Dear colleague

Here are the week’s Cambridgeshire museum news items which have been brought to my attention:

1. The Sedgwick Museum is advertising for a new Director, closing date 15 September, at http://www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/18114/.
2. Vivacity Peterborough is advertising for a Heritage Teacher, closing date 17 August, at https://www.le.ac.uk/museumstudies/Jobs2/full_job_descriptions/52899.htm.
3. Please find attached some FAQs about the DCMS Wolfson Fund which you might find useful if you are thinking of applying (see MiC News no. 138).
4. The Big Lottery has launched a new programme aimed at combatting loneliness at https://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/funding/programmes/building-connections-fund.
5. The British Association of Friends of Museums has a regional meeting at the Higgins in Bedford on 22 September http://www.bafm.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/BAFM-Sept-2018-meeting-Higgins.pdf.
6. A museum which is a MiC member was broken into last week. Luckily no significant damage was done, but it is a reminder to be extra vigilant with security during the summer months.
7. If you are interested in volunteering as a guide on LBTQ+ themed tours at some of the University Museums, apply at https://www.museums.cam.ac.uk/volunteer-lgbtq-tour-guide by 10 September.
8. The Fitzwilliam Museum is advertising for a Research Assistant to work on non-invasive analysis of illuminated manuscripts, closing date 7 September, at https://www.le.ac.uk/museumstudies/Jobs2/full_job_descriptions/52992.htm .
9. IWM Duxford is advertising for a Fire Fighter, closing date 16 September, at https://www.le.ac.uk/museumstudies/Jobs2/full_job_descriptions/52998.htm .

I am on leave next week so there will be no MiC News until the following week.

Dear colleague

Here are this week’s news items from around the County (and a bit beyond):

1. 1. Gainsborough’s House, Sudbury (Suffolk) is advertising for a Keeper of Art and Place and for a Finance Manager (see attached). Both closing dates are 17 August.
   2. SHARE is launching a new Creative Communities Network for museums looking to engage more closely with their local communities. The first meeting will be this September in Ipswich. For more information, and to give your availability for the first meeting, visit: https://essexmdo.com/2018/07/16/creativecommunities/ .
   3. The DCMS/Wolfson Museums & Galleries Improvement Fund 2018-20 is now open for applications at http://www.wolfson.org.uk/funding/arts-and-humanities/museums-galleries/dcms-wolfson-museums-and-galleries-improvement-fund/, deadline 31 August.
   4. If your museum is near a landfill site you might be eligible for the AIM/Biffa History Makers programme at https://www.aim-museums.co.uk/for-aim-members/grants/aim-biffa-award-history-makers-programme/.
   5. The August AIM Bulletin has a photo of HRH The Princess Royal on her visit to the Farmland Museum and Denny Abbey on 16 April.
   6. AIM members now get free membership of the Charity Finance Group. For details go to https://www.aim-museums.co.uk.
   7. In view of the AIM/SHARE regional seminar on financial management for trustees at Ely Museum on 15 November, the next Cambridgeshire trustee muster will be held after Christmas. I will circulate details as soon as I have them. Please pass this information on to your trustees.
   8. New resources for museums seeking to diversify their audiences are at http://www.openupmuseums.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Open-Up-—-Case-studies.pdf.

Dear colleague

Firstly, please find attached the minutes of the MiC meeting held at Peterborough on 13 July. It is hoped to hold the next meeting Cambridge in November.

Secondly, I am delighted to attach the guidelines and application form for the 2018-2019 small grants scheme. The criteria have not changed, but the dates have. Unlike recent years, this year the deadline for applications is about one month earlier so that projects can be completed in the current financial year. The deadline is 1 October 2018.

Here is this week’s other news from around our museums (and one from Suffolk):

1. University of Cambridge Museums are advertising for a Programme Coordinator, closing date 19 August (see attached).
2. The National Heritage Centre for Horseracing and Sporting Art, Palace House, Palace Street, Newmarket is advertising for a Business Turnaround Manager, closing date 29 July (see attached).
3. SHARE has a new list of subscribers to their bulletin. Are you on the list? If not, go to the bottom of our home page and sign up. They are aware that the bulletin often goes into junk folders (and they’re trying to fix it), so check there first if you think you have signed up but don’t recall seeing it.

