Dear colleague

Here are some items of news for the week:

1. The SHARE Volunteer Coordinators Forum’s next meeting is at Anglesey Abbey on Thursday 20 September, and there are still places available! Sign up on the excellent new SHARE website at http://www.sharemuseumseast.org.uk/ .
2. The Stained Glass Museum is advertising for a Learning Officer, closing date 28 September, at http://stainedglassmuseum.com/job_vacancies.html.
3. Congratulations to Ramsey Rural Museum for being awarded a grant from the ‘Talking together in Cambridgeshire’ programme for a really nice project called ‘Treasure Chest’!
4. There is a Tate ‘Sharing works of art’ workshop in London on 22-23 October. If interested contact RSVPsharingart@tate.org.uk.

Best wishes

Dear colleague

Firstly, a big thank you to the three museums which have sent me details of their alarm contracts, as requested in MiC News n.140. I am very grateful for this information.

Secondly, two pieces of important news from SHARE:

• the deadline for benchmarking returns has been extended to 14 September for the (now very few) museums which have not so far submitted their returns, and thank you very much to all museums who have done this.
• the greatly improved SHARE website and training calendar have now been published http://www.sharemuseumseast.org.uk/!

Thirdly, in connection with the last item, there is a training session at Ely Museum on 15 November focussing on financial management, organised jointly with SHARE and AIM. After that, there will be a session on legal protection for trustees which will be at St Neots Museum on 20 February. Both sessions build on the earlier ‘musters’ held in Cambridgeshire so please do share this information with your trustees. Places for can be booked at http://www.sharemuseumseast.org.uk/.

Other news this week:

1. SEMFed are holding a Study Day at St Albans on 16 October at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/semfed-study-day-st-albans-museum-tickets-49649985443 .
2. Please see the attached brief for the evaluation of the Common Ground project, from the Festival Bridge.
3. The Museum of Cambridge is advertising for new trustees at https://www.museumofcambridge.org.uk/about/opportunities/.
4. Wisbech Museum is advertising for a Project Officer for their Esmée Fairbairn-funded ‘Articles for Change’ project, centred on the abolition of transatlantic slavery (please see attached).
5. A reminder that the deadline for SHARE’s fundraising cohort is 10 September (see MiC News no. 140).

Best wishes

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

Dear colleague

If your museum has completed its benchmarking return at http://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/EastofEngland1718 then please ignore this reminder, otherwise please complete it now. There is one week until the deadline (see MiC News no. 128). We have a great return record in Cambridgeshire, but so far this year there are 23 returns not yet started. We really need good data if we are going to demonstrate our value and this has never been more important.

Again, if your museum has already dealt with this year’s MiC subscription please ignore this reminder (MiC News no. 126). As of last week there are 13 museums which have not yet paid.

One more request from me please: I would like confidentially to get some indication of what MiC members pay for their alarm services (fire and intruder). I must stress that this is strictly for my use and I would never pass on details of any museum’s arrangements without their explicit permission. I am aware that the annual cost can be significant but I only know the actual costs for a very few museums. If you are prepared to tell me how much your museum pays and give me some idea of the service you receive (e.g. how often the system is checked) I would be most grateful. It would also be helpful to know the name of the company but I’d quite understand if you preferred to withhold that information.

Here are the news items that have come my way this week:

1. Following on from the details of The Library Presents in MiC News no. 135, volunteers in the project can attend a free marketing workshop, covering Facebook, Instagram etc, bookable at thelibrarypresents@cambridgeshire.gov.uk. The workshops are 10am-12pm at Ely Library on 3 September and 2pm-4pm at Huntingdon Library on 13 September and travel costs may be claimed.
2. Newnham College is advertising for a Curator of Valuable Possessions, closing date 3 September, at http://www.newn.cam.ac.uk/vacancy/curator-of-valuable-possessions/.
3. The Group for Education in Museums is running an Intermediate Course on Heritage Interpretation on 4 October, 10am-4.30pm, Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, £125 for GEM and AHI members and £160 for non-members. For more information visit https://gem.org.uk/training-and-events/gems-training-programme/intermediate-courses/heritage-interpretation-course/.
4. SHARE is seeking expressions of interest from museums who wish to join a fundraising cohort. Apply using the attached form by 10 September.
5. Palace House, Newmarket: National Heritage Centre for Horseracing & Sporting Art is advertising a 12-month trainee community engagement opportunity starting in October. For further details see https://www.palacehousenewmarket.co.uk/media/wysiwyg/TPtTM_Trainee_Advert_-_Palace_House_1.pdf. Closing  date is 31 August.
6. HLF have announced the timing for their new Strategic Funding Framework at https://www.hlf.org.uk/about-us/our-strategy/changes-our-grant-making.
7. ACE have a useful summary of the project grants at https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/sites/default/files/download-file/Information_sheets_Museum_projects_Project_grants_0.pdf
8. The Royal Society has a small grants scheme for celebrating scientists which could be ideal for small museums, closing date 26 September, at https://royalsociety.org/grants-schemes-awards/grants/places-of-science/.

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.