Dear colleague

On Tuesday I received a copy of the University of Cambridge Museums and Botanic Gardens ‘2017-18 Highlights’ booklet. Besides some great photos – I love the one about codebreakers, taken at the Sedgwick – there are some impressive stats: 1,059,355 visits, 31,853 people at outreach activities and 38,631 volunteer hours, among others. Congratulations to UCM!

On the other hand there are still many gaps in the County’s benchmarking returns list – still 18 Accredited museums with no return started with today being the deadline! See http://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/EastofEngland1718.

Other news this week:

1. In 2020, apparently England will be 1,000 years old – and Festival Bridge are producing a resource pack containing the history, folklore, and suggested activities to mark this. They would welcome involvement from all museums with Anglo-Saxon/Viking collections – especially those highlighting local culture (e.g. eel catching, monastic life etc). If you are interested, email Chip Colquhoun via england1000@epictales.co.uk or call 020 328 76245.
2. Takeover Day this year is 23 November. For more information go to https://kidsinmuseums.org.uk/takeoverday/. I have received information from a company which is offering to make films involving the youngsters on Takeover Day. Please let me know if you might be interested in their services.
3. It’s not strictly news, but I have been wondering whether any museums in the County have translated their websites into Mandarin? Every time I walk through Cambridge I am struck by the numbers of Chinese tourists and I hear that a fish and chip shop in Yorkshire gets phenomenal Chinese custom just because they translated their website! Please let me know if you have any views on this.
4. A project to help build a wooden pavilion on Christ’s Pieces in Cambridge is looking for volunteers. The pavilion arrives flat packed and is constructed by the volunteers. The day after the build, the pavilion will become a public space for people to discuss the future and concerns of Cambridge. To sign up email info@inyourway.org with ‘BUILD’ in the subject line.

Best wishes