A successful start and preparations for National Mills Weekend

We had a great opening weekend, helped by the glorious weather; over 300 people visited the Mill and museum over Easter Sunday and Monday. Now we're straight into preparations for National Mills Weekend on the 11th and 12th of May, which should be a brilliant opportunity to showcase the mill with free entry, musical entertainment and the usual stalls and tea room. Last year we had a very special event and attracted 628 people, and next year will be the 200th anniversary of the mill, so we've got a lot to celebrate over the weekend. Hope to see you there!

One month to go!

We're starting to get really excited about our opening weekend on the 21st and 22nd of April now, and we're showing that excitement by...erm... tidying up! Both the entrance kiosk and the tea room have had a morning's work from our team of enthusiastic volunteers and both are now ready to welcome visitors. We've started to sell season tickets and the events programme will be ready soon. Look out for more next month, and put us in your diary for a Sunday or Thursday this season!

February News - Burwell Museum needs you!

Could you be part of our team? 

We're gearing up for the start of our season on the 21st of April, and a big part of that is recruitment for our new Sunday museum assistant. The job ad is below - email education@burwellmuseum.org.uk if you want more information! Otherwise this month has been one of getting things organised, and taking advantage of the slowly improving weather to get some painting done. We hope to have a tidy, freshly painted museum to show off in the summer season!
Best wishes,
Alison
Burwell Museum and Windmill are looking for a: 

Temporary Museum Assistant
Contract: 21 April - 26 October 2019
Hours of work: Sundays - 10:30-17:30 (early finish possible on quiet days)
Salary: £9 per hour

About us:
Set among beautifully preserved historic farming buildings, Burwell Museum tells the story of a bustling fen-edge village. Alongside the 19th-century mill, displays from the everyday to the amazing vividly recreate Burwell life through the ages.

About you:
We are looking for an enthusiastic, responsible and personable museum assistant to join our small friendly team.



You must be capable of taking responsibility for the museum and other volunteers.



This role would be ideally suited to someone looking to gain some customer services/museum experience.



You must be prepared to undertake a DBS (criminal record) check, and either possess or be willing to undertake first aid certification.



Most importantly you will need to have a genuine enthusiasm for the museum and its collections.

The role:
In this role you would act as duty manager on a Sunday, to include:
- Opening the museum (involves some heavy lifting - training provided)
- Dealing with visitors and other ‘front-of-house’ duties
- Event Management
- Volunteer Management

For a full job description, further details and an application form, please contact Alison Giles, Museum Manager on education@burwellmuseum.org.uk

Application deadline noon on Wednesday 13^th March; interviews planned for Sunday 24^th March

Merry Christmas from Burwell Museum and Windmill!

Not much else to say at this time of year, really - I'm spending this month tidying the filing cabinet, which wouldn't make for thrilling reading...
Best wishes, and thank you for your support in 2018,
Alison

End of year report

We've had a great year, and to celebrate we've put together a report of what we've been up to and what we plan to do next. Comments and questions welcome!
Alison

In 2018…

We had at least 3715 visitors  (up from 3573 last year and 3371 in 2016). We collected 380 evaluation forms and they showed that 84% of visitors would be very likely to recommend us to others. Many also specifically mentioned helpful, knowledgeable and/or friendly volunteers.

Volunteer work

4,184 hours logged so far this year – many thanks for signing in and out! Work done in 2018 has included:

Mill maintenance including fitting new stones and tun

Site maintenance including painting ploughs and doors, general maintenance of lawns

Vintage vehicles work on Holsman and Austin, redisplay of smaller items

Dorothy Grainger exhibition

Photo digitisation and revamp of newspaper cuttings

Checking light and pest levels

Cleaning

Front of house – tea room, kiosk and windmill

School and group visits

Events

Opening weekend and Easter Egg Hunt:      327 visitors  

National Mills Weekend:                                628 visitors 

Classsic Car day                                                88 visitors     

Summer Fete                                                   70 visitors (estimate) 

Children’s holiday activities                          384 visitors + October

Tea and talks                                                    85 visitors

Heritage Open Days                                        271 visitors

Funded projects

Tea room refurbishment and card reader system – Cambridgeshire County Council £500

Mill for All Seasons – Heritage Lottery Fund £7000 this year

Evaluation – SHARE museums East £500

Co-op fund for new paths – amount to be decided, collecting in November

Parish Council support for Heritage Open Days £200

Plans for the winter

Vintage Vehicles project – costumes for mannekins and Austen 7

Make all exhibits which contain asbestos safe for the public and for volunteers

Arts award project with Burwell Village College

Classes on Thursdays for Newmarket U3A  (starting in January, French conversation and crafts)

Linda research on the history of the museum

Tidy up including sheds, workshop and builders store

Possible aims for the next three years (covered by the forward plan which we will be writing over the winter)

Make the museum easier to maintain

Make the museum easier to run on open days

Create closer links with the school and other community groups

Continue to record, protect and improve our collections

Generate enough income to keep the museum running without regular grant funding

What else do you think should be here? What would you like to know? Where would you like the museum to be in 3 years’ time?