Recognition of the contribution made by voluntary staff.
The Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust have launched their second volunteer award scheme for museums in the West Midlands region, through their West Midlands Museum Development Programme, funded by Arts Council England.
The West Midlands Volunteer Awards were developed in 2016 to recognise and reward the invaluable role and significant contribution made by volunteers to the museums in the region. Volunteers are widely credited with being the life blood of many museums, generously giving their time, amounting to thousands of hours of support per year. They bring energy, enthusiasm and expertise to all areas of museum life and the awards are a chance for everyone to hear their stories and to acknowledge and celebrate their achievements.
Karen Davies, Director of Museum Development at the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust, said: “We are delighted to have received such high quality nominations for the second West Midlands Volunteer Awards. Volunteers are the backbone of many museums and it is fitting that their contribution is being acknowledged through the Awards. The judging panel certainly had a hard task to select the winners.”
Nominees from across the West Midlands region have been shortlisted for the prestigious awards in categories such as Working Together, Spreading the Word and ‘bove and Beyond. A total of thirty nominees have made the shortlists and the winners of each category will be announced at an inspiring awards ceremony at the Birmingham Hippodrome on Tuesday 19t hSeptember hosted by broadcast journalist, Sarah Bishop.
An impressive ten shortlisted nominees from Birmingham are heading to the Awards Ceremony in the following categories:
Above and Beyond, Individual – Nick Lambert from the Pen Museum
Above and Beyond, Team – DATUS See Change Volunteer Team from Blakesley Hall, Museum Collection Centre, Soho House and Thinktank Birmingham Science Museum
Project Award – Learning Team from the Birmingham Back to Backs
Spreading the Word – Community Action Panel from Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery
Working Together – Millers from Sarehole Mill
Special Award: Audiences – Booking Line Team at the Birmingham Back to Backs and Front of House Team from Newman Brothers at the Coffin Works (front page pic)
Special Award: Collections – Archive Team at Winterbourne House and Garden
Special Award: Young People – Claire McGibbon from Blakesley Hall, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and Weoley Castle and Hayfa Sultan from Birmingham Back to Backs
The Awards are part of the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust’s Major Partner Museum and West Midlands Museum Development programmes and are funded by Arts Council England.
