Here are several items of news, the first of which is especially urgent:

1. Please don’t forget to submit nominations for 2016 The SHARE Volunteer Awards, mentioned in MiC News 47. The deadline is TOMORROW Friday April 15^th but this can be extended slightly in extenuating circumstances. All information can be found here:-http://sharemuseumseast.org.uk/volunteer-awards/.
2. The next South and East Museums Federation Study Day is in Ipswich on 10 May. There is a packed study day covering learning programmes, the training museum, collections and visitor services. As ever there are lots of opportunities for networking and new members are always welcome. See http://www.semfed.org.uk/.
3. The Cromwell got a slot on BBC Radio 4 last Sunday at http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03qq3sb.
4. Museums at Night will run from 11-14 May, and there is just over a week left to register your event in Culture24’s database at http://museumsatnight.org.uk/how-to-register-your-museums-at-night-event/ – the deadline is 22 April. There is new branding and logos, which are free to download here: http://museumsatnight.org.uk/festival-resources/resources-and-downloads/museums-at-night-2016-logos-posters-and-flyers/#.Vw0rcJwrLcs.
5. The Museum and Galleries Capital Fund, which is funded by the DCMS and he Wolfson Foundation, has re-opened for applications. More than £4 million is available for grants in this round, which can be used for renovation and improvement projects in museums and galleries to increase access, improve displays and enhance public spaces. To date, nearly £40 million has been allocated for the refurbishment of museum and gallery spaces through this partnership. Grants are made up to the level of £300,000. – See more at http://www.cambridgeartsnetwork.com/funding/national/dcms-museum-galleries-capital-improvement-fund-1460475960#sthash.2dUOMaT4.dpuf .
6. This year’s SHARE conference will be on 21 November.
7. The Hamilton Kerr Institute is looking for an easel painting conservator at http://www.le.ac.uk/museumstudies/Jobs2/full_job_descriptions/44420.htm closing date 12 May.

I’m sorry there has been a long gap since MiC News no. 46, due mainly to my Easter holiday, so a few things have stacked up, some now with tight deadlines:

1. On 25 May my MDO colleagues Emma Cook and Amy Cotterill will be demonstrating the ‘paraloid sandwich’ technique on the Periscope website; I will give more details when I have them.
2. I attach The British Association of Friends of Museums (BAFM) newsletters 18 and 19 and details of the regional conference at Chelmsford 18 May.
3. AIM, in partnership with Arts Council England (ACE) and the Museums Archives and Libraries Division (MALD), has commissioned research into the impact of charging admission. Please take time to participate – whether or not your museum charges for admission. The survey closes today – it can be found here at https://t.e2ma.net/click/ju32o/3hfvne/z2gfjc .
4. Please don’t forget to submit your nominations for 2016 The SHARE Volunteer Awards.  Help us to celebrate the amazing, dedicated, crucial work of volunteers in our region’s museums. All nominees will receive a certificate and an invitation to our awards celebration evening at the Fitzwilliam Museum on June 9^th. The deadline is this Friday, April 15^th. All information can be found here:-   http://sharemuseumseast.org.uk/volunteer-awards/ .
5. There are a still a few places left for ‘Helping Museum Trustees to Get Ahead’, a free AIM Governance Session, at Hughes Hall, Cambridge on 20 April, 3 – 5pm. Please download a form from AIM Hallmarks Governance Programme and email it to: emma@aim-museums.co.uk .
6. There are three excellent Shared Enterprise fundraising events coming up, all bookable on the SHARE website: ‘Partnerships with local businesses’ at the Fitzwilliam Museum on 19 April, 10am-3pm; ‘The Funding Fair’ at the Athenaeum in Bury St Edmunds on 9 May, 10am – 4pm; ‘Effective Habits for Successful Fundraising’ at the Museum of East Anglian Life on 16 May, 9.30am-4.30pm.
7. The DCMS Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund has awarded grants of £160,000 for redevelopment of IWM Duxford’s American Air Museum and £200,000 to the Museum of Zoology at Cambridge for its Wonders of the Animal Kingdom exhibition. Congratulations to both museums!
8. The Stained Glass Museum (located in Ely Cathedral) is looking for a part-time Learning Officer, closing date 13 May (see attached). For particulars see: www.stainedglassmuseum.com.
9. There are a few spaces left on the ‘Introduction to Accreditation’ half-day information session on Wednesday 20^th April at Essex Record Office, led by Emma Cook. More information is available here: https://essexmdo.com/events/introduction-to-accreditation/.
10. Finally, there are still plenty of spaces left for the SHARE Front of House Forum’s security day at Christchurch Mansion, Ipswich on 25 April, 10.15am-3pm. It promises to be a very interesting day.

