News and events
Discovering Collections, Discovering Communities 2022 (DCDC22)
This year the DCDC conference explored how digital innovation is transforming the cultural heritage and academic sectors and their relationship with their audiences. From individual projects to national programmes, we examined the opportunities and challenges that digital technologies and collaboration can offer. If you missed a session that you really wanted to see, you can view the recordings of all the conference keynotes and open sessions online.
Future of Museums: Collections
Thursday 22 September, 11am-4pm
Online
Three years on from the publication of the Museums Association’s Empowering Collections report, how are museums using their collections in exciting, engaging and socially impactful ways? What new approaches to collections care, interpretation and display are emerging – and what trends might be on the horizon. From the climate crisis to anti-racism work, decolonisation to co-production, this event from the MA explores how museums’ collection work continues to evolve and have a positive impact on people and places.
Collections Trust Conference 2022 - Rethinking Cataloguing
Thursday 6 October, 9.30am-5pm
Millennium Gallery, Sheffield
Collections Trust believe that cataloguing should be an open ended, inclusive, and flexible activity. But how can we make this a reality? The conference theme is Rethinking Cataloguing. The excellent line-up of speakers will consider ethical principles for cataloguing, discuss the importance of transparency and recording past practice and explore practical challenges and (hopefully) solutions for increasing access to collections information and managing contributions from different sources.
National Lottery Heritage Fund survey
The Heritage Fund is working towards an ambitious new vision for the UK’s heritage and for what their investment will achieve. Their survey is aimed at people who work or volunteer in heritage, or have views about the future of heritage. By taking part in the survey, you will help shape the Heritage Fund’s strategy refresh. There are two surveys, a longer one for people working with heritage, and a shorter one for people interested in heritage. The completion deadline is midday on 5 September.
Manorial Documents Register Conference 2022
6 September
University of Nottingham
The Manorial Documents Register Conference 2022 will be co-hosted by The National Archives and University of Nottingham’s Manuscripts and Special Collections, and sponsored by The British Association for Local History. This conference will explore the research potential of manorial records, their wider historical significance and the value of manorial records for the 21st century. This conference is free to attend.
WMMD Coffee and Chatter Thursdays
8 September, 29 September, 20 October, 3 November & 17 November
Starts at 10.30am
Online
An opportunity to share what is happening at your museum, learn what your colleagues across the sector are doing in their heritage organisations, ask the WMMD team for advice and hear about the latest sector guidance and news. Why not join us with your morning cuppa to exchange ideas and catch up with some friendly faces!
Over the coming months we’re delighted to have special guests joining us including Art UK who will discuss how they can help support your retail and online sales and National Lottery Heritage Fund sharing their current funding opportunities.
From our members
 John Freeman, Trustee at Claymills with the Pumping Station on the right
Making connections - Staffordshire History Network
Katy Shore-Kapsis (Lichfield Waterworks Trust - Sandfields Pumping Station)
I've been wanting to link up with the wonderful Claymills Pumping Station for ages and our engineering team requested a visit to be able to talk to the Claymill's engineers.
How to make this happen? The Staffordshire History Network meeting was the solution. I met the very helpful John Freeman (trustee from Claymills) at the meeting and it all fell into place. We had an excellent tour of the huge site (if you've not been please do visit) and a great sharing of all things to do with engines, volunteers and running a heritage site. What a fantastic team. I was so engrossed in taking in all the information I forgot to take photos until the end. This is John resplendent in his Claymills tea shirt. Thanks to all the team at Claymills.
Friends of Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Archives (FoSSA)
Our aims are to bring together the many different kinds of users of the Archive Service and to act as a community of support to the work of the Service Staff.
Recently we have raised over £15,000 in order to digitise the Archive Service collection of 236 early nineteenth century tithe maps, to which many local history societies contributed. We have raised over £5,000 to digitise the 200 inclosure award maps in the collection. The tithe maps are now available to explore on Staffordshire Pasttrack and the inclosure award maps will be available this autumn, all free of charge.
We also purchase items for both the Staffordshire Record Office and for Stoke Archives that would otherwise move into private hands and become unavailable to the public. Recent purchases include the original (and rather grand) charter for Stoke on Trent from 1873, and a schedule of lands acquired for the Grand Junction Railway from Birmingham to Warrington in 1839.
We organise events within and around Staffordshire. Membership is available to individuals and also to Societies. Enquires to malcolm.price@virgin.net or find us on Facebook. We rely on your support to maintain our activities!
