “

    Jo Turner
    Jo Turner

    Contact: [email protected]
    Location on site: Hartills Office

    ”     Hi – I’m Jo and I’ve been Personal Assistant to the Chief Executive at the Museum for the past 5 ½ years, also providing support to the Board of Trustees and Leadership Team.  Previous to this I worked for children’s charities, supporting management and key workers with projects and services for young people, sometimes dealing with challenging and often traumatic issues.  One of the projects I supported introduced young people to new activities and experiences to help improve their mental health.

    Finding what brings you joy, what’s meaningful to you that gets you through the day or helps with a difficult situation can be really powerful.  For me, what’s got me through the last year and what helps with my own anxiety, has been staying connected to others, practising yoga and getting creative with crafts and DIY at home.  Getting outside more has also helped and I’m currently attempting the Couch-to-5K scheme to help improve my fitness.

    I also currently mentor 2 admin professionals outside of work, supporting them with the challenges they face in their roles, with personal issues and with their thoughts and hopes about the future.

    I wanted to become a Mental Health First Aider to support colleagues with their own wellbeing and to help the Museum with its commitment to creating a happy and healthy workforce.     “

    Lee Adams
    Lee Adams

    Location on site: Main Village

    “     Hi, my name is Lee, I work as part of the Historic Characters team. I have been at the museum for 5 years and enjoyed every minute.

    During lockdown I did an introductory course in child psychology to help my daughter with her anxiety. This course helped me to understand her worries and offer solutions.

    In my spare time, I love to read, knit and spend time with my family. Covid has definitely put a spanner in the works on my social life but it hasn’t stopped me chatting on the phone or online.

    I decided to become a Mental Health First Aider because I wanted to help others and give my support to them in any way I can.     ”

    Lewis Turner
    Lewis Turner

    Location on site: Bottle & Glass Pub

    “     Hi, I’m Lewis, I am the Area Lead in the Bottle & Glass. I’ve worked at the Museum for around four and half years now.

    Outside of work I’m a passionate Musician and I enjoy performing. I also try to make time to keep fit and exercise although, like many of you at the moment, this has been difficult to maintain a routine in due to COVID-19.

    I became a Mental Health First Aider, because I wanted to gain a stronger understanding of how to be most effective in providing support for my colleagues and friends.     ”

    Lindsey Butler
    Lindsey Butler

    Contact: [email protected]
    Location on site: Morralls Office

    “     Hi, I’m Lindsey one of the Team Managers for the Engagement and Operations team. I have worked at the museum for over 10 years and still love the day to day challenges that my role brings.

    I am a mom to two great kids, one grown up, and the other in school and still very much at home!

    My lifetime loves are singing and song writing and I am never far away from a good book. My lockdown hobbies, which thankfully I am still managing to find the time to do, are running, HITT and weight training. Without all of the above I know that my mental health would have seriously struggled throughout lockdown and beyond.

    I have in my lifetime had some “very wobbly moments” and like many, know that I am only a stone’s throw away from mental health conditions. Becoming a Mental Health First Aider will hopefully help me to better understand issues that could affect my colleagues, friends, family and even myself.     ”

    If you do decide to reach out to any of the MHFAs, please be assured that your contact and discussion will remain confidential between the two of you. They are able to listen if you simply want to share your concerns, but are also able to direct you to further appropriate support if you need it.

    As always the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) scheme is available for all. The EAP offers 24/7 support on a range of topics, including mental health, overall wellbeing, financial and legal support, etc. You can access this service by calling 0800 015 7287 and quoting “Black Country Living Museum”. Alternatively you can access the online portal by visiting www.colleaguesupport.co.uk, using ‘72160’ as your username and password.

  • People News (Update 26/10/2021)

    People News (Update 26/10/2021)

    Farewells

    Mary Whitehouse

    Mary Whitehouse, our longest serving colleague, has decided to retire after 38 years of service and is leaving the Museum at the end of the month. Throughout that time, Mary has been an esteemed colleague and everyone, especially the Historic Character team, will be sorry to see her leave. Her warm personality, experience and exceptional knowledge will be missed by all. Mary has seen many changes to the Museum over the years and has worked in countless places across site. Throughout all this, her dedication and positive outlook haven’t faltered. We would like to thank Mary for everything she has done for the museum – for her many years of support and for bringing history to life for so many visitors.

    Mary is planning on spending some well-earned quality time with her husband John at their caravan in Wales. We wish her a happy and healthy retirement and hope to see her often when she visits.

    Other leavers this month are sadly the following:

    Abby Bird our Audience and Communications Manager is leaving the Museum later this month to relocate to Cornwall and work as a freelance consultant. Abby joined the Museum over 7 years ago and in that time has been an integral part of our marketing efforts. Most notably her amazing and innovative TikTok social media videos giving the Museum worldwide recognition. Abby’s creativity and enthusiasm will be very much missed, but we wish her the very best as she settles into the south coast.

    Kyron Nock, Enterprise Team Manager, left the Museum earlier this month, after almost 5 years’ service to further his career with Tesco. He will be managing the Café at their Dudley superstore, just up the road from the Museum! Kyron has been an established colleague within Enterprise and has worked closely with many teams around the Museum. We wish him the very best as he takes on his exciting new management post.

    Tracey Forrest, Historic Character, also left earlier this month. Tracey has been a key part of our Historic Character team since 2011 but has now decided to return to her former career in jewellery retail. She leaves with our sincere thanks and best wishes.

    Jean Homer, Enterprise Team, who most of you will know for her work in the sweet shop, has been with the Museum for 8 years and has decided to leave us to focus on enjoying home life. Jean’s experience in sweet making will be very much missed but we hope that Jean will return from time to time to share her skills with others.

    Martin Churchill from the Cleaning Team is retiring to spend more time with his wife. In the short term he will be sunning himself on a cruise booked for the new year. We wish Martin a long and healthy retirement.

    Welcomes

    New Casuals – Historic Character Team

    The following new casuals have joined our Historic Character team this month:

    Andrea Williams, Jack Fern, Lucy McWilliams, Emily Banks, Harun Bashir, Neil Fellows, and Jennifer Kettle.

    If you see any of our recent new joiners on site – please do be sure to say hello!

    Paul Crofts

    As referenced in an earlier update, Paul Crofts officially joined us last week, in the role of Chief Operating Officer, following a series of familiarisation days through September and October. You can read more about Paul’s role and his background on this intranet post.

  • All Colleague Briefings – Sign-up Required

    All Colleague Briefings – Sign-up Required

    As part of our continual Programme of ensuring engagement and communication of the Museum’s operational and strategic activity, we will be holding briefings to update all colleagues on the Museum’s progress since reopening in May of this year and the plans for 2022, a critical year for the launch of the first of the Forging Ahead buildings. These briefings will take place on:

    • Wednesday 3 November 2021
    • Thursday 4 November 2021
    • Thursday 11 November 2021

    All the briefings will be held in the WI and will commence at 9.15, finishing at 9.45.  Many of you will already be scheduled by your line managers to attend one of these sessions, if you have not then please volunteer your name on the attached sign up sheet.

    All contracted colleagues are mandated to attend these sessions. We would also strongly urge colleagues from both our volunteer and casual community to all attend.

    You only need to attend one of the briefing sessions.

    Refreshment will be provided in the WI.

    Can you please sign up using the following link: All Staff Briefings

    If you have any trouble signing up for the briefing because you do not have a BCLM email address then please speak to your line manager who will be able to add your name for you.

  • People News Update

    People News Update

    We are delighted to confirm the appointment of Paul Crofts as the Museum’s Chief Operating Officer. Paul formally joins on 18 October 21, but is visiting the Museum on a weekly basis to get an early understanding of how the Museum works and meet new colleagues ahead of his ‘official’ start date.

    Paul brings a wealth of senior commercial and operational experience from the rail industry, where he currently holds the post of General Manager for Avanti and is responsible for all aspects of the customer experience.  During the pandemic he has been instrumental in supporting Avanti’s recovery and sustainability strategy having worked closely with the Department for Transport and other key stakeholders. Paul’s experience mirrors the complexity of challenges here at BCLM and we look forward to him being part of our Leadership Team.

  • 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.