#007 - June 2016
Dorset County Museum Volunteer Newsletter Dates for Your Diary: ARCHAEOLOGY FIELD TRIP Fri 3 June 6pm Guided Walk Cerne Abbas by Chris Copson (please see website for details) Fri 1 July 6.30pm Guided Walk Hengistbury Head led by Kate Verkooijen (please see website for details) LUNCHTIME CONCERTS (1.00pm to 2.00pm) Thurs 9 June Internationally acclaimed Pianist Emilie Capulet Thurs 14 July Dorchester Piano Quartet LITERARY LIVES Thurs 30 June 7.30pm ‘Thomas Hardy and Folksong’ by Dr. Peter Robson VOLUNTEERS EVENT Wed 20 July 5.30-7pm Victorian Hall
Welcome to Issue no.7 of DCMVOX… With the days getting longer and the sun shinning (sometimes!) it’s beginning to feel a lot like summertime. Please take note within this newsletter of the Volunteers Event on Wed 20 July 5.30-7pm, if you are yet to RSVP to Anna, you can do so by emailing secretary@dorsetcountymuseum.org or alternatively by phone on 01305 262735. We are happy to announce that we will be welcoming Jon back into the Museum, on a phased return, this month. Please take into consideration that Jon will only be working a few days a week and that these may not always be the same days. Jon will have to largely prioritise his time to the redevelopment project and therefore, we kindly ask that you continue to contact Jenny and Helen for all Collections related queries. We are thrilled to welcome Jon back into his Director’s chair, the place hasn’t been the same without him! What would you like to see in next month’s issue? Please email your suggestions to Gabriella Crouch: development@dorsetcountymuseum.org by Monday 27th June 2016. Any suggestions welcome!
Welcome to Elizabeth Selby, our new Exhibitions Development Manager. Liz has been appointed Exhibitions Development Manager, specifically focusing on the Tomorrow’s Museum for Dorset project. Liz is working full time on developing the galleries and exhibition spaces for the new building and will be working closely with many of you throughout that process. She is currently busy meeting with all our wonderful voluntary head of the collections to find out more about each collection and get your thoughts on what the new galleries and spaces could look like. If you haven't met Liz already, she is based in the Development Office with Gabby, so do come and say hello. You can also email Liz on exhibitions@dorsetcountymuseum.org or telephone her on extension 214.
Congratulations Ali on the birth of Dominic Congratulations to Ali and Russ on the safe arrival of Dominic Russell Goff on Sunday 15th May at 11.03pm weighing in at 7lbs 6ozs. Ali has kindly shared some lovely pictures of baby Dominic with everyone and they can be found pinned on the Office and Common Room notice boards. Ali’s Baby Sweepstake raised an impressive £150 for the Special Care Baby Unit at Dorset County Hospital. And the winner was… Martin Graham. Congratulations. Your winnings can be collected from the Front Desk.
Tomorrow’s Museum for Dorset Update Where we are...
The project team met in May and were updated on the developments of the building, activity plan and business plan. All of which are on track and on schedule.
The architects have now received the footprint and they have an accurate outline of the size of the entire site. Alongside Liz Selby, work can begin to think about gallery locations and themes.
Jane Alexander is continuing to consult with our volunteers and visitors. She also had the opportunity to attend our ‘Design a Gallery’ event in the Museum. The day involved 150 pupils from Dorchester Middle School being led by our wonderful Education Team into the galleries of the Museum to design, curator and invent new spaces for the Tomorrow’s Museum for Dorset project. The children came up with some really creative and inspirational ideas which I’m sure we will see some of in the new building.
Where we’re heading... Jane Alexander will be leading an offsite consultation with nonvisitors in Poundbury soon and will continue to consult our visitors and families. The project social media has now been launched! Please follow @tomorrowsmuseum on Twitter and Instagram for the latest project developments.
MANY THANKS to all our volunteers – without you our Museum would not function as effectively as it does. Dorset County Museum, High West Street, Dorchester, Dorset, DT1 1XA Tel: 01305 262735 - www.dorsetcountymuseum.org
Visitor Quote of the Month: ‘Congratulations to all who have contributed to the creation of this most interesting and informative museum.’ Job Opportunity:
EXHIBITIONS
Calling all our Wonderful DCM Volunteers… We need you!