Here are some items which may be of interest before the Easter break:

1. The Fitzwilliam Museum has several vacancies for Front of House Hosts at http://www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/9831/, closing date 30 March.
2. Congratulations are due to March and District Museum on securing Full Accreditation.
3. Congratulations are also due to the Cromwell Museum on securing 12 months of Provisional Accreditation, pending their transfer from County Council to Cromwell Museum Trust administration.
4. SHARE has a very interesting-looking day which I shall be attending on informal learning at Norwich Castle on 21 April http://sharemuseumseast.org.uk/events/excellence-in-informal-learning-what-is-it-why-is-it-important-how-to-get-there/.
5. SHARE also has training on safeguarding at the Museum of East Anglian Life on 28 April http://sharemuseumseast.org.uk/events/protecting-and-safeguarding-children-and-vulnerable-adults-in-museums/.
6. SHARED Enterprise has an event on ‘Becoming more entrepreneurial through partnership working with local businesses’ on 19 April 2016, 10am – 3:30pm at The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge Click here for full details and to book.
7. I shall be attending the SHARED Enterprise Funding Fair on 9 May 2016, 10am – 4pm at The Athenaeum, Bury St Edmunds Click here for full details and to book.
8. I have been asked to ask all my colleagues in the museum world to spend 15-20 minutes completing an important survey of the current workforce, by the end of the month. I’ve done it and I believe it will produce some valuable information: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/ACEMuseumWorkforce.
9. Finally, may I take this opportunity to say a big ‘thank you’ to Kayleigh Boyle, Museum Volunteer Co-ordinator on the SWIM project, for all her excellent work helping the museums of north and east Cambridgeshire. The project is now ending and I will miss the many cheerful contributions Kayleigh has made to supporting the museum workforce over the last year. Best of luck for the future Kayleigh!

Here is the weekly news round-up:

1. Hertfordshire County Council is advertising for a Museum Development Officer at http://bit.ly/1UddYMz , closing date 31 March.
2. The Fitzwilliam Museum is advertising for an Assistant Keeper of Antiquities at http://www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/9624/, closing date 27 April.
3. HLF is advertising for a Senior Grants officer based in Cambridge; full details available online, closing date 27 March.
4. AIM has a Governance session at Hughes Hall in Cambridge on 20 April, details at https://aimuseums.wordpress.com/2016/02/17/aim-launches-new-hallmarks-governance-programme/ .
5. …and here is a plug for the SHARE Front of House Forum meeting on security in Ipswich on 25 April, which promises to be great!

Not too many items to report this week:

1. Vivacity in Peterborough are advertising a unique opportunity for a conservation technician to look after their amazing Bronze Age boats. The closing date is 18 March and the job no. is 43986 at http://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/museumstudies/JobsDesk .
2. AIM have organised a museum trustee event at Hughes Hall, Cambridge on 20 April. Details are at https://aimuseums.wordpress.com/category/governance-2/.
3. ‘Space Invaders: Women Museum Leaders’ is on Friday, 18 March, 10:30-4.30 at the Imperial War Museum, London, cost £15.  This conference will address issues around women’s leadership in the museum sector. For a full programme please visit: www.women-museum-leaders.eventbrite.co.uk.
4. Can I mention again that the County Council has an online funding database with a section on culture, arts and music (including museums) at http://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/info/20012/arts_green_spaces_and_activities/35/arts_funding_opportunities_in_cambridgeshire?
5. Booking  is open for the 2016 Social History Curators Group Conference: ‘The Only Way is Ethics’, in Lincoln on 23-24 June 2016.  The full programme and booking details can be found at http://shcg.org.uk/conf16. I note that this clashes with the AIM conference in Edinburgh and the referendum!
6. As a result of the Chelmsford theft (see http://theartnewspaper.com/news/museums/chelmsford-museum-gold-coin-theft/) it’s probably worth repeating William Brown, ACE Security Adviser advice that “smaller, more portable items will be targeted rather than items like large paintings”. Alarms on display cases should be “used correctly” and glass cases “cleaned frequently to preserve forensic evidence”.
7. Finally I cannot let the opportunity pass to wish farewell to Mike Brooks, Volunteer Co-ordinator in the SWIM project for the NVR, Ramsey, Cromwell, Burwell, Farmland and St Neots Museums. SWIM is ACE-funded with partnership funding from MiC and as it ends at the end of March, Mike leaves this week to work at St Neots Library. He’s done a great job on SWIM and I’m sure all the museums would join me in wishing him all the best in his new post.