Blaenau Gwent Access to Heritage Project

Blaenau Gwent Access to Heritage Project

Blaenau Gwent Access to Heritage Project - Summary

Blaenau Gwent is fortunate in having collections of artefacts, photographs, publications and data and, most importantly, a pool of dedicated volunteer effort and expertise that have huge potential as a means of offering greater access to heritage and learning opportunities. These are:

  • Five independent, community museums and their collections,
  • Six independent Community Archive Groups and their digital archives,
  • the Blaenau Gwent Libraries Local History Collection,
  • the Blaenau Gwent Heritage Database.

Although effective individual partnerships already exist between the County Borough and the various organisations and people holding these resources, they are not currently being use to their full educational or social potential.

The Blaenau Gwent Access to Heritage Project aims to make all these valuable resources physically and intellectually accessible to as wide a range of users as possible. An inclusive, learning-centred partnership between all these organisations can fulfil this potential and unlock a wide range of exciting and inspirational learning opportunities for the people of the Blaenau Gwent.

The partners in the project will be:

The Gwent Record Office

Blaenau Gwent Libraries Local History Collection

Blaenau Gwent Heritage Forum

BlainaHeritageActionGroupMuseum

Brynmawr and DistrictMuseum

Ebbw Vale Works Archival TrustMuseum

Tredegar and DistrictMuseum

Blaina Community Archive Group

Brynmawr Community Archive Group

Cwm and Waunlwyd Community Archive Group

Ebbw Vale and District Community Archive Group

Tredegar Community Archive Group

Friends of St. Illtyd’s Church

Nantyglo and Blaina Charter Group

The project will achieve its aims by carrying out the following actions:

1, Appointment of “Access to Heritage” Officer, Full time, 3 year contract (Grade 7, SCP 29) to deliver the project programme, i.e. establish effective partnerships, deliver the 3-Year Activity Plan, develop and deliver Access to Heritage Project outcomes.

2, Appointment of Documentation Officer, Half-time, 3 year contract (Grade 7 SCP 29) to document local voluntary museum collections, document the Blaenau Gwent Local Studies Collection, support and advise local groups re. documentation and cataloguing, enable local collections to be accessible via the web. The officer will have a key role in training local groups and capacity building in terms of documentation of collections.

3, Delivering the 3-year Project Action Plan and meeting the agreed measurable outcomes.

Project Outcomes

The measurable outcomes for the project are:

  • Securing funding from HLF and CyMAL (£250,000)
  • Appointment of Access to heritage Officer and Documentation Officer
  • The creation of the learning partnership
  • On-going training sessions for partner organisations (three contact days per week, see below)
  • Improved accessibility to the Blaenau Gwent Local Studies Collection (100% increase in visitor figures and enquires compared against initial audit)
  • The development of a dedicated Blaenau Gwent Access to heritage website the measurable targets for the website are:
  • 6 community archives hosted and accessible
  • 200% increase in hits on community archive pages
  • 4 Museum “home pages” and databases
  • Improved school resources including on-line resources (15 on-line packs i.e. 1 per community archive, 2 per museum)
  • School visit workshops developed (11 i.e. 1 per partner)
  • Themed Exhibitions (5 i.e. 1 per museum and 1 for St. Illtyd’s church)
  • Schools visit formats (15 on-line packs, i.e. 1 per community archive, 2 per museum)
  • Development of 6 themed walks (1 per community)
  • Development of 3 Welsh language activities (in consultation with Ysgol Gymraeg Bro Helyg)
  • Increased promotion to schools and colleges (200% increase in visitors figures or contact time compared against initial audit)
  • Improved FE and HE resources including on-line material (11 on-line packs, i.e. 1 per partner)
  • Improved promotion and marketing of the Community Archive Groups (200% increase in number of hits via website, 200% increase in visits, 12 new volunteers recruited compared against initial audit)
  • Offer 6 reminiscence activities in local care homes/hospitals
  • Development of handling boxes for 4 museums
  • Offer 6 inset training days for primary and secondary school teachers
  • Offer 3 inset days for FE/HE lecturers
  • Development of 4 outreach workshops and open days for adult learners
  • Development of 8 outreach workshops and open days for younger members of the local community
  • Development of 8 outreach workshops and open days for older members of the local community
  • Development of 4 outreach workshops for groups with special needs
  • Offer 8 special sessions or evening openings for local groups (e.g. WI, Church Groups etc)
  • Offer 6 Living History Days with costumed enactors
  • Offer 6 training sessions for Family History.

Volunteers in the heritage groups will be offered training in the following areas;

  • IT skills
  • Scanning images and loading data onto computers
  • Uploading material to website
  • Museum Documentation (Spectrum procedures)
  • Museum Cataloguing (via Collections Trust cards, SHIC and or Catalist)
  • Museum Collection care and basic conservation
  • Museum Accreditation standards
  • Collections for the future
  • Museum Education – preparing resources
  • Museum Education – different audiences
  • Development of school resources (via contact with teachers)
  • Development of FE resources (via contacts with lectures)
  • Development of HE resources (via contact with UHOVI)
  • The National Curriculum and the Cwricwlwm Cymreig
  • DDA Requirements
  • DDA and Access Awareness
  • Outreach techniques
  • Family History Resources
  • Audience Development
  • Interpretation
  • Welcome Host Training
  • Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults
  • Establishing Handling Collections
  • Oral History – how to do it
  • Dealing with Special Needs
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