IMPACT REPORT 2015-18

Museum Development North East (MDNE) exists to drive and support the development of museums in the region. All of its activity is focused on creating a stronger North East museums sector. Overview Goal 1: Excellence is thriving and celebrated in museums

From April 2015 to March 2018 Tyne & Wear There is greater access to collections as a Archives & Museums (TWAM) led the North East result of improved collections management, Museum Development Programme*. The programme increased opportunities for research and interpretation, and the sector has gained supported over 60 museums in the region, confidence to engage in wider partnership responding to their immediate needs and providing working at a regional and national level. opportunities for growth and greater sustainability.

Access to specialist advice, grant MDNE collaborated with the wider CAN Impact funding, training and networks was Museum Development Network Maintaining and Improving Collection enabled through a range of projects (MDN) across the UK, to increase Management Standards and activity across areas such as the reach of the programme and 151 In partnership with The Bowes Museum, MDNE delivered collections care and management, ENQUIRIES ANSWERED the impact of public investment. the Conservation Advisory Network (CAN) raising learning, audience development, standards of collections care through free conservation volunteer management, governance Museum development activity was delivered with the support of 108 advice. Support included training covering topics such as and income generation. emergency planning, object cleaning, industrial heritage funding from Arts Council England ADVISORY VISITS conservation and marking and labelling. Partnership working was central (ACE), totalling £441,000. This to the programme, adding report presents the highlights of the Collections management support was enhanced through 59 collaborative working with the Collections Trust, and additional capacity and maximising programme’s achievements aligned TRAINING DAYS opportunities available to regional to ACE’s five strategic goals, workshops were programmed in response to regional museums. demonstrating its contribution to needs, focussing on documentation planning, collections review and rationalisation and backlogs. creating a resilient, vibrant and 397 STAFF AND relevant North East museum sector. VOLUNTEERS TRAINED Enabling New Partnerships MDNE collaborated with the Museum-University Partnership Initiative and the Share Academy, creating *TWAM has responsibility for providing opportunities for museums and universities to develop museum development support in the North East joint projects. Kirkleatham Museum secured Heritage region. It is one of nine development providers Lottery Funding to work with Teesside University, funded through Arts Council England to ensure celebrating the lives of iron and steelworkers through a that development support is available to all touring exhibition called Year of Steel. Accredited museums and those working towards Accreditation. Through the Ready to Borrow Scheme* an additional £180,000 was invested in 11 museums, enabling them to borrow significant items from national museums, *Capital funding for museums to upgrade building and including the British Museum, Tate, Imperial War display spaces administered Museum, and National Portrait Gallery as well as other by MDNE on behalf of ACE. regional museums. Goal 2: Everyone has the Goal 3: Museums are resilient and opportunity to experience and environmentally sustainable be inspired by museums

There is improved knowledge of museum There is increased resilience across the sector. audiences and more effective systems in place for Museums are more commercially aware, driven and are capturing visitor data. Museums have developed generating a greater proportion of their own income. focussed methodologies for increasing both Regular collection of core data is helping to build an numbers and reach and had the opportunity to evidence base to demonstrate the value and test new approaches and ways of working. economic importance of North East museums.

Accreditation in the North East Increasing Knowledge of Museum Audiences Increasing Resilience Enterprising Museums delivered bespoke support We now have The Understanding Audiences programme supported “ Tees Valley local authority museums over 3 years to 64 to implement realistic plans for improving an established establish a framework for visitor data collection. Working entrepreneurial practice. Seven organisations took ACCREDITED MUSEUMS mechanism to with the Audience Agency they adopted the Audience part, working towards reduced dependency on collect audience Finder methodology and the data is being used to inform current funding sources and an improved ability to programming, build an evidence base for advocacy, and 15 develop new sources of income. data… Without to shape audience development strategies including Tees MUSEUM MENTORS The programme also rolled out seminars and Valley’s bid for City of Culture 2025. this programme networking events for the wider region focussing the museum would Building and Diversifying Audiences on ‘building a successful 21st century museum’ and not have been MDNE worked with arts agency Arts&Heritage to different financial models. collating audience partner museums with UK and international artists Evidencing Impact as part of the Meeting Point project. Six North feedback.” In 2015 MDNE established an Annual Data Survey, East museums took part, each commissioning a helping to monitor regional trends, and providing Understanding Audiences new artwork produced in response to the venue’s participant. data to build and develop audiences, and inform collections, with the aim of developing new audiences “Enterprising and skills in commissioning artists. Museums has given strategy, advocacy and fundraising. The data supplied is providing evidence of the social and In 2017-18 over £29,000 of strategic grants were us a strategic way economic impact of North East museums. awarded to support audience development activity. forward... it’s Recipients included George Stephenson’s Birthplace Supporting Sector Standards which recruited an audience specialist to develop a changed the way MDNE provided technical advice to enable new audience engagement plan. The Heritage Centre, we think.” museums to achieve and maintain Accreditation. This MDNE marketing Bellingham used the funding to produce an audio Enterprising Museums participant Workshops promoting the requirements of initiative raised the profile of guide for blind, partially sighted and older visitors. the Accreditation standard were delivered in the region’s museum offer, partnership with other sector bodies and MDNE promoting over 70 museums supported the Museum Mentor scheme, helping via ilikemuseums.com and to develop museums that do not have qualified and Twitter @ilikemuseums experienced professional staff. Goal 4: The leadership and workforce Goal 5: Every child and young person in museums are diverse and has the opportunity to experience appropriately skilled the richness of museums