Visitor Services Assistant
Main Exhibition: ‘Speed to the West: A Nostalgic Journey’ until 7 January 2017
Volunteer Survey for Crucial HLF Activity Plan
£7.20 per hour (25 years or over) Part-time
We have extending your opportunity to complete our latest survey on volunteering! You will now have until the end of June to complete this survey.
The position requires the flexibility to provide cover throughout the year when needed. Hours will be variable, subject to bookings and operational requirements.
In the Tea Room: Rob Pountney’s Wessex Landscapes In the Victorian Gallery: EXTENDED to 9th July— ‘Commemoration of the Dorset Yeomanry’
You can complete the survey online, using the link provided below, or alternatively contact Gabriella Crouch on development@dorsetcountymuseum.org for any assistance or for access to a hard copy. The new deadline for completing the survey is the end of June 2016. Thank you for your help. http://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/dcmvolunteers
Field Trip to the Wiltshire Museum and the Marden Henge Excavation 13th July 2016 The Wiltshire Museum, Devizes, has outstanding collections of archaeology and the Prehistoric Wiltshire Galleries have recently been redisplayed. The Marden Henge is the largest Neolithic henge in Britain and is being excavated by the University of Reading. There will be guided tours of both venues. The cost is £50, which is non-refundable, includes lunch at the Museum of Wiltshire. For further information and to book a place please contact Robert Lancaster on robertlancaster123@yahoo.co.uk or by telephone 07523 112374
You must be available and willing to work evenings, Bank Holidays and Sundays as necessary. For more information phone 01305 262735 or email secretary@dorsetcountymuseum.org Closing date for applications is 12noon on Wednesday 15th June 2016. Interviews to take place on Thursday 23rd June 2016.
The William Barnes Gallery is now open! We are pleased to announce the newly refurbished William Barnes Gallery officially opened to the public on Saturday 21st May. The gallery has been completely refreshed and brings this important Dorset writer, teacher and poet to life. Thank you to all those volunteers who helped with the gallery and/or opening. We would like to say a special thank you to Marion Tait, our Honorary Curator of the William Barnes Collection, for her hard work and the passion she put in to curating and funding the gallery refurbishment. Also, a huge thanks to our whole Maintenance Team for their work and dedication to finishing the gallery.
Volunteers Needed Front of House and Tea room Cover is required particularly over the summer weekends. The museum is open on Sundays from 24th July to 11th September inclusive. If you, or someone you know, would be interested in having some shifts with one of our most lively teams, please get in touch with Jill Minchin volunteering@dorsetcountymuseum.org or Jim Farrell on shop@dorsetcountymuseum.org.
Old School House on Grey School Passage Volunteers needed to help carry our a deep clean of this property prior to transferring the collections. Tasks will include sugar-soaping walls, vacuuming carpets and heavy dusting. John Hilton is overseeing the preparations of the building and would like to hear from you if you can offer some help for half a day or more. It is hoped the cleaning will be carried out over two weeks starting in June. Please contact Anna on 01305 262735 or e-mail: secretary@dorsetcountymuseum.org with your availability.
Welcome to our new volunteers…. us and we hope she will help us to
By Jill Minchin, Volunteer Co-ordinator & Trustee reinvigorate our Natural History team. Two
Coming into the summer period, our volunteer applications are reflecting the usual seasonal reduction, but we continue to receive a pleasing continuity of interest. This month we are particularly pleased to see a returned volunteer, Richard Cosgreave, who is now a member of David James’s Fine Art team, together with Nikki Heaton-Hirst, a brand-new volunteer.
volunteers have decided to take a break for a while: Laurence Taylor who will continue his interests with the National Trust and the Dorset Wildlife Trust, and Liz Steinman who after 12 years as a Tea Room volunteer will hang up her apron for the summer.
David James’s Fine Art team is now fully staffed with no vacancies but we are still looking for volunteers for Front of House and the Tea Room. Maintenance are Charlotte Dreher, has also recently joined always on the lookout for help with the
various duties that team does, some regularly every week and some on demand. With the invaluable help of Cathy Breward, we are currently tightening up our Volunteer database and bringing it up to date in both the information it holds and its IT modernity. Cathy has been in touch with Team Leaders and individual volunteers to ensure that all is as it should be; if you receive an email from her please answer it to enable us to remove any errors, incorrect information or glitches. Jill Minchin, 27 May 2015
If you would like to receive this newsletter by email please send your contact details to Gabriella Crouch on development@dorsetcountymuseum.org