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Morning all,

Thank you for the warm welcome to the museums I’ve visited so far. On to the news…

1. SHARE Training update – Full training calendar here: http://www.sharemuseumseast.org.uk/training/

• ‘Logging on to Digital fundraising’, 22 March, 10.00-3.30, Cambridge Centre for Computing History
• Just a few more places available on the ‘Lost Heritage – Museums and Theft’: 4^th Annual SHARE security seminar: 26 March, NHRM, Newmarket
• NEW: Access in Museums, 3 April, The Higgins, Bedford
• NEW: Excellent Learning Programmes training on 9 May, Ipswich
• Training cohort opportunity:  Striving for diversity? Planning for the Future? Think through the skills and connections your team needs, then create an Equality Action Plan to help you achieve your goals. This training cohort is open to a limited number of museums. Contact me or Sally Ackroyd at SHARE to sign up: sally.ackroyd@norfolk.gov.uk

2. Events

• Free Country Dance Workshop – 3 April 2019 for teachers, museum educators and interested adults. 2:00 – 3:30 at The Farmland Museum and Denny Abbey. Funded by the Tracing Traditions Project with Museum of Cambridge and Esmee Fairbairn Trust, to bring rural folklore, songs and dance to a wider audience. Book here.
• Family Fun Day to celebrate the Stained Glass Museum’s 40th birthday! 30 March, 10.30-4.30. Crafts, tours and demonstrations for all the family.
• University of Cambridge Science Festival – involving many of the UCM Museums – continues until 24 March – https://www.sciencefestival.cam.ac.uk/browse-2019-programme

3. Networks

• Please register for place at the forthcoming Fenland Museums Partnership Lunchtime networking event at Ely Museum, 5 April, 11.30-3.00. The theme this time is Marketing but it’s a great opportunity for an informal catch-up and a tour from the Ely Museum team, who were successful in their recent £1.66million HLF bid. Book here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/fenland-partnership-lunchtime-networking-event-marketing-your-experiences-and-ideas-sharing-tickets-56975521318
• Cambridge Museums Forum (CMF) will meet on Thursday 4 April at 1pm, Shire Hall in Cambridge. Members are invited to tour of the Bunker at Shire Hall prior to the meeting. Contact the Secretary via this website if you’re keen to join them.
• Cambridgeshire Heritage Engagement Group (CHEG) have provisionally set their next meeting for Monday 3 June, 2-4pm at the Farmland Museum.  Again, please refer to the CHEG page on this website for the Secretary’s contact details.

• 4. WE NEED YOUR VOICE! A new strategy for MiC to do this effectively we need to be clear what we’re working towards. Last year, MiC members decided that a new strategy was essential to helping me, as your MPO, provide your museum with the best possible support, collaborative opportunities and promotion to partners, funders and visitors. It was decided that MiC funds would employ a Consultant to work with me and the MiC steering group to develop this Strategy. I’m pleased to say that this work will begin very soon. Of course, we can’t answer these big questions without you so I will be asking for your help throughout the process and look forward to working with you.

 Have a good week everyone.  Melanie.

Hello from your new Museums Partnership Officer!

I have the pleasure of knowing many of you from past roles in the region but to those I don’t yet know, I look forward to meeting you very soon. In the meantime, my email address can be found at the bottom of this post or on the home page.

A few items of interest:

1. Job Vacancy: Marketing and Sales Director, NHRM (Marketing Sales Director Job Spec – March 2019 and Marketing Sales Director Advert – March 2019 here). Deadline 5pm, Wed 3 April. Look out for two more posts at Palace House coming on line shortly: a Group Travel and Events Sales Manager and a Digital Marketing & Web Officer.

2. Museum and Heritage Awards for Excellence, 2019 

Congratulations to the University of Cambridge Museums who made the shortlist of the 2019 Museum and Heritage Awards for Excellence with their project: Climate Hack 2018. Keeping my fingers crossed.

3. Hot off the press: new training opportunities from SHARE:

Access in Museums, 3 April: http://www.sharemuseumseast.org.uk/events/event/accessing-your-museum/

Excellence and Quality Assurance in Museum Learning, 9 May: http://www.sharemuseumseast.org.uk/events/event/how-do-we-create-and-offer-excellent-learning-programmes-with-consistency/

See you all soon. Melanie.

Email: Melanie.Worgan@cambridgeshire.gov.uk

Dear colleague

A few bits of news this week, as we approach the holiday:

1. On 1 February SHARE are holding a session at the Fitzwilliam Museum to launch their Hidden Histories programme.
2. On 20 February SHARE have a session at Neots Museum on the benefits for an independent museum of being a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO).
3. I have been informed of a recent robbery of a range of archaeological items. Please contact the County Council archaeologists if you hear of anyone trying to sell such items.
4. Please VOTE for A14 Rescue Archaeology Project of the year at the following website: https://www.archaeology.co.uk/vote.

This is my last MiC news posting but my successor will I’m sure be in touch early next year. In the meantime may I say how much I’ve enjoyed working with you and I wish you a very Happy Christmas and prosperity in 2019.

Dear colleague

The post of Museums Partnership Officer for Cambridgeshire is now open for applications, with closing date 3 January. For details see https://www.publicsectorjobseast.co.uk/Museums%20Partnership%20Officer-Cambridge%20Shire%20Hall?jobId=17049&JobIndex=1&categoryList=&minsal=0&maxsal=200000&workingpattern=&keywords=museum&employee=1&postcode=&Distance=20&AdvertiseOn=2

Best wishes

Dear colleague

Firstly this week, hearty congratulations to Dr Liz Hide who has just been appointed as Director of the Sedgwick Museum. Liz was of course Chair of MiC until the end of last year. In that role, and as University Museums Officer, she was a great champion of all our museums and may I say an esteemed colleague. It’s great to ‘have her back with us’ leading one of the world’s most important geological museums. See

http://www.sedgwickmuseum.org/index.php?mact=News,cntnt01,detail,0&cntnt01articleid=91&cntnt01returnid=15.

Secondly, and with apologies for the short notice, I attach details of tomorrow’s A14 Archaeology Open Day, in Huntingdon.

Best wishes

Dear colleague

There was a very interesting presentation by Jamie Everitt on Cambridgeshire museums’ benchmarking results, at this morning’s MiC AGM at Kettle’s Yard. Jamie handed out copies of the printed report but I have taken most of them to distribute to MiC members. Please let me know if you would like copies so that I can get them to you.

Those who were present this morning will have heard me explain that after six years as MPO I shall be leaving at Christmas, as I am moving to Manchester. There will be a break in the mailing of MiC News after I leave, but I hope it will be resumed as soon as my successor is in post.

Other news this week:

1. The Centre of Computing History is advertising for an archivist, closing date 30 November, at http://www.computinghistory.org.uk/news/50467/Join-Our-Team-New-Archivist-Job-Role/.
2. SHARE is holding a training day on legal protection for trustees, at St Neots Museum on 20 February. Details are at http://www.sharemuseumseast.org.uk/events/event/legal-protection-for-trustees/ .