from Trevor Davies
I would like to record my thanks to the Stewards’ team who have volunteered to steward the Museum continuously for the first three months of the season. Volunteers have come forward in a timely fashion, so, as a result, there have been very few lastminute concerns. We still have the second half of the season to go, so please keep an eye on the available sessions on the regular updates of the stewards’ schedule. Ben Timmis, newly elected to the Committee, will be taking over the scheduling of stewards from me – in the early days, I will be supporting him.
Treasure Hunt and Brownie Visit
Gordon Braddock organised a very successful Treasure Hunt on 21st June. This was the first hunt we had run since 2019, so Gordon did a remarkable job, almost starting from scratch. Anne Adamson, Christine, and Terry Stubbington helped Gordon with administration and refreshments. The Treasure Hunt was well-supported by the local scouts. Shelagh Standen hosted the first of a series of Brownie pack sessions planned for the summer at the Museum.
Maintenance
Our landlords, overseen by Tony Stimson, have been repairing the structure of the building. The roof above the main exhibition room has been repaired, but the repair has not yet been fully tested! A new blue front door has been installed. The expectation is that it will be more weatherproof, but again it has not yet been fully tested. Sadly, there has been a delay on the window because it was more rotten than first thought, so it will have to be remade, rather than repaired. Tony is pushing for the window to be replaced as soon as possible because its absence makes the Museum look rather scruffy. Work is also required on the uprights supporting the store in the southwest corner.
Website
Trevor Smith has been working with Clive Roberts on a revised website which will allow more of our collection (particularly the photographs) to be available online. The changeover will take place shortly. In the meantime, the Committee has set up an IT subcommittee to recommend changes to improve our online and museum services. In particular, to make them easily accessible to members of the Trust and the general public.
Talks
Nigel Gossop has been working on the talks programme for next winter. Details of the planned talks this autumn are on page 3. I hope you will agree that it is a programme that is both diverse and fascinating. So, buy your tickets from Bookends as soon as you can after 1st September!
Projects
We are beginning to think about the projects for winter 2023/24. Firstly, we will continue the campaign to redecorate the Main Room, focussing on the western end. As you will be aware, this is not an easy task. Secondly, we are considering how we can fit in an extra display case to house the Black Rod uniform. In the short term, we have moved some displays around within the Museum to simulate one of the alternatives. I would welcome feedback as we evaluate the options.
Brickmaking
As you know, the Museum only accepts objects with a strong Emsworth provenance, simply because we do not have the space to do anything else. As you will see overleaf, the Brickmaking exhibition has triggered the donation of some locally made bricks as used on the Museum building which we have accepted into the collection.