Staffordshire Archaeological and Historical Society
Staffordshire Archaeological and Historical Society, founded in 1957, is dedicated to the study and dissemination of the archaeology, historic environment, history and heritage of Staffordshire although our membership activities range further afield.
We publish our Transactions, an academic journal of record, containing papers on the archaeology and history of the county, once a year, and issue three newsletters each year. We have a lecture programme with live lectures held in the historic Guildhall in Lichfield, supplemented by occasional Zoom lectures together with an e-mail circulation of reports, blogs and other items of interest. We also organise visits to historic sites in and around Staffordshire.
Our first lecture of the autumn 2022 season is on 23rd September by Dr Tara Hamling ‘A Day at Home in Early Modern England 1500-1700’ 8.00pm at Lichfield Guildhall, free to members, visitors £3 on the door.
Volunteers
HVG West Midlands Networking Group
Tuesday 20 September, 2pm
West Midlands Police Museum, Steelhouse Lane, Birmingham
The regional networking group covering Shropshire, Worcestershire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Herefordshire, Black Country, Birmingham and Telford and Wrekin. The group is for anyone who works with volunteers in the heritage sector in the West Midlands. It meets quarterly to problem solve together, share best practice and learn from each other. The next HVG West Midlands meeting will be held in person, kindly hosted by the West Midlands Police Museum, please email Becky Benson if you plan to attend.
Heritage Volunteering Group Coffee Afternoon
3pm-4pm, Tuesdays, monthly
Online
Heritage Volunteering Group (HVG) is running informal catch ups, ask the expert sessions and masterclasses. Events are open to all members. To sign up for updates please visit the HVG Better Impact page and log your details. Alternatively follow HVG on Twitter @HeritageVols, join Heritage Volunteering Group on Facebook, or contact heritagevolunteeringgroup@gmail.com.
On offer
 Left - large activity table with detachable legs. Right - activity table with stools
Items free to a home
Staffordshire Archives and Heritage Service are disposing of two tables suitable for activities. They are free but will need to be collected from Stafford. If you are interested please email helen.johnson@staffordshire.gov.uk
Large activity table 122cm x 122cm x 75cm high. The legs are easily detachable.
Small table with nesting stools - 54cm x 100cm x 75cm high.
There are also 10 standard Dexion shelves but no uprights available.
Vacancies and opportunities
Senior Learning and Engagement Officer
Rugby Art Gallery and Museum
Salary: £26,446 - £30,095 (£21,442 - £24,401 pro rata)
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Part time (30 hours a week)
Closing date: Sunday 4 September
Rugby Borough Council is looking for an experienced and passionate individual to join the Rugby Art Gallery and Museum Team. You will be leading the learning team that enables the museum's audiences and communities to have meaningful engagement with the collections and programmes. You will also work closely with colleagues from across all departments, with a range of external partners, and volunteers to develop and successfully deliver inclusive and engaging projects and activities including the delivery of our Schools programme.
Funding
The Grocers’ Charity
Provides one-off grants up to £5,000 for UK registered charities working in several areas, including: Heritage - Conservation of historic buildings, objects and paintings Arts – Priorities are engaging with marginalised audiences for the appreciation of arts, performances or exhibitions, and opportunities, education and skills development of creative talent for artists. Deadline 9 September 2022 Find out more
Art Fund’s Reimagine Grants Programme Invites UK Applications
The fund exists to help protect and enrich the UK’s museum and gallery collections and to ensure that as many people as possible can access and enjoy them. Now in its fourth year, the Reimagine grants programme is providing grants of between £10,000 and £50,000 from a total budget of £1.8 million. Reimagine grants have been developed in response to the unique challenges presented by Covid-19.The funding is intended to help organisations reimagine their approach to engagement, not only to audiences and communities, but also how engagement relates to other areas of the organisation’s work. Deadline 12 September 2022 Find out more
Blue Spark Foundation
Supports the education and development of children and young people by providing grants for educational, cultural, sporting and other small-scale projects which might not happen at all or on a lesser scale without their support.
Rolling 8 week programme. Find out more
The National Lottery Heritage Fund
The National Lottery Grants for Heritage programme provides grants of between £3,000 and £5million for projects that involve a wider range of people in heritage. This includes young people, who are a priority community for The Fund until 2024. Do you have a project idea, but are unsure if it’s heritage related? The Heritage Fund describes heritage as “anything from the past that you value and want to pass on to future generations”. Find out more
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