Roots & Branches: Seeds for Action Programme
Autumn to Winter Programme 2023-24
As part of Roots & Branches, the Seeds for Action Programme aims to connect Carbon Literate Certified museum people across England in order to develop and build on their carbon reduction strategies and approach to taking climate action.
By pooling collective expertise and resources, we can save ourselves time and money and tackle the climate emergency more effectively.
From September onwards, Museum Development North West will be hosting a series of online Carbon Literacy Connect and Co-working sessions together with a series of thematic Online Collective Workshops focusing on how we can build connections to support our climate work.
To find out more and book a place:
Online Collective Workshops
- Building Connections – Networks & Partnerships Workshop
- Building Connections – Green Teams & Internal Advocacy
- Building Connections – Engaging people in climate conversations
- Sustainable Retail
- Collections Care and Climate
Carbon Literacy Connect and Co-working Sessions
Seeds for Action – Celebration Event
Audio Description and Touch Tour Bursary Application
Audio Description and Touch Tour Training
WMMD are offering up to six bursaries to support delegates to attend ‘Audio Description and Touch Tour Training’ on Thursday 26 October hosted by Brampton Museum.
Learn how to lead audio-described touch tours and object handling sessions for people with visual impairments. Perfect for Museum volunteers and staff wishing to increase their knowledge and offer the best welcome to visitors with low or no vision. The workshop will be led by professional audio describer Anne Hornsby of Mind’s Eye Description.
Maximum two delegates per organisation. Priority will be given to non-NPO and non-National museums that are Accredited or Working Towards Accreditation based in the West Midlands. Places are limited and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis to priority museums. If available, remaining spaces will be allocated to non-priority applicants.
Bursary applications are now closed
Applicants will be notified by 9 October 2023.
Places can also be booked directly with Brampton Museum here.
Dietary Requirements
Lunch and refreshments will be provided. If your application is successful please confirm dietary requirements directly with Brampton Museum.
Accessibility
Accessibility information and information about getting to Brampton Museum.
If your application is successful please confirm accessibility requirements directly with Brampton Museum.
Income Generation Workshops with Arts Fundraising and Philanthropy
Essentials in fundraising, digital campaigns and writing bids
Museum Development East Midlands (MDEM) and West Midlands Museum Development (WMMD) are delighted to be working with Arts Fundraising & Philanthropy to offer a suite of fundraising workshops for 2023/24.
The programme consists of eight, two-hour workshops which will explore income generation from digital fundraising to developing onsite retail. Each online session will present key theories and case studies, allowing for discussion on their practical application. There is no requirement to attend every session, although they complement each other, they also work as standalone workshops.
Bookings are open for the first three workshops. Places are very limited; only one delegate per organisation.
The workshop schedule is:
- Essentials in Fundraising
Wednesday 13 September, 10am-12noon
This workshop will introduce staff, Trustees and volunteers to the basics of fundraising, including key income streams and top tips for maximising success. It will support participants to review different income streams, set realistic targets and consider what is the best return on investment. - Digital Fundraising
Monday 25 September, 10am-12noon
Led by digital charity expert Zoe Amar, this workshop will support staff, Trustees and volunteers to design and launch digital fundraising campaigns, as well as consider their organisation’s digital strategy. - Essentials in Applications
Wednesday 4 October, 10am-12noon
Providing practical advice and guidance for developing compelling bids to Trusts and Foundations. This session will cover crafting an effective fundraising story, how to respond to grant criteria, preparing effective budgets and also consider the latest trends in Trust and Foundation fundraising. - Online Ticketing
TBC
Designed to support small organisations considering ticketing for some or all of their activity. This workshop will highlight the opportunity offered by online box office systems, key considerations in choosing a platform, and how to successfully integrate new systems into day-to-day activity. - Getting Started with eCommerce
TBC
Providing top tips as well as looking at case studies of other organisations developing their income through eCommerce. The session offers support to organisations new to online retail with launching an e-commerce offer appropriate for their organisation, that diversifies income and engages new audiences. - Developing Onsite Retail
Tuesday 21 November, 10am-12noon
Providing practical tips on launching a shop, consideration of what you have and examples of quick wins on both product and pricing. This workshop will support you to develop your onsite retail offer. - The role of Trustees in Income Diversification
Thursday 14 December, 10am-12noon
Specifically for Trustees, this workshop will assist you in considering your role and responsibilities in supporting income diversification strategies and delivery. The session will cover key compliance requirements, particularly in relation to fundraising, consideration around the return on investment of different areas of income, and what approaches might be best for your museum.
Call for Papers – Collaboration in Conservation Conference
The Collaboration in Conservation Conference, organised by North West Conservators Group is taking place on Friday 24 November in Liverpool.
What does Collaboration in Conservation mean to you? Is it a collaborative engagement project, co-production of an exhibition, or new ways of presenting or negotiating conservation needs?
What are your experiences of the constraints, benefits and impact of collaborating within the conservation profession? How have you bridged the silos between your colleagues, departments or partner institutions, and what tips and tricks can you share to help others?
To express an interest in presenting or to have an informal discussion please email Irit Narkiss, North West Conservators Group
The deadline for abstract submissions is 1pm, Monday 2 October
Find out more about the Collaboration in Conservation Conference
Beware Phishing or Scam Emails – how to spot them and what to do
If you receive an email from someone you know asking for a favour, it might be a scam.
Phishing is when someone gains access to your account and emails your contacts pretending to be you. There are lots of phishing scams out there, but recently we’ve received several using the ‘do me a favour’ scam. Hackers will email your contacts to do them a favour. If your contacts reply, the scammers will ask them to send money or purchase gift cards on their behalf.