Dear colleague

Firstly, a reminder that there will be a ‘trustee muster’ at Ely Museum this afternoon from 4pm to 6pm. Unfortunately I have don’t yet have an easy means of contacting trustees directly (their email addresses are usually personal so I need their permission to contact them) and at the moment I rely on colleagues to pass on the information to them. So if you have not already done so, please do ask your trustees to contact me or – better still – encourage them to attend this afternoon, albeit at very short notice!

Here is the rest of this week’s news:

1. Congratulations are due to Thorney Heritage Museum and Peterborough Museum on achieving Full Accreditation!
2. The next meeting of Cambridgeshire Museums Forum will be at Peterborough Museum at 2.30pm on 26 September, details to follow.
3. There are vacancies on the ACE South East Area Council. See https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/area-council/area-council-vacancies for details.
4. SHARE has just published its guide to working with freelancers (see attached).
5. I have had several enquiries recently about the availability of temporary storage. If you know of any such storage facilities can you please let me know so that I can make enquiries?

Continue to enjoy the warm weather!

Dear colleague

As the hot weather continues, here is the Cambridgeshire museum news for this week:

1. As mentioned in MiC News no. 133 there will be a ‘trustee muster’ at Ely Museum at 4pm on Thursday 19 July. I don’t have many trustees on my mailing list, so could you please pass on this news to trustees and ask them to contact me if they are interested?
2. Linked to the last item, in partnership with SHARE and AIM there will be a daytime training session for trustees on financial strategy, at Ely Museum on 15 November. Details will be available nearer the date, but you might wish to suggest that your trustees consider saving the date.
3. The Cromwell Museum had a very successful ‘Civil War’ event in Huntingdon last Saturday. Around 2,000 people attended, mostly on the Town Square, and the Museum had around 200 visitors. The courtroom in the Town Hall was also standing room only for the 17^th century trial held in there. Well done to all concerned!
4. As introduced in MiC News no. 131, please find attached details of an upcoming opportunity to take part in The Library Presents Programme in libraries across Cambridgeshire for spring 2019. Please note the deadline for expression of interest is 1^st August 2018.
5. IWM Duxford is advertising for a Head of Masterplan, closing date 20 July, at https://www.le.ac.uk/museumstudies/Jobs2/full_job_descriptions/52625.htm.
6. The New Hall Art Collection is advertising for an Art Assistant, closing date 22 July, at https://www.le.ac.uk/museumstudies/Jobs2/full_job_descriptions/52584.htm.
7. Finally, a reminder that Museums in Cambridgeshire’s next meeting is at 10.30am on Friday 13 July at Peterborough Museum (see MiC News no. 133 and 134).

Enjoy the weekend!

Dear colleague

Firstly, a correction. In MiC News no. 133 I said the MiC meeting will be at Peterborough Museum on Thursday 13 July. This should have been Friday 13 July as stated on the agenda! All other details are unchanged. Thank you to those who pointed out my error and I apologise for any inconvenience caused.

1. SHARE’s grants of up to £3,000 for facilities improvements are about to be launched, to help museums receive significant loans. The deadline is 28 September and details are at http://sharemuseumseast.org.uk/funding-and-grants/safe-and-secure-grants/. SHARE will especially welcome applications from museums which have received ‘Ready to Borrow’ and ‘Small Scale Capital’ grants, of which there have been several in Cambridgeshire.
2. This year’s Kids in Museums ‘Takeover Day’ is taking place on 23 November 2018. There will be a free planning and sharing event for this at Kettle’s Yard on 11 July, 11am-3pm. Details are at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/kids-in-museums-planning-sharing-event-at-kettles-yard-cambridge-tickets-45972750735.
3. Heritage Futures are doing an interesting survey on contemporary collections at https://heritage-futures.org/contemporary-collecting-disposal-survey/.
4. Just another reminder to start work on your benchmarking return, if you have not already done so, please.

Dear colleague

Firstly, sincere apologies for sending you the wrong list of objects for disposal from Burwell Museum in MiC News no. 132 – the correct one is now attached!

Secondly, please also find attached the agenda for the Museums in Cambridgeshire meeting to be held at Peterborough Museum at 10.30am on Thursday 13 July.

Thirdly, a reminder to all museum trustees that there will be a ‘Trustee Muster’ at Ely Museum at 4pm on Thursday 19 July. Since I don’t have many trustees on the mailing list for MiC News, could you please pass on the news of the muster to your trustees for me and ask them to contact me if they are interested? I do need to create a mailing list of trustees who are interested in attending; some I know but most I don’t and they are usually personal email addresses, so I will need their permission.

Fourthly, I attach a marketing plan brief for the Norris Museum, closing date 15 July.