VOLUNTEERING

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Society Arts Volunteering Representatives

Society Heritage Volunteering Representatives

Society Trails Representatives

Arts Volunteering Projects Reported

New HV Projects registered

Trails of Discovery registered

The numbers of Society Representatives in each volunteering activity is little changed since the last report which is encouraging when Societies are finding it difficult to recruit Committee members.

The number of Arts Projects is down but this number does not include entries to the RBA Rising Stars 2022 competition. Both new Heritage and new Trails projects registered show an increase which is encouraging.

VOLUNTEERING PROJECTS - EXAMPLES

Regardless of the number of Projects reported it is the care, thought and sometimes sheer inspiration put into them that is the real key to their value. A project can be large or small, locally-based or a participation in a central or national project - each Society determines how and for whom it will make a difference. The following show a sample of the range in the past six months.

HERITAGE PROJECTS

A large project undertaken by our volunteers was at the Parliamentary Archives in Westminster, helping the Collection Care team to prepare the items for the move from The Victoria Tower, Westminster to a new home during the restoration. The Collection Care Team Leader acknowledged the value of the volunteers to the project:

‘I am very thankful for your time and assistance throughout the Pack & Track project. With your help, the project team packed and made safe just under 6000 items, almost 2000 of those were given bespoke packaging made by yourselves and the project Collection Care Team. Your assistance meant that the project’s targets were not affected as harshly by the pandemic lockdowns as they might have been, setting Pack and Move off to a good start.’

Liz Ralph Collection Care Team Leader (Prepare and Move Project) 18th August 2022

You may have heard of the thousands of book trousers that our volunteers made for these Archives contributing to a total of over 20,000 and this is an extract from an article on 9th August 2022 by Katerina Laina, Conservator and Collection Care Manager, Parliamentary Archives, where she reflects on the genesis of the project and our volunteers contribution.

THE IMPACT AND REFLECTIONS

The project has been successful for both the Parliamentary Archives and the Arts Society.

For the Parliamentary Archives

• The target number of book trousers was met and exceeded with 17,000 plus book-trousers now received back, being put on our books and kept as spares in our studio • We increased our pool of Arts Society volunteers from our original 3 London-based volunteers who came onsite, to 150 volunteers working from home, spread across the UK • We have helped to join up numerous regional Arts Society groups under one project • The project has built a reputation - we have been approached by other libraries seeking information and permission to use the book-trouser design, and assist them with their own book-trouser project set up • We have a great sense of achievement, having worked hard to make the project happen whilst dealing with the pandemic and figuring out how to work from home ourselves • It has inspired us and opened our minds to possibilities and options beyond the known and established.

We’ll be considering what other projects we could run with remote volunteers in future!’

To read the full article please click on this link: Introducing The Book-Trouser Project - Where there is a will there’s a way!

Local projects are of huge importance and here are some excellent examples:

In Wessex, our Kennet & Swindon Society volunteers are stewarding to support the opening of the Railway Cottage Museum in Swindon to the public on certain dates over the rest of the year. The Railway Village of 300 houses was built in the 1840’s by the GWR to house the workers, and the Railway workers’ Cottage Museum is a unique example of what life was like living in the Village in the early 1900s. Our volunteers welcome and engage visitors in this fascinating site of local industrial heritage and history.

In the East Midlands Nottinghamshire Cricket Club needs our volunteers’ help in the conservation of old and damaged books in their library collection. Many different kinds of activities have historical book collections charting their origin and development and our Nottingham Society volunteers trained by Caroline Bendix provide invaluable help in preserving this one for cricket enthusiasts or other researchers.

Projects show innovation and inspiration reaching out to those from disadvantaged backgrounds or who would otherwise have little or now access to the arts.

Following a successful Patricia Fay Grant application by Ashford Society in Kent the Cardboard Orchestra began to take shape. The project partnered with Ashford’s local arts centre Revelation and commissioned artists Animate Arts Company which enabled pupils from four primary schools in deprived areas to work with specialist artists’ support to learn about the various musical instruments. Each child chose one then created their own accurate cardboard cutout of it and learned the sounds the instrument made.

Each pupil took part in a public performance for the Queen’s Jubilee on the bandstand in the town square, creating their own proms concert inspired by music from the last night of the proms and 60s music of the Beatles. It was a memorable experience for the children and an additional bonus for Ashford Arts Society was that it put them in the community limelight.

RBA Rising Stars has reappeared this year with a wider entry remit including photography and graphic design. We were very pleased to receive over 180 entries from 27 Societies showing that this art competition for A-level art students caught the imagination of the students and their teachers - and of course our Society Representatives who persevered through all the form filling to ensure that their chosen artworks were safely entered online! As we write this the judges are deliberating and we await the news of the 20 winners whose work will be shown at the Mall Gallery next spring.

Holland & Kesteven Society supported an unusual Primary School Workshop to produce Ocarina - clay whistles. The primary school involved has 44% premium pupils and 21% English as Additional Language, including Ukrainian, Afghan and Polish children. Each child produced an Ocarina (clay whistle) in the shape of a bird or an animal. After firing, all the whistles worked! Testament to a successful project in every way.

Another unusual project with a music theme was run by Winchester Society A collaboration with Hants Music Service and classroom teachers with the aim of introducing children to another culture through the Gamelan orchestra, an Indonesian classic tale and classic Balinese shadow puppets. Children heard and discussed the story of Rama and Sita and the destruction of evil Dasamuka. They watched a video of the craftsmanship involved in making leather rod shadow puppets and made replicas of the characters in the story, including the monkey god Hanuman .

Dr Andy Channing came from RAMusic London to teach the children the tuned percussion instruments .Each child had an instrument and music was played to the drama of the story .

Finally children created a rod shadow puppet performance with accompanying gamelan music . The children were delighted with their puppets and intrigued by gamelan music .

It was hugely enjoyable and definitely an enrichment to the curriculum .

TRAILS OF DISCOVERY

Trails abound in different sites around the UK, in towns and villages, churches and historic sites and buildings, and walking trails for all in areas of historic interest. Even branch lines in rural areas are good subjects for a Trail.

They are now accessible by QR code on a mobile phone for ease of use which also has cost and environmental benefits.

A Trail has been registered by Truro Society to be prepared for the magnificent and historic Truro Cathedral which we look forward to seeing. Cathedrals are unusual places to be undertaken because of their size and complexity, but they are rewarding for the stories and artefacts to be found within.

This Trail coincides with an interesting new Heritage project also by Truro Society which is about to start. It is ‘To study the history of Truro Cathedral from conception to completion, in order to make an illustrated display in one of the vestibules leading from the main body of the Cathedral to the Chapter House Restaurant. This is accessed by the huge number of visitors to the building. It is planned to make the display showing historical photographs/maps/varied artworks/designs, and printed material referencing significant people, places and events relevant to the development of the Cathedral.’

Between these two projects by our volunteers the art, architecture and history of this historic Cathedral will be made more accessible to visitors of all ages.