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Category: TV Feed News Scroller

  • Museum Update: 24 March 2021

    In this bulletin we share an outline approach to re-opening and work patterns, as well of news of wellbeing visits to the Museum, and a special letter we’ve received from our Honorary Patron.

    Re-opening Principles

    As a reminder from the previous Museum Update, we are planning to re-open from Step 3 of the Roadmap and are working to be open again from Monday 17 May.  This date is subject to the four tests that accompany the Government’s Roadmap being met – including the continued decline of infection rates and hospitalisations.

    The Museum will re-open with the Spring programme, ‘Discover the Black Country’.  The principles behind re-opening in May will be based on how we welcomed visitors back to the Museum in August 2020, namely:

    • Predominantly online ticketing with a daily visitor attendance cap
    • Maintaining social distancing (including one-way routes and household/bubble-only entry to historic buildings)
    • Making use of outdoor spaces for demonstrations and storytelling
    • Accessibility-only transport offer (i.e. Doris running, but no other passenger vehicles until a review at Step 4 of the Roadmap – currently scheduled as 21 Jun)
    • Enterprise offer in Gift Shop, WI, Hobb’s, Bakers, Sweet shop in line with prevailing social distancing measures. We are also reviewing the opportunity to reopen Tubeworks and Morrall’s.

    As a reminder we will be open seven days a week when we reopen in May, welcoming visitors from 10-4. During July and August we will be open 10-5, and then return to 10-4 and seven days in September. From 1 November to 19 December we move to Wed to Sun, 10-4, then open 20 Dec to 31 Dec seven days 10-4 except 25 and 26 Dec. 

    Work patterns & training

    Training to introduce colleagues to the new programme and visitor offer will be scheduled to take place from w/c 26 April.  Further updates will be published in due course.

    Line managers, or a member of your departmental management team will also be in touch with colleagues to update everyone on their proposed work pattern as we move closer to re-opening.  Where possible, we will endeavour to give people one week’s notice of any changes to your work pattern.  The Museum will continue to deploy furlough flexibly until the end of September.  Further details will be sent to colleagues to whom this applies in a letter from the People & Culture team.

    Colleagues should also continue to be advised by their line manager as to whether or not they should work from home, or be needed on-site.

    The NHS Vaccination Centre

    The Engagement Operations team are working closely with NHS colleagues to understand how we work together when both teams are back onsite.

    Wellbeing visits to the Museum

    As of April we can offer welfare visits to the Museum site for those colleagues who feel they would benefit from walking around on-site ahead of re-opening.  As per last year, these visits must be pre-booked via the Duty Manager and will be available between 12.00-3.00pm on the following weekend dates:

    Because of the continuing social distancing rules, please note you can bring along a maximum of one other person to accompany you, and we will have a maximum of two sets of visitors on site at any point.  Places can be reserved on a first come, first served basis either by emailing [email protected], or by calling the DM line on 07788 666161.  Only outdoor areas of the Museum will be accessible and entry into site should be via the green gate at the side of the Rolfe Street building.

    We ask that staff only travel the Museum if it is safe for you to do so and we politely request that you do not post any pictures or comments on social media about visiting the Museum to avoid any potential confusion for the public about the Museum remaining closed and the vaccination programme.

    A letter from our Honorary Patron, HRH The Duke of Gloucester

    BCLM’s Honorary Patron, HRH The Duke of Gloucester, has written a letter expressing his gratitude and admiration for the efforts of all colleagues – including volunteers – to support the Museum and local community during these very challenging times.  You can read the full text of the letter here .

  • A letter of thanks from our Honorary Patron, HRH The Duke of Gloucester

    We have recently received the letter below from the Museum’s Honorary Patron, HRH The Duke of Gloucester, expressing his gratitude and admiration for the work everyone has done during these very challenging times. 

    The Duke takes a keen interest in the work the Museum does and is kept up-to-date with all the latest developments.  We hope he will be able to visit soon.

