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  • BCSC Lectures: Upcoming talk tomorrow

    Black Country Studies Centre’s series of free online talks discussing topics around the theme of Nostalgia continues tomorrow evening with “The Nostalgia Series Part 3: Smell, Autobiographical Memory and Nostalgia”. Tickets are still available and can be booked via our website here. If you’ve missed previous lectures and would like to catch up, recordings from a number of lectures are available to watch via the University of Wolverhampton’s YouTube channel.

    Date: Thursday 29th July, 2021

    Time: 7pm – 8pm

    Venue: Zoom

    Introducing the Nostalgia Series

    Nostalgia is a contentious issue. Whilst for some it is a harmless, helpful, rose-tinted view of the past, it has also been viewed critically, as a form of regressive, reactionary and sentimental escapism. Yet there is a steadily increasing body of work that reassesses nostalgia in a more positive, active and empowering light. Through this research network series, we seek to gain a greater understanding of nostalgia, and its impact on museums, regional and local history, lifelong learning and communities.

    The Talk: Smell, Autobiographical Memory and Nostalgia

    Nostalgia, defined by Pearsall (1998) as a “sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past”, can be bittersweet and may elicit negative feelings like yearning. However, current psychological research emphasises the positive aspects of nostalgia for personally experienced events, including increased feelings of optimism, positivity, self-esteem, and self-continuity.

    Nostalgia can also be understood as a phenomenon of autobiographical memory, where significant events from our lives can be re-experienced through a form of “mental time travel”. Psychological research into autobiographical memory can therefore offer us important insights into nostalgia, and studies have shown that some cues – like smells – may be particularly effective at helping us to reminisce about the past. Indeed, psychological research into the Proust phenomenon confirms that certain smells can unlock vivid memories from childhood – memories that may otherwise be obscured by childhood amnesia.

    This talk discusses two recent studies exploring the connection between childhood memory, smell and location, including the “Snidge Scrumpin’” project that investigated the Proust phenomenon in the Black Country. This found that certain smells, like Teddy Grays herbal tablets – hard-boiled sweets made in Dudley – elicited higher quality memories in those who grew up in the Black Country than those who grew up elsewhere. Typically, the memories recalled in response to smells were also positive, suggesting that odours offer a unique way of remembering pleasant events from our distant past in a manner that may be beneficial. Finally, family and familial locations had an important place within these memories, which is a common characteristic of nostalgia.

    The Speaker:

    Dr Tom Mercer is a Senior Lecturer and cognitive psychologist at the University of Wolverhampton. Tom is one of the coordinators of the Applied Cognition and Individual Differences research group and his main research interest is forgetting. Tom’s research projects typically use the experimental method to examine factors responsible for the loss of memory. Much of this research examines memory for non-verbal, sensory information

    The event will be held on Zoom and a link will be sent shortly beforehand. It is free to attend.

  • Museum Update: Moving to Step 4 of the Government’s Roadmap

    With the Government announcement that we will be moving to Step 4 on Mon 19 July we have considered how best to adapt our Museum offer and operations to keep our Team and visitors safe as we go into the Summer.

    To that end the following principles will guide us:

    • We want visitors and the Team to feel safe and comfortable onsite
    • There will be a mixture of attitudes concerning the removal of restrictions and we need to be aware of this and use a blended approach ​
    • Until Test and Trace guidelines change (16/8) we need to avoid any reports of infection for reputational and staffing reasons ​
    • We will use the Summer to consider Team and visitor behaviour (including online booking vs walk ups etc) to consider any more permanent changes to carry through into the Autumn​
    • Therefore we will follow an approach which strongly recommends to visitors to take mitigations; the Team must continue to follow current Step 3 advice until at least 16/8 to reduce business risk of staff being contacted by Test and Trace and/or catching Covid

    We will increase visitors numbers onsite from next week and encourage them to still book in advance and continue to distance and follow the one way routes onsite. Sanitiser stations and QR codes will remain in place, and we will update building signs to recommend one family at a time for the safety of all visitors and staff. Face coverings will be optional but also recommended and one way routes will continue through buildings.

    In the coming weeks our buses will start to run again, with visitors on-board, in the afternoons and all Enterprise units and shows in the School and Cinema will increase their capacity to circa 75%

    As a Team we need to continue to follow the guidelines we are currently all doing a good job of responding to, including keeping socially distanced from our colleagues and visitors and sticking to our set rest areas. Where you cannot maintain a 2m distance from a colleague face coverings still need to be worn for everyone’s safety (unless you are exempt)  and to avoid any close contact incidents. This will be reviewed as we approach 16 August and the rules on Test and Trace change but while there remains a heightened risk of people being contacted to isolate it is business critical that we stick to our current rules. In the coming week we will ask you to respond to an anonymous survey regarding vaccination rates among the staff (now we are 2 months further along since our May survey) so we can better understand what the 16 August changes mean for us.

    Further information about how these changes will impact specific teams will be communicated in appropriate briefings.

    A huge thank you again to everyone and the way we have all changed how we work and engage with each other and visitors so we can stay safe and open.

    Please note all of these changes are from Monday 19 July and do not come into effect until after 1940s Weekend.

  • Black Country Studies Centre online talks: Festival of Britain

    The Black Country Studies Centre is working with the University of Wolverhampton’s ArtsFest Online to bring you a season of events celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Festival of Britain and its impact here in the Black Country.

    From 17th May, as part of our Discover the Black Country offer here at the Museum, Folkes Park is hosting the Festival of the Black Country – a mini celebration of the 1951 Festival of Britain.

    If you are interested in finding out more about the Festival of Britain and some of its links to the Black Country, the Black Country Studies Centre are hosting a series of online talks, the first two of which are available to book now. The events will be running May-September so do continue to look out for them on our website and social media channels.

    Thursday 13th May, 7pm-8pm

    Revisiting ‘A Tonic to the Nation’ – Dr Jane Webb

    BOOK NOW

    In this first lecture ‘Revisiting a Tonic to the Nation’ Dr Jane Webb will introduce the Festival and set the scene for our summer of celebrations!

    The Festival of Britain was opened to the public 70 years ago. Set in a landscape reverberating with post-war economic and social uncertainties, the event (scheduled from May to September of 1951) was intended to be a tonic to aid the nation’s recovery. This talk provides an introduction to the London site of the Festival of Britain and will explore the intentions of its organisers, a description of the South Bank exhibition and other venues in the capital, and the design language chosen for the Festival.

    Monday 17th May, 5:30pm-6:30pm

    Abram Games and the 1951 Festival of Britain – Naomi Games

    BOOK NOW

    On the 70th Anniversary of the Festival of Britain, Naomi Games will talk about the career of her father, renowned graphic designer Abram Games.

    Abram Games won the competitions to design an emblem for the Festival and the Festival stamp. Naomi will give a personal view of her father’s working process, you will see his progressive designs alongside other items he created for the Festival, as well as cartoons and curiosities.

    Post image courtesy of the Estate of Abram Games

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • All Staff Update – Wed 13 Jan

    All Staff Update – Wed 13 Jan

    In response to the latest national lockdown, the Museum will now remain closed until the end of March.  We are currently planning to re-open at the beginning of the school Easter Holidays from 1 April 2021. 

    Our re-opening is likely to happen under a tier system: the conditions of which will determine the kind of visitor programme we can offer.  We’ll communicate further information on the programme as Government guidance emerges over the coming weeks.  Training scheduled for January, therefore, will now be re-organised as appropriate given the revised timeline for opening.

    We were fortunate to receive financial support from Arts Council England and the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund in 2020.  Therefore, the Museum’s financial position is more secure than during the first lockdown before Government support was put in place.  Nevertheless, we will continue to review our position alongside the ongoing covid restrictions and associated impact on our programme and visitor numbers.

    Flexible furlough will continue for colleagues who are visitor-facing, unable to work from home, or who have caring responsibilities, and those whose workload is reduced due to the Museum’s closure.  In line with previous communication on flexible furlough, should you be required to return to work a member of your management team will be in touch to discuss and agree a work pattern with you.

    In line with clear Government guidance as regards non-essential travel, staff will 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. 

    The People & Culture team are working and are contactable if you have any questions, or require support.  Please either email [email protected] , or any member of the team individually if you would like a conversation.  All conversations will be treated in confidence.  As a reminder to all colleagues, should you test positive for the virus please inform the People & Culture team – even if you’re currently furloughed.  Please could you also inform the People & Culture team if and when you have received the covid vaccine. We request this so that the Museum can fulfil its obligations around duty of care, and also so that an appropriate return-to-work plan can be put in place for you in the run up to re-opening.

    You will be contacted about reducing holiday balances as the holiday year 20/21 will draw to a close while we are closed.  Please support your manager with this task.  As a reminder, any holiday taken is paid at 100% of pay, including during furlough.

    The NHS vaccine centre is planned to be operational from w/c 25 January and there may be opportunities for colleagues to volunteer with the NHS to support the centre.  Further communication on this will follow. Please note that this date is still confidential and not to be shared publicly.

    We are very aware of the continuing impact of this public health emergency on all colleagues.  Therefore, during this period of lockdown we will issue All Staff communications on a fortnightly basis; please do check the intranet for latest updates and stay in touch.

  • Updated Fire and Emergency Evacuation Procedures

    Updated Fire and Emergency Evacuation Procedures

    The Fire and Emergency Evacuation Procedures have been updated to include ACT guidance on dealing with bomb threats and on responding to weapons/firearms attacks. The new procedures can be found in the intranet documents here.

    The guidance is in line with the “Run, Hide, Tell” posters already found on the notice boards in staff areas. Staff should be assured that there is no increased threat to the Museum and the additions are to make sure that we are considering all emergency situations that may arise. All staff should familiarise themselves with the procedures so that they can take appropriate action in an emergency.

  • An end of year message from Andrew

    An end of year message from Andrew

    As 2020 comes to a close, Andrew shares his reflections on a tumultuous and transformative year for the Museum and what lies ahead. Follow the link below to watch on YouTube.

    If you are having trouble viewing the video please see below for the transcript.

    “2020 has been a year that we’re not going to forget, are we? And nor should we actually, really, because it’s had impacts both personally and professionally on the Museum. But, I think we’ve adapted tremendously well, and we’ve worked together tremendously well. You know, I’ve always regarded the Museum as a stage upon which we tell stories, and despite COVID I think we’ve adapted tremendously well to make that stage even livelier than we normally do, and I thank you all for that.

    Do you know, the response we’ve had from visitors and from people who follow us on all the social media channels and get in touch with us has been heartening, actually, even during times when we’ve been closed. Actually it’s given us great comfort that we’re doing the right thing, and that when things get back to normal they’ll be there for us and I’ve found that tremendously supportive.

    This year we’ll have only welcomed around 90,000 visitors, that’s something like about 75% less than we normally would – but we’ve given a great experience for them, and I think it’s been tremendously helpful to be open as much as we possibly can be. But, only welcoming 90,000 visitors as you well know has had a huge impact on our finances. We’ve had to have financial support from the taxpayer of about 5 million pounds, and sometimes I’ve felt like Oliver Twist, actually, just having our hand out all the time, wanting more and more to keep us going. But, we’ve all made sacrifices, and I think through those sacrifices we’ve put ourselves in as best a position as we possibly can be for the future. It feels like we’ve all pulled together.

    It seems ironic, doesn’t it, the last twist of the year is that we’re now being set up as a vaccination centre for COVID, and I expect that to happen early in the new year.

    Forging Ahead is continuing on, particularly the design work, and I hope to have some good news about that in the coming days and weeks. It feels like Forging Ahead is even more important to our future than maybe it did in the past.

    So for now, I wish you a very Happy Christmas wherever you are, and whoever you can be with and I hope for better times in the new year. Thanks very much.”

  • Staff Tickets – An Enchanted Christmas

    If you would like to purchase staff tickets for An Enchanted Christmas, please see the below information about how to purchase.

    • Tickets will be available for this event from Thursday 22nd October. You will need to go to the Admissions desk between 9am – 9:30am on weekdays that the Museum is open, or purchase by phone 10am – 4pm each day 0121 520 8054. Please note that no tickets will be available for purchase at the weekends due to the allocation being handled by S&T.
    • Staff will receive 50% discount off the price of each event ticket.
    • Each member of staff may purchase up to four tickets (of any combination) per event (not per day) at the discounted rate, and may purchase a maximum of two additional tickets at the standard rate.
    • Staff are required to provide their name, home address and contact details to purchase tickets, as is standard of any customer. On the date of the event, any visitors holding staff tickets (including staff members themselves) must join the normal admissions queue for that event. Staff tickets do not provide fast track entry.
    • Staff cannot purchase tickets on the behalf of another staff member.
    • Staff tickets cannot be held or reserved without payment.
  • New donation of objects guidelines

    New donation of objects guidelines

    The Collections Care and Management Team are once again accepting donations of objects to the collection. During Covid-19 special measures have been put in place to ensure the safety of both donors and museum staff.

    As such, the following process for collecting of objects will be followed.

    Donating an Object to Black Country Living Museum     

    Before bringing or sending an object to the museum the potential donor will first need to contact the Collections Care and Management Team via one of the following ways:

    Email: [email protected]

    Post: Collections Care and Management Team, Black Country Living Museum, Tipton, Dudley DY1 4SQ

    Phone:  0121 557 9643 – Extension 3

    If anyone is approached by a member of the public with an offer of an object for the collection, can they please guide them to the collections page on the website which gives all of the information needed to be able to make an offer.

    Unfortunately, any items that have not been approved via email or letter by a member of the Collections Care and Management team will not be accepted.

    A list of the objects we are and are not currently collecting can be found at below for guidance, as can two workflows setting out the process of managing offers.

    Objects not accepted for donation

    Objects considered for donation

    Collections Care Object Workflow

    Collections Care Object Workflow – BCLM Forging Ahead