DESIGN and planning work is now underway at Kirkleatham Museum following the announcement earlier this month that it is to receive a £272,000 grant.
The funding will support the redevelopment of Kirkleatham Museum’s permanent galleries and the announcement has placed the much-loved Tees Valley institution firmly in the spotlight. As the long-term planning gets underway, the museum continues to attract thousands of visitors and a brand new exhibition about dinosaurs is a major hit. Below, frontline worker Lisa Wilson tells of her work on a typical, often hectic, day.
Day-in-the-life of a museum Visitor Ambassador
“I love my job – I love people, I love children, I love making people happy…I love this museum!,” says Lisa who says her job serving 80,000 visitors a year and more is a “joy” and explains she enjoys seeing visitors who had thought museums where “highfalutin” have fun and become firm converts is a special part of the job.
Early Morning
At 5.45am I head to the gym in Thornaby from my home in and sometimes, - in the nicer weather, anyway - cycle to Kirkleatham from there. It gives me time to think about the day ahead and I get to work at about 8.30am.
If our caretaker isn’t here, I will open up. I make sure the shop is full, vacuum and clean the glass cases. You always have to really think about what’s coming up that day, because it can be very different from the one before. That changing nature of the work is a big reason why I like working here. I’ve been at the council for 15 years, but for the first five, I had office-based jobs. I liked it and had no thought of working in the museum until I was asked if I’d consider joining the team. I thought, ‘I’ll give it a go,’ but as soon as I started, I knew I didn’t want to work anywhere else. You’re up and about engaging with people – you’re not stuck behind a desk.
When we have a new exhibition, we often create a new display in the shop based on what’s new. It’s something creative which I really enjoy. Another day we might be preparing for new activities, say for children in the summer holidays. Or helping with an installation for an exhibition. Or many other things.
Late Morning
Doors open at 10am. Sometimes there’s a big queue, especially in school holidays or when there’s a new exciting activity, like the pirates week we have planned for the summer or a new exhibition, like the dinosaur one which opened recently.
We talk to customers all the time. I’ll often replenish the craft materials in the ever-popular child craft area and make regular patrols to make sure everything is in place, clean and tidy and that everyone, visitors and colleagues, are OK.
Early afternoon
If it’s busy, I’ll usually be the till in the shop