    A Thank You from HRH The Duke of Gloucester, Honorary Patron of BCLM

  • Museum Update: Wed 10 March

    In this update we’d like to share news of the Museum’s plans for re-opening, changes to the Board of Trustees and an update on Forging Ahead.

    Plans for re-opening

    Following publication of the Government’s Roadmap, the Museum will re-open at Step 3 in line with other museums and indoor attractions.  Step 3 is currently scheduled to begin from Monday 17 May, and this is the date we are working towards for re-opening. 

    Opening the Museum at Step 3 will enable us to welcome visitors back with a full, but socially-distanced offer in a similar manner to August 2020. Therefore, we hope that we can take what we learned from last year and make this year’s re-opening just as successful.

    More detail will follow in the coming weeks about the programme and what the re-opening means for working patterns, including training.  Line managers will be in touch with colleagues in due course.  If you have any questions in the meantime, however, please do email [email protected].

    Please note that all dates quoted in the Government’s Roadmap are ‘no earlier than’ dates and are subject to change should criteria including infection rates and hospitalisations begin to increase again. 

    Also a reminder that in line with Government’s current ‘stay at home’ rule, which will be in effect until 29 March, colleagues should only be at the Museum for essential work.  Although  the ‘stay at home’ rule will end on this date, people should continue to work from home where they can and minimise the number of journeys they make where possible, avoiding travel at the busiest times and routes.

    Please note that the decision to open at Step 3/17 May has not yet been communicated to the general public. We’ve chosen to leave this slight gap between internal and external comms so that all colleagues will have the chance to learn the news before we make it public. We will communicate publicly via our website and social media early next week. In the meantime, we’d ask that you avoid posting this news on social media, or making public comments about our re-opening plans. Thank you.

    Changes to BCLM Board of Trustees

    We’re pleased to announce changes to the Museum board.  Dr Paul Belford has been elected as Chair of the Board of Trustees and Jonathan Badyal and Vikki Jessop have been appointed as Deputy Chairs.  You can read more about this here.

    Forging Ahead

    Major works on Forging Ahead continue.  Balfour Beatty are progressing work by digging trenches to provide cabling and services to buildings. 

    The de-build of Woodside Library in Dudley has begun and architectural items from the building have started to be delivered to the Museum.  One interesting item that has been discovered as part of the take-down of the building is a piece of architrave that was signed by the joiner – a Joseph E. B.  Round – who installed it during the building’s original construction in 1894.  There may be a family connection between Joseph Round and a contractor working on Woodside now, which would be a fitting story if one generation of a family helped to put the building up and another generation helped to take it down and bring it to the Museum for preservation!  The piece of architrave is now in the Museum collection and is shown below:

    We’re expecting the first pallet of what will be a total of 400 pallets of bricks to arrive on-site in April, with the translocation of all materials from Woodside scheduled to be completed by the end of May this year. 

    Overall project timings for Forging Ahead are currently on schedule, enabling us to open the Visitor Centre in Spring 2022 and the Historic Development in Spring 2023.  We’re planning to run some Forging Ahead familiarisation sessions as part of re-opening training, so please watch this space for further details.

    We’re looking forward to sharing the next steps on plans for re-opening in the next update on Wednesday 24 March.  In the meantime, we hope you keep safe and well.

  • 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.

  • An update from Andrew – 24 Feb

    An update from Andrew – 24 Feb

    Andrew has recorded a short video to update colleagues on the latest Museum news.

    In the video below Andrew talks about the beginning of major works on Forging Ahead and gives an initial response to the publication of the Government’s roadmap out of lockdown.

    Further information on plans for re-opening will follow as soon as possible, so please do keep a look out for intranet updates and notifications via PlanDay.

    As a reminder to all colleagues, we’re hosting virtual coffee catch ups every Wednesday between 2.30-4.00pm on Microsoft Teams – via this joining link.

  • Forging Ahead Update

    We’re pleased to share with you that major works for our new development, Forging Ahead, are now commencing! For a refresher on what the project is all about, please take a look at our latest video on the project.

