Conference Call

A busy and exciting week since our last posting from South Somerset District Council’s Community Heritage Access Centre, near Yeovil.

So far, we have sent off for the first proof copy of the 2017 Celebrating Yeovil Calendar, finalised more of our Summer Town House Exhibition and our volunteers have celebrated their 2-year anniversary of volunteering with a meal in Stoke Sub-Hamdon.

The big event of the week was our attendance at Yeovil University Centre Student Conference at Yeovil College University Centre, Mudford Road, Yeovil on Wednesday 25^th May 2016.

This was a student led conference displaying a range of professional skills, including presentations and discussions on a variety of themes spanning across English and History. The conference showed the skills and knowledge gained over three years on the students’ degree course.

A notable element of these skills and knowledge were gained at CHAC as the students visited between November 2015 and February 2016, to learn about some of the key tasks staff carry out to care for the collection.

These included accessioning photographs; conservation cleaning of objects and downloading information on relative humidity and temperature to see what the climatic conditions were like in the stores; (Not to mention a chemise worn by Queen Victoria!)

The students had reflected these ‘rewarding visits’ in their ‘Student Market’ portfolio displays, with academic blogs ‘linked to a local museum’ (guess who!) and photographs of their time with staff carrying out their activities like cleaning or even locating selected objects in the store.

In the morning, we learnt about the students’ courses with elements of creative writing, journalism, teaching abilities, blogging and editorial pieces. After a refreshing lunch, in the afternoon session, the four students each gave a presentation. Three of these were critiques of novels around a specific theme, including Neoliberal Corruption; identity and the circularity of Life or approaches to narrative.

Staff from CHAC were thanked specifically for their help during the course, especially for providing access to a work-based environment and examples of actual work that has to be completed to ensure the best quality of care for the items and photographs. Staff did not realise how much they had helped and encouraged the students – and dare we say – how much fun we enjoyed along the way!

Fundamentally, the conference was a reminder to Staff of the significance of connecting with a new part of the community and that the care carried out is worthwhile and has a purpose.

CHAC Staff with Yeovil University Centre Students –

Yeovil University Centre Students with Staff and Lecturers

 

 

A Broad Gauge Platform

We have enjoyed a busy and fun week since our last posting from South Somerset District Council’s Community Heritage Access Centre, near Yeovil.

Highlights this week have included an invitation to a celebration of the Great Western Railway around Yeovil. This is due to be held at the Ninesprings Café, Yeovil on Wednesday 9^th March 2016 from 2pm to 6pm. We were asked if CHAC had any objects or documents for a display at the event.

Staff searched the database and created a pdf document of relevant items to check and for future reference. The subsequent results proved remarkably intriguing and ranged from a porter’s peak cap to a ‘mustering ticket’ from Martock Station for GWR employees also belonging to the Home Guard.

In thought-provoking comparisons we have a dramatic photograph of a railway accident in 1913 and a small folded card with a poem commemorating those lives lost in the same tragedy. At the other end of the ‘social spectrum’ is a selection of receipts from the former Thorpe’s Chip Ship at Sherborne Road, Yeovil. The Chip Shop’s connection with the GWR lay with the large quantities of potatoes; fish and oil which were ordered and arrived by train. These will make another notable contrast with images of Yeovil Town Station and Hendford Halt, as well as photographs of the Chip Shop Itself!

The selection of the objects also helped when we were asked to provide a photograph to advertise the event!

This Thursday also saw the last weekly ‘staff led’ activity with our group of Yeovil University Centre Students, co-incidentally looking at Children’s Activities. We shared knowledge of our current activities including talks, archaeology finds afternoons and photograph afternoons. These emphasised CHAC’s location, as we tend to have bookable events, with around 20 places available and set at 2pm-4pm due to parking availability! However, we also looked at the events we have enjoyed ‘in the community’ with decorating cotton gloves when we met her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh and gargoyles at Milford Road Community Hall.

The afternoon was completed by some superb and imaginative word searches, mosaic floor title colouring and rather grand cotton glove decorating!

We also referred back to Social Media as we hosted a Social Media Training Workshop at SSDC Headquarters on Tuesday. The Trainer provided a particularly varied (and quite exotic sounding!) list of social media platforms for attracting new ‘followers’ to (and of) CHAC – which could be used to advertise our activities and tours – an exciting development.We wish to thank the Yeovil University Centre Students as the sharing of staff knowledge actually served to remind us of the significance of the processes we have in place and that we achieve quite a lot!

Some of the items we aim to display at the Yeovil GWR Afternoon on Wednesday 9th March 2016

Some of the creativity created by the Yeovil University Centre Students