DCMVOX #013 December 2016

#013– December 2016

Dorset County Museum Volunteer Newsletter Dates for Your Diary:  Friday 2nd ARCHEOLOGY UNEARTHED Bell Beakers Tomorrow Dr Volker Heyd Reader in Prehistoric Archaeology, University of Bristol 7.00pm for 7.30pm

 Thursday 8th LUNCHTIME CONCERT Kevin Avebury: Renaissance Lute and Guitar—1.00pm to 2.00 pm  DORCHESTER’S CHRISTMAS CRACKER The museum will be open from 5.00 pm to 9.00 pm. Although Santa Claus is too busy to attend this year, we’ll play host to a selection of well-known sci-fi characters  Wed 14th GEOLOGY REVEALED— Ignite! - short talks on local geology—6.30 pm for 7.00 pm

Welcome to Issue No.13 of DCMVOX… A huge thank you to everyone who managed to attend the Tomorrow’s Museum for Dorset update event on Thursday 24th November. If anyone would like a copy (electronic or hard copy) of Liz Selby’s powerpoint presentation, please let me know.

A very happy Christmas to all our volunteers What would you like to see in next month’s issue? Please email your suggestions to Anna Butler: secretary@dorsetcountymuseum.org by 19th December.

Volunteer Awards Evening 2016 At the 2016 Volunteer Awards Evening at the Dorford Centre on Thursday 27 October, a great many people had an enjoyable time collecting awards or supporting their friends and colleagues. Generous light refreshments helped the party atmosphere, and light entertainment was provided by a band from Weymouth College, Anacrusis, who sang and played during the interval. Awards were presented by Lord and Lady Fellowes, Mrs Jean Lang and Ms Debbie Ward to a wide variety of volunteers and organisations, backing up the information that Dorset is one of the leading counties in the volunteer field.

Dorset County Museum volunteers received three awards, the Archaeology Team being there in person to receive their Team award from Debbie Ward. Unfortunately Nathan Aldridge and George Walker weren’t able to attend to be presented with their awards of Young Volunteer and Volunteer but these were collected by Jill Minchin, the Museum’s Volunteer Co-ordinator and have been sent to them.

Tomorrow’s Museum for Dorset Update ...

Where we are….  It was great to see so many of you come along to our

Main Exhibition: ‘Speed to the West: A Nostalgic Journey’ until 7 January 2017

Tea Room Dorchester Camera Club

Where we’re heading…  Stage 3 ‘Developed Designs’ expected by Jan 2017

Tomorrow’s Museum for Dorset update on Thurs 24th Nov. We hope you found it useful to hear how things have progressed and  Exhibition Designers are working on see the architect’s model of the new Museum. producing  As many of you heard, significant progress has been made this preliminary designs in line with the Stage year. We are now reaching the next level of designs for the new 3 building designs building and expect these to be completed next month.  We also received the great news that the Garfield Weston Foun-  Planning application is currently being dation are pledging £300,000 in support of the Museum’s redeprepared for velopment. The Trustees of the Foundation recognised the imsubmission portance of the project and the great work you all do (often, in poor conditions!). There is still much work to be done to ensure  The whole project team continues to the rest of the matched-funding is secured but this is a great step meet regularly and in the right direction.

Please visit www.tomorrowsmuseumfordorset.org and sign up to the newsletter for the latest developments

Dorset County Museum, High West Street, Dorchester, Dorset, DT1 1XA Tel: 01305 262735 - www.dorsetcountymuseum.org

work together towards the HLF Stage 2 submission in May

Visitor Quote of the Month: ‘Had a couple of hours parking left on the car so decided to 'nip' in for a quick look and ended up having to put more parking on my car’.

My Favourite Item ….

Tony Mackinder has offered the first of what we hope will be a regular item in DCMVOX. To choose a single item from the wealth of fascinating objects in the Social History collection would appear to be very difficult. Fortunately, for me it is very easy. It is a collection of Portland Reeve Staves. These are simple sticks with notches denoting the collection of rents and tithes and the use of these has its roots in Anglo-Saxon institutions and in Portland’s history are of totemic significance. The oldest of these is eight feet, nine inches in length and inscribed W.1695A, the initials standing for William Attool. As a small boy, on rainy days, I remember being allowed to play in the Portland Museum and seeing such objects there—although at the time, I was more interested in the mummified cat from the chimney and the muskets! So for me these staves represent a line of contact with an older preconquest England, an important part of Portland’s own singular history, and childhood memories.

If you would like to share your favourite item, e-mail Anna (secretary@dorsetcountymuseum.org)

Volunteers Needed Maintenance, Front of House and Tea room We continue to require cover for both Maintenance and Front of house.

We URGENTLY need a volunteer to cover Saturday mornings in the Tea room.

If you, or someone you know, is interested in having some shifts, please get in touch with:

Museum Opening Times Over Christmas and New Year Saturday 24th December — Close at 1.30pm Monday 26th December —CLOSED Tuesday 27th December —CLOSED Wednesday 28th December —open 10.00am to 4.00pm Thursday 29th December — open 10.00am to 4.00pm Friday 30th December — open 10.00am to 4.00pm Saturday 31st December (New Year’s Eve) - 10.00am to 4.00pm Monday 2nd January 2017 — CLOSED Tuesday 3rd January 2017 — Back to normal!

APOLOGIES

Jill Minchin on volunteering@dorsetcountymuseum.org

The Library will be CLOSED on Thursday 5th January 2017— 10.00am to 1.00pm and Tuesday 10th January 2017—ALL DAY

Christmas Drinks If you have not already done so, do put this date in your diary and come along to Christmas drinks on Friday 9th December 2016 at 6.00pm –7.30pm in the Victorian Gallery RSVP: secretary@dorsetcountymuseum.org –01305 262735

Welcome to our new volunteers….

Kipps Eaton of the Visitor Services team. afternoons and Fridays only; all enquiries However, she has said that she will return are dealt with but any received Monday occasionally to make sure that the brass on Wednesday may take a little longer to reOctober has seen the accreditation of three our front door remains polished and loved. ceive a reply. new volunteers: Carol Walker in our Geol- Thankyou, Kipps.

Thank you to all of you for what you do, ogy team, Richard Franklin to the Hardy We now have permanent advertisements you are essential to the continued running Literary collection, and Stephen Waring at the Volunteer Centre to publicise our and existence of the Museum. who will be assisting Gabby Crouch and volunteer teams, but the most effective Carmel Mallinson in Fundraising and Mar- source of recruitment is YOU; happy volun- Jill Minchin keting as we enter an exciting new time for teers who know how we work are our most Volunteer Co-ordinator and Trustee the Museum. Two more applications are informed source of new applicants so working their way through the system but I please encourage people to get in touch to am sorry that (for a explore the possibility of volunteering. time at least) we shall I wouldthis remind you all by that, as aplease volunteer If you would like to receive newsletter email send your contact details to be saying goodbye to myself, in the Museum Thursday Gabriella CrouchI work on development@dorsetcountymuseum.org