    BCLM has been awarded a Heritage Capital Grant from the Capital Kickstart Fund (as part of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s £1.57bn Culture Recovery Fund). We’re one of 22 heritage organisations to have received investment from the Fund today (19 Feb).

    These grants, administered by the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), are for organisations with projects that are already funded; but that have experienced disruption due to the pandemic. Investment from DCMS and NLHF now means that work on the project can begin in earnest.

    Please look out for the Museum on local news, including BBC Midlands Today at 6.30pm on Fri 19 Feb. The public article on our News Page is here.

    Forging Ahead is one development in a much bigger scheme to regenerate Dudley and boost the economy of the wider West Midlands. To find out more about the broader plans for the future in the area, visit Regenerating Dudley’s website.

  • Museum Update – 10 Feb

    We hope everyone has been keeping safe and well and enjoying the sight of the snowy landscape, if not necessarily the temperature!

    In this update we wanted to focus on the positive role that the Museum is still playing in the community despite our closure to visitors.

    The Vaccination Centre

    The Vaccination Centre continues to run successfully; approximately 1,000 per day, seven days a week, are receiving their vaccination at the Museum and contributing to the total of more than 12.6m people who have received their first dose of the vaccine so far in the UK.

    The Vaccination Centre also continues to make positive headlines too; BBC Midlands Today presenter Nick Owen received his vaccination at BCLM last week.  You can see the report below:

    Community Engagement

    The Community Engagement team have taken some of their programme online to ensure that the Museum can still connect with audiences during lockdown.  A new monthly series of ‘Access Heritage’ films will launch from Thursday 11 February as an alternative to on-site specialist tours for visually impaired and deaf visitors.  The films are designed to be accessible and can be enjoyed by all audiences.  Visit BCLM’s YouTube channel from 11 February to see the first set of films.  This month’s content is themed around Valentine’s Day and features some surprising objects from the Museum’s collection.

    Work with community partners such as our Access Panel also continues, including the ‘Me, Myself and I’ group which supports carers and their family members living with dementia.

    Once a month the Community Engagement team participate in the talking therapies sessions offered by ‘Me, Myself and I’ where a Historic Character will make phone calls and sing songs and share traditional Black Country stories to a range of vulnerable older people who are lonely and isolated.  Through this work the Museum continues to reach out and make a difference to so many local people’s lives. Thank you to all colleagues who are providing their time and support to this vital initiative. 

    Connecting through Virtual Coffee & Catch Ups

    Within our own Museum community, the People & Culture team piloted virtual coffee and catch up sessions last week (w/c 1 Feb) which proved a real success both in terms of participation and feedback.  We’re offering more of these sessions over the coming weeks as a way of helping colleagues to connect with each other and share their experiences.  You can find more details here.  If you have any feedback, or would like to suggest a theme/share helpful advice at one of these future sessions, please do get in touch via [email protected].

    As ever, we’d also be delighted to hear how our colleagues are passing the time; any tips and stories would be very welcome. Please do send your experiences to [email protected] and perhaps we can share these with your permission.

    We know that colleagues are still connecting with each other, be that through virtual coffee mornings, or through checking-in in other ways.  We’d encourage everyone to stay in touch and support each other in whichever way works best for them during this time. 

  • Museum update – 27 Jan

    This week we’re able to share the wonderful news that the Vaccination Centre at the Museum is now operational and delivering immunisation to the local community.

    People in priority groups have begun to receive their vaccinations and the Museum is helping to support the NHS in its continued efforts to accelerate the vaccine roll out.  The Museum centre has the capacity to serve around 1,000 patients per day and so will add a significant boost to the NHS’s ability to drive vaccination take-up in the area.

    The NHS will contact people directly to notify them of their eligibility for the vaccine in order of the priority groups set out by the Government.  The NHS are currently contacting people within the first four groups to attend a vaccination appointment, either at a centre like that at the Museum, or via their local GP practice (graphic below).