Increased partnership working, governance Museums have had access to networks, CPD support, as well as the new skills and knowledge opportunities and grant funding to continue gained through training, events and networking delivering excellence for children and young opportunities have all contributed to establishing a people, specifically around raising aspiration and stronger sector that is more appropriately skilled to attainment levels through quality engagement deliver all aspects of operations and management. with museum venues and collections.

Workforce Strengthening Links with Schools Development Upskilling the Workforce MDNE offered a comprehensive training and events Secret World of Schools was delivered in programme, ranging from collections care and The“ team have been partnership with Culture Bridge North East. 880 management workshops to social media, copyright, accessing Secret This series of workshops kept museums STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS and trustee training. Opportunities for networking World of Schools for up to date with changes in priorities for the TRAINED and knowledge exchange were enabled through region’s schools. some time. It has been strategic development support (Understanding 18 venues took part in the workshops which Audiences and Enterprising Museums), the annual very helpful as part of tackled topics ranging from measuring 102 Regional Gathering and CAN conference. the induction of new the impact of cultural learning and TRAINING EVENTS understanding the curriculum, through to DELIVERED Collaborations with external organisations including staff... and as top-up the Collections Trust, Association of Independent CPD and networking working with young people with special Museums, Museums Association, the Touring for other team educational needs and disabilities. Exhibitions Group and The Audience Agency provided additional support and specialist expertise members.” Ensuring Quality Engagement for Children for the sector. Secret World of Schools participant. and Young People In 2015-18, £20,540 of funding was “To have support Valuing Volunteers awarded to support engagement with from MDNE has Individuals volunteering their time to manage and children and young people. been a lifeblood operate small museums were supported through the Head of Steam Railway Museum in for us and has Volunteer Organisations’ Network (VON). The forum Darlington used grant funding to purchase been incredibly provided essential peer support and access to training equipment to develop activities for under and sector updates. supportive and 5s, tailored to their collections. Funding In partnership with the North West and Yorkshire, the has widened the range of activity the useful” Northern Museums Volunteer Pass was launched, offering museum offers and increased knowledge, Bailiffgate Museum free entry and other benefits to volunteers. This provided through the experience of working with the opportunity for volunteers to build relationships an early years specialist. and gain inspiration and ideas from other sites. Thank you to all the museums and partners we collaborated with in 2015-18. We look forward to working with you over the next four years.

To keep up to date with our new programme visit www.museumdevelopmentne.org.uk

Museum Development North East Discovery Museum Blandford Square Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4JA

[email protected] @MD_NorthEast EXAMPLES OF FUNDING AWARDED 2015-18 AMOUNT AWARDED SCHEME 2015-18 Small Grants Scheme £64,770

Strategic Grants £39,630

Ready to Borrow Scheme £180,000 BAILIFFGATE MUSEUM, ALNWICK Award: £37,536 19 ‘Ready to Borrow’ funding enabled BOWES RAILWAY, GATESHEAD 2 Bailiffgate Museum to host an Award: £1,044 exhibition of Harry Potter illustrations, in partnership with Seven Stories. To increase energy efficiency and improve The exhibition was shortlisted in the conditions for the collection, Bowes Railway Museums + Heritage Awards 2018. used Small Grants Scheme funding to replace their fluorescent lighting with LED tubing.

