Training grant – AIM Setting up a new museum workshop

Setting Up a New Museum Workshops

Report from Lancashire Heritage (2018) CIC as Attendee

We attended both workshops and found they were pitched at exactly the right level for our needs. We especially found useful the mix of both the high-level strategic themes and on the ‘detail’. Having produced a business plan and then refined it in the light of the pandemic impacts, it is still quite easy to forget some of the key issues and to be reminded about ‘Purpose’ running through everything was very useful. Equally, the consideration of Inclusion, Tackling Inequality and the Visitor Experience were important learning points.

We are only too well aware of the funding challenges for the museum sector following the impacts of the pandemic and the national financial crisis which is gathering pace. Nevertheless, the section on finance, budgets, cashflow and the need to have board members/trustees with financial expertise was useful. Unfortunately, far too much of our board’s direct capacity is being used on engagement activities (critical for a new-start museum) and in trying to secure funding to support engagement work. The workshop didn’t provide a solution to this, but we didn’t expect it to! (We just hope AIM can use its influence to ensure that new museums can access funding as we have been hit even harder than established museums).

The presenters were excellent and there was a lot to be gained from discussion and chat points. We are grateful to AIM for the opportunity and financial support to attend these workshops.

Graham Fairhurst, Board Member and Project Manager

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