A message from AIM Director, Lisa Ollerhead

To all AIM members,

Once again, it feels like we are entering a (more) worrying and unpredictable time. More information is below about last night’s announcements that England is moving into ‘Plan B’, returning to several measures which had remained in place in Scotland and Wales.

AIM is currently running two resilience schemes for museum leaders, one in Wales and one in England. I know that you are tired. And how unwelcome this worsening public health situation is, both personally and professionally.

Yesterday I attended a roundtable with the Commissioner for Cultural Recovery and Renewal and the Minister for Arts, alongside Emmie Kell (currently at the Cornwall Museums Partnership and shortly to move to the Arts Council to lead on museums) and a number of performing arts sector leaders.

I relayed to them the growing impact of the new variant, on staff and on visitors, and that what was always going to be a challenging winter seems to be slipping away even more. What was scheduled a few weeks ago as an optimistic session looking ahead to 2022 was much more subdued, but I am confident that DCMS have heard our alarm bells. We will keep talking to DCMS, and the Arts Council, Welsh Government, Museums and Galleries Scotland, and National Lottery Heritage Fund over the coming days so they know what you are experiencing and the support you need.

Over the coming weeks AIM will be in touch with you more often, to let you know what’s happening with Covid and the implications for museums and heritage – and to remind you that we are here to support you. Please do let us know how things are with you and your organisations, and especially come forward if your organisation is at risk of insolvency in the coming weeks. I can be contacted on lisa.ollerhead@aim-museums.co.uk.

Best wishes,

Lisa (AIM Director)

Click here to see the key updates to restrictions and what this means for museums>>