9 15 14 13

LADY WATERFORD HALL, 17 BERWICK-UPON-TWEED Award: £1,000 The venue received Small Grants Scheme funding to improve its shop display. “The project has enabled the Hall to extend what was previously a very limited retail offer and has resulted in a big increase in retail sales, providing

much needed revenue to the museum.” 18 1

Image: Kubbet Duris 1900, A_340 © Gertrude Bell Archive,

7 Newcastle University. KIRKLEATHAM MUSEUM, REDCAR Award: £11,205 Funding was awarded through the Ready to Borrow Scheme for the purchase of environmentally controlled exhibition cases.

21 This enabled the museum to borrow nationally

16 significant items, for the first time, from the

10 20 Imperial War Museum, British Museum, National Portrait Gallery and Newcastle University, for their Extraordinary Gertrude Bell exhibition. DURHAM MUSEUM & HERITAGE CENTRE

Award: £2,200 35 38

34 22 The museum received an Audience Development 26 27 30 Grant to broaden engagement with local schools 25 31 37 24 33 developing a new education programme in 5 12 partnership with Durham University. 32 4 8 28 11 6 23 29 3 39 40 36

42 HEAD OF STEAM, DARLINGTON Award: £553

49 Small Grants Scheme funding 46 44 53 provided resources to set up a 45 47 Dementia Café at the museum. 48 “The grant has enabled us to see the wider picture of how we can make 59 51 some easy changes and adaptions 62 57 DURHAM LIGHT INFANTRY to the museum to make it better for 50 COLLECTION 52 people with Dementia.” Award: £965 41 56 The museum received Small 60 Grants Scheme funding to update 43 61 their collections management 63 55 64 54 database, to make the collection 58 more accessible to the public.

ACCREDITED MUSEUMS IN THE NORTH EAST 2015-18

NORTHUMBERLAND TYNE & WEAR COUNTY DURHAM TEES VALLEY 1. Bailiffgate Museum 12. Housesteads Roman Fort 22. Arbeia Roman Fort 33. Souter Lighthouse 41. Aycliffe and District Bus 54. Captain Cook Birthplace Museum & Museum* Preservation Society 2. Berwick-Upon-Tweed 13. Lady Waterford Hall 34. South Shields Museum 55. Cleveland Ironstone Borough Museum and 23. Bowes Railway Museum & Arts Gallery* 42. Beamish, The Living Museum Mining Museum 14. Lindisfarne Castle Art Gallery of The North* 24. Discovery Museum* 35. Stephenson Railway 56. Dorman Memorial Museum 15. Lindisfarne Priory 3. Cherryburn Thomas Bewick’s Museum* 43. The Bowes Museum* 25. Great North Museum: 57. Art Gallery Birthplace 16. Morpeth Chantry Bagpipe Hancock* 36. Sunderland Museum & 44. Durham Light Infantry Collection Museum 58. Head of Steam - Darlington Railway 4. Chesterholm Museum - Winter Gardens 26. Hatton Gallery* 45. Durham Museum Centre and Museum Vindolanda 17. RNLI Grace Darling Museum 37. The Light Dragoons and Heritage Centre 27. Laing Art Gallery* 59. Museum 5. Chesters Roman Fort 18. The Fusiliers Museum of (15th/19th The King’s 46. Durham University, Northumberland 28. Monkwearmouth Royal Hussars) Museum 60. Kirkleatham Museum 6. Corbridge Roman Site Durham Castle Station Museum Museum 19. The King’s Own Scottish 38. Tynemouth Volunteer Life 61. Middlesbrough Institute 47. Durham University, Borderers Regimental 29. North East Land, Sea and Brigade Watch House of Modern Art (MIMA) 7. Cragside Museum of Archaeology Museum Air Museum 39. Washington ‘F’ Pit 62. Museum of Hartlepool 8. George Stephenson’s 48. Durham University, 20. Wallington 30. Segedunum Roman Fort, Museum Birthplace Oriental Museum 63. Ormesby Hall Baths & Museum* 21. Woodhorn Museum 40. Washington Old Hall 9. Heatherslaw Corn Mill 49. Killhope Museum 64. Preston Park Museum and Grounds 31. Seven Stories, The 10. Heritage Centre, Bellingham National Centre for 50. Locomotion: The National Children’s Books Railway Museum at Shildon 11. Hexham Old Gaol

32. The Shipley Art Gallery* 51. Auckland Castle Trust, No. 42 Market Place 52. Sedgefield Borough Council *Major Partner Museum in 2015-18, not eligible for MDNE funding Collection at Locomotion 53. Weardale Museum