Agenda item

To consider the King’s Lynn Museum Report.

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The Chair invited the Assistant Head of Museums to provide an overview on how the Museums staff had worked in difficult circumstances during the Pandemic.  The Assistant Head of Museums provided an overview on how the Museums services was responding to Covid as set out in section 1.12 of the report.

The Assistant Head of Museums/Curator Lynn Museum presented a report which provided information in the King’s Lynn Museum activities for the period October 2021 to January 2022.

The Assistant Head of Museums/Curator, Lynn Museum responded to questions and comments in relation to:

·         Flexible staff working arrangements to deliver Museums events during the Pandemic.

·         Summer Exhibition of Turner Painting – Walton Bridges and opportunity for curriculum activities with schools during the autumn term.  Could the Turner Exhibition be linked with the maps that exist of Lynn and all the bridges the Ouse and the town and be available for sale in the Museum shop.  The Curator undertook to look at opportunities to make connections and gave examples of the website, social media and other events. With regard to the sale of maps, the Curator undertook to explore possible retail development with the newly appointed Retail Manager.

·         Black Abolitionists Exhibition – Reference was made to Thomas Clarkson in Wisbech and the potential to link with local connections.  The Curator explained that Museums throughout the UK were developing awareness on the abolition of slavery.

·         Lull  - a new audio walk for winter exploring how plants, animals and fungi survive the darkest months. Packs also being available to purchase at Corn Exchange/other venues when the Museum was closed.  The Curator to advise how many packs had been purchased and forward information to Committee. The Curator to enquire if it would be possible if Lull packs could be purchased in other venues.

·         Lynn Museum Seahenge Exhibition – loan to British Museum 17 February to 17 July 2022 and opportunity to promote the Lynn Museum/King’s Lynn alongside the exhibition by having local information leaflets available for visitors. The Assistant Head of Museums undertook to explore the suggestion.

·         Friends of Lynn Museum and recruitment of new Members to undertake committee roles – information to be forwarded to the Committee to promote joining the Friends of Lynn Museum (the Chair to discuss with the Curator) and Councillor Bambridge kindly offered to circulate the information amongst the societies she attends. 

·         Re-establishing coffee mornings at the Lynn Museum and linking with the care homes in King’s Lynn.

·         Number of school visits scheduled.

·         Recruitment, role, importance and management of volunteers. 

·         Vaughan Williams 150^th Anniversary Celebration of Man and Music Magazine – Councillor A Tyler explained that copies could be obtained to display in Lynn Museum/Stories of Lynn.

·         NMS Teaching Museum traineeship – new Curatorial West Norfolk Trainee to start in April 2022.                      

On behalf of the Committee, the Chair thanked the officers for the report and for the excellent effort that had been put into flexible working arrangements to promote the Lynn Museum and Stories of Lynn during the Pandemic, specifically the provision on online events.

AGREED:  The report be noted.