What to do if you receive a phishing email
- Don’t reply
- Forward suspicious emails to report@phishing.gov.uk
- Contact the person via phone, text or an alternative email address to let them know they’ve been hacked
- Tell them to change their password immediately
- Never send money or purchase gift cards on someone’s behalf
- If you have an IT department, notify them too
What to do if your account is sending phishing emails
- Change your email password immediately so hackers on longer have access to your account
- If you’ve reused the password for other accounts or logins, change them too
- Check your computer security or virus protection is up to date
How to protect yourself
- Change your account passwords regularly
- Never use the same password for more than one account
- Use passwords that are hard to predict and include numbers, capital letters and special characters
- Enable or set up Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) to add an extra layer of security
- Ensure your computer software and virus protection is up to date
- Stay vigilant! Remember, hackers are indiscriminate and anyone can be targeted
More information can be found at https://www.gov.uk/report-suspicious-emails-websites-phishing and https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/collection/phishing-scams/spot-scams
Call for Presentations – Collections Trust conference
Sharing collections data has too often been seen as a one way street. As something that takes a lot of effort without much to show for it. This year’s online conference on Thursday 5 October explores the transformative benefits for your museum, different users, and the wider sector.
Do you have an inspirational case study to share? Have you been involved in a successful project that changed the way your organisation works with and shares collections data?
Collections Trust is particularly interested to hear from small and medium museums who have a case study that demonstrates the benefits of sharing collections data in an interesting or innovative way.
Presentations are 15 minutes long, not including questions. Please send a brief summary of your presentation proposal to Deputy Director Sarah Brown.
The deadline is 9am, Friday 28 July
Museums Association Launches New Toolkit
The Museums Association (MA) believe that museums need to ensure their collections are well managed, actively used and sustainable and that deaccessioning is an everyday and necessary part of collections management.
The MA’s ethical advice on transfer, reuse and disposal encourages museums to take a more active approach to appropriate disposal, while ensuring safeguards are in place to protect collections and public trust in museums.
Read about the toolkit ‘Off the Shelf: a toolkit for ethical transfer, reuse and disposal’
Energy Bill Relief Scheme Briefing for Museums
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) will be holding a session to demonstrate how libraries, archive services and museums should apply for the Energy and Trade Intensive Industries (ETII) element of the Energy Bill Relief Scheme (EBDS). Hosted by Chris Mulvee, DESNZ
Friday 7 July, 3pm-4pm
Microsoft Teams meeting
Join on your computer, mobile app or room device
Click here to join the meeting
Meeting ID: 395 761 248 809
Passcode: ifshkk
Download Teams | Join on the web
Join with a video conferencing device
Video Conference ID: 124 565 580 8
Or call in (audio only)
+44 20 3321 5238,,92223369# United Kingdom, London
Phone Conference ID: 922 233 69#
Shortlist for Family Friendly Awards 2023 Announced
Kids in Museums has revealed the shortlist of its Family Friendly Museum Award 2023 – including two museums in the West Midlands.
The shortlist for the Family Friendly Museum Award 2023 is:
Best Large Museum
- Horniman Museum and Gardens, London
- Museum of Liverpool
- National Maritime Museum, London
Best Medium Museum
- The Beaney House of Art & Knowledge, Canterbury
- Compton Verney, Warwickshire
- Great North Museum: Hancock, Newcastle upon Tyne
- The MAC, Belfast
Best Small Museum
- Dylan Thomas Centre, Swansea
- National Civil War Centre, Newark
- Royal Cornwall Museum, Truro
- Valence House Museum, Dagenham
- Wolverhampton Art Gallery
Best Accessible Museum
- Cannon Hall Museum, Park and Gardens, Barnsley
- Craven Museum | Skipton Town Hall
- Maidstone Museum
Over the summer holidays, undercover family judges will visit the shortlisted museums and rate them on how well they meet the Kids in Museums Manifesto, a set of guidelines on what makes a great museum visit for all ages. Their experiences will decide a winner for each museum category and an overall winner of the Family Friendly Museum Award 2023 to be announced at an awards ceremony in London in October.
This year, a new award category also recognises innovative and thoughtful projects engaging young people on the topic of the climate emergency and sustainability. The category was open to museum applications only. The museums will present their work over the summer to an expert panel to decide the winner.
Best Youth Project – Climate
- Falmouth Art Gallery – Splanna
- London Transport Museum – Green Skills Hackathon
- Tullie, Carlisle – Once Upon a Planet
This year Kids in Museums celebrates its 20th anniversary. The charity is inviting heritage organisations to take part in a social media moment on 12 July using the hashtag #KidsInMuseums to celebrate what museums provide for children, young people and families ahead of the summer holidays. To get involved, please visit the Kids in Museums website: https://bit.ly/20YearsOfKiM
Follow the Family Friendly Museum Award on social media by following @kidsinmuseums and the hashtag #FamilyFriendlyMuseum.
The Family Friendly Museum Award has been made possible by funding from Arts Council England.
Does your organisation care for Roman archaeology?
Does your organisation care for Roman archaeology and present ‘the Romans’ to the public? Glynn Davis (Colchester Museums) and Frances McIntosh (English Heritage) are seeking to understand how museums and heritage sites across England and Wales present the history and archaeology of Roman Britain to the public. Whether you have one Roman object or hundreds, they would like to hear from you.
Please take 10-15 minutes to complete this survey, and have a chance of winning £50.
The closing date is 12noon, Friday 30 June.
