Information on Loughborough

Community museums call for volunteers

Posted on 20/04/2009

Leicestershire Councty Council Community Services

20 April 2009

Community museums call for volunteers

Volunteers who run Leicestershire’s community museums are urging more people to visit their venues and get involved.

They spoke out as nominations opened for the 20th annual heritage awards, which recognise the work of community museums in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.

Around 1,000 volunteers run 40 independent museums in the area and they attract 250,000 visitors per year.

Caroline Smedley is a volunteer at the Sir John Moore Foundation, Appleby Magna, which won the heritage award for museum of the year in 2008. She handles and records museum items, cleans the heritage centre and monitors the museum’s environment.

She said: “I was looking for voluntary work and I’ve always been interested in history and museum work, but never achieved it as a career.

“This museum is unique and evocative, it appeals to all ages and more people should come and see it.

“I really enjoy working with and having responsibility for old objects in a wonderful building, with nice people.

“I’d really encourage other people to volunteer. It uses or develops skills and gives you a sense of self worth. Also, you meet new people with similar interests.”

Unusual things can happen to volunteers. Caroline said: “I was sweeping up on the stairs and swept up what I thought was a bit of wood. Suddenly, it squeaked and stretched out its wings it was a small bat. I put it onto the roof and later it flew away.”

Sylvia Bradburn is a volunteer at Castle Donington Museum. She describes herself as a “general dogsbody”, working as secretary to the trust, working on collections, doing publicity work and fundraising.

She said: “This museum is special because we mount a different exhibition each year, as well as schools’ exhibitions and arts and crafts. We want to create interest and share our enthusiasm with our visitors.

“I enjoy meeting people, working as a team and researching and learning about our past.

“Volunteering is an opportunity to work with like-minded people in a wide variety of jobs: from gardening to conservation; from IT to stewarding; from training opportunities to painting and decorating.

“The funniest thing that’s happened to me is the number of children who look at a Victorian item of clothing and ask if I wore it when I was young.”

Graham Ingham is a volunteer at Hallaton Museum, where he got involved in the railway exhibition. He decorated the museum, designed and produced exterior signs and photographed the exhibition.

He said: “I enjoy meeting past acquaintances and enthusiasts as they visit the museum each weekend.

“Volunteering gives me great satisfaction, on seeing the final display and meeting people with similar interests.

“The new exhibition about the finding of the Hallaton treasure opens on May 24th and it’s another example of the dedication a small group of people bring to promoting and recording their village history.”

Graham recalled his most unusual moment: “Transporting a life-sized, lifelike model of a horse through the village, lying on its side on the roof of a Land Rover, caused a general stir and much amusement.”

Rob Clarke, Leicestershire County Council’s community museums officer, said: “The heritage awards were launched by the council and the museums forum in 1989, to recognise the volunteers’ achievement in preserving the area’s rich heritage.

"From teenagers to 80-year-olds, each volunteer puts in time and enthusiasm to help celebrate their area’s local history. I hope more people visit their museums and think about volunteering themselves.”

Background:

The categories in the heritage awards are:

  • Best event,
  • Best exhibition
  • Best special project
  • Work with children and young people
  • Improvement award
  • Museum of the year

The first award was won by Rutland Railway Museum in 1989 and last year’s best museum was the Sir John Moore Foundation at Appleby Magna.

Nominations to this year’s awards run from April till end of May and the winners will be announced at a ceremony at Stapleford Park in July. Entries should cover the period between June 2008 and May this year. The top prize is a plaque and £100.

For further details about community museums and the awards, see www.leics.gov.uk/community_museums

For media interviews, please contact:

  • Rob Clarke, Leicestershire County Council: 0116 305 4140
  • Caroline Smedley, Sir John Moore Foundation: 01827 830 235/ 01530 273 629
  • Sylvia Bradburn, Castle Donington Museum: 01332 811 944/ 0785 468 9399
  • Graham Ingham, Hallaton Museum: 01858 466 855/ 01858 555 305.
  • Terry and Sally Howatt, Leicestershire and Rutland Museums Forum: 0116 288 5276