    Vaccination Priority List

    People must wait for their notification from the NHS and then book their appointment directly with the NHS vaccination service.  The Museum is unable to make bookings, or respond to enquiries. Should you have friends and family who are asking about their vaccination, please encourage them to visit the Government website here for more information until they are contacted by the NHS.

    The NHS team have also filmed a video of the Museum vaccination centre to help patients familiarise themselves with the process when they arrive for the vaccine. For Museum colleagues, the video below is not just useful information, but will also give you an idea of how part of the Museum has been transformed to host this important service:

    NHS Vaccination Centre at Black Country Living Museum

    For colleagues who need to be on-site at the Museum for essential work, and who may need to pass through the Rolfe Street entrance, please make sure you identify yourself as a member of staff to NHS stewards on the door. This will help the NHS team manage entrance and avoid any confusion with the flow of patients attending to receive a vaccine.  Please remember that each Museum colleague will be invited to a vaccination appointment in line with the priority list above (either at a local vaccination centre, or GP).  BCLM staff do not qualify for prioritisation as a result of the Museum hosting the centre.

    Colleagues interested in volunteering with the NHS to support the running of the centre can find details on how to apply here.

    The Museum has received lots of positive press coverage as a result of hosting the vaccine centre.  You can see some of the reporting here and hear Natasha Eden on BBC Radio WM talking about the centre on launch day via the audio file below:

    Despite the positive news of the vaccination roll out, everyone remains affected by the pandemic.  If you need someone to talk to, please refer to this intranet post which has links to resources available to BCLM colleagues.

    Although the Museum may currently be closed to visitors, we are still able to support health and wellbeing of the local community.  Thank you to all colleagues for making this possible now and over the coming months. 

  • Vaccine Centre Update

    Vaccine Centre Update

    As you are aware, an area of the Museum site is to be used as an NHS Vaccination Centre against COVID19 from Mon 25 Jan.

    There will likely be news coverage about the Vaccination Centre over the weekend, however, the NHS have requested that we don’t make any public comment confirming the opening date until the centre goes live on Monday. Therefore, the launch date remains confidential until then.

    More information about the NHS’s national vaccination programme can be found on their website here.

    In line with clear Government guidance as regards non-essential travel, staff should continue to only be on-site for essential reasons.  These are currently identified as: supporting duty management duties, animal care, Forging Ahead, NHS vaccination centre assistance, filming support, maintenance, and any other one-off tasks that are deemed essential and which cannot be completed from home. If you are required on site for any reason this should be agreed in advance with your line manager. To avoid additional footfall in the admissions building, please access the Museum via the green pedestrian access gate if you are required to work on site (unless you are working in Rolfe St offices).

    Anyone who is required to be on site on Mon 25 Jan must not park vehicles on site – please use the main Museum car park.

  • NHS Volunteers Required

    Following extensive trials, the first safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine has been approved in the UK and is now being delivered to priority groups. 

    The NHS now need volunteers to step forward in the continued fight against coronavirus and help to support the COVID-19 vaccination programme. They are looking to recruit from local communities so they are able to provide a safe and effective vaccination programme while continuing to offer timely access and minimal impact on other NHS services.

    Volunteers form an integral part of the team working at either an existing NHS estate or a temporary standalone service within a local community. You will have the opportunity to work indoors or outdoors, supporting people attending one of the vaccination centres across The Black Country and West Birmingham. 

    The time you dedicate to this role will be flexible and hours offered will depend on site opening times. The NHS will endeavour to find a site as close to your home as possible.

    View full details for the opportunity here 

    The application process will require you to:

    • Attend a short interview/Q&A  
    • Provide two character references or in date DBS Certificate
    • Complete and return a volunteer agreement
    • Complete a risk assessment

    Please contact [email protected] for more details. If you are interested in this role, you can apply online.

    This opportunity is NOT being offered by the Museum. Do NOT contact anyone at BCLM regarding this opportunity as we will not be able to provide any further information than what is listed above.