New head of Museums and Galleries for Bradford Council
Bradford Council is delighted to announce the appointment of a new head of Museums and Galleries, James Steward.
James comes to the service from Colchester and Ipswich Museums where his Service has recently won a Museums and Heritage Award for its co-curated exhibition ‘The Power of Stories’ and where he has implemented a number of great plans and improvements, including National Portfolio Organisation status and the successful National Heritage Lottery Fund application for the £8.7m redevelopment of Ipswich Museum.
James says he is `delighted to be joining Bradford at an exciting time of development and change for the Museums and Galleries Service and in the middle of Bradford’s transformational cultural ambitions including the bid for City of Culture 2025’
James will join the Service on 6th June 2022, succeeding Rosie Crook, Interim Museums and Galleries Manager, who is retiring.
Rosie would like to say a huge thank you to all volunteers for your fantastic support, both in and out of the pandemic and all its challenges. You have kept us going with your enthusiasm and brilliant ideas and more importantly you have made a massive difference to how visitors experience the Museums and Galleries Service.We are really really grateful and hope you go from strength to strength.
Congratulations and welcome James. We'll miss you Rosie!
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VOLUNTEERS' WEEK 2022
A time to say thanks!
Volunteers' Week is an annual celebration of the contribution millions of people make across the UK through volunteering.
Join us this year to recognise the fantastic contribution volunteers make to our museums and say thank you.
Look out for social media updates during this prominent week featuring all things BMG volunteering. If you have met any of our volunteers and love them, let us know! @BradfordMuseums on Twitter and Facebook. #monthofcommunity
Or even better, pop in to one of our museums and say hi!
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Kickstart
Bradford Museums and Galleries currently have 9 new Kickstart apprentices. They follow the 1st cohort of 6 who left us in January after 6 months and successfully moved on to good jobs within the council including theatres, childrens services, NHS, Estates and Facilities and city centre based catering/cafes.
Welcome now to:
Hamza - Better Impact Volunteer Administrator, Cartwright Hall Art Gallery
Kourtnai - Catering Assistant, Refreshment Room Cafe, Cartwright Hall Gallery
Antony - Catering Assistant, Refreshment Room Cafe, Cartwright Hall Gallery
Mohammed - Catering Assistant, Refreshment Room Cafe, Cartwright Hall Gallery
Khalid - Catering Assistant, Refreshment Room Cafe, Cartwright Hall Gallery
Paul - Front of House Reception Assistant, Cartwright Hall Gallery
Aaron - Front of House Reception Assistant, Bradford Industrial Museum
Will - Front of House Reception Assistant, Cliffe Castle Museum
Kieran - Front of House Reception Assistant, Bolling Hall Museum
Drop in and say hi!
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International Women's Day
We had a busy start the new year with our volunteer teams settling in and getting creative once our buildngs were all open following lock downs.
IWD2022 in March, was a great inspiration as a theme for our Weaving Volunteers at the Industrial Museum. A good Sunday afternoon was had by all with over 200 visitors in attendance celebrating all things volunteering, women, weaving, spinning, knitting, shopping, morris dancing, and obviously tea cake. It was fabulous to see the Weaving and Spinning galleries filled with handmade textiles to buy and spinning wheels and looms to have a go on. But hearing clogs with bells dancing on the mill cobbles outside made it extra special, espicially as the Buttercross Belles are a Suffragette morris style of dance and costume.
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Cherry Blossom Festival
In May we celebrated at Bolling Hall Museum. BMG Volunteer Bolling Gardeners were keen to highlight the now infamous magnificent cherry trees in the museum gardens. They weren't wrong to do so! Nearly 2 000 visitors joined them on a sunny May day to plant bulbs, decorate plant pots, make tissue blossom, dance with fairies, follow a fairy trail and vist the museum library for storytime sessions. Of course tea, coffee, cake and samosas by the Wakefield Road Guru Nanak Gurdwara were incredibly welcomed. Thanks to Rainbow Morris who provided outdoor dance, music and morris dancing lessons! That was serioiusly fun....
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Volunteer roles are updated and always to found on the website: https://bradfordmuseums.org/volunteering/
Bradford Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers
Ruby, Ruby, Ruby! Revealing a limited edition poster designed by volunteer Rose and handprinted by print volunteers at BradfordIndustrialMuseum to celebrate an upcoming anniversary exhibition for the Bradford Guild of Weavers Spinners and Dyers. Did you know that the Guild are based at the museum, meeting once a month, and volunteering in the weaving and spinning galleries every Thursday, 10am - 3pm.
Wheels, looms and knitting needles!
Need some fibre-y social time?
FREE entry. Drop in anytime or stay all day. Suitable for all ages.
Bring your own projects to work on, plus members of Bradford Guild of Weavers Spinners and Dyers will be demonstrating spinning and are happy to chat about what they are doing. This year is their ruby 40th anniversary, drop in to see their yearly display and treat yourself to some very beautiful handmade woollen textiles.
 
Jubilee Of Queen Elizabeth II
In 2022, Queen Elizabeth II celebrates her Platinum Jubilee, having reigned for 70 years. To celebrate this historic milestone, a bank holiday weekend from the 2nd to 5th of June 2022 was declared for four days of public events and community activities.
Volunteers will be as busy as ever at Bolling Hall Museum Thursday to Sunday 2 - 5 June, 11am - 3pm with library storytimes, gardeners helping you to plant and decorate your pot to take home, crafts with 2 of our Kickstart apprentices - Kieran and Hamza, and look out for 2 new rose bushes being planted in the gardens by volunteer Bob -celebrate the Jubilee, they are called "Queen Elizabeth".
On Saturday 4 June, 11am - 3pm the first 100 visitors to the Industrial Museum can collect their FREE limited edition Jubilee bookmark. Handprinted and set by the volunteer Moorside Printers in the print gallery. Throughout the day enjoy a 1950s band, street party with street games and see the staff and volunteers dressed up for 1950s nostalgia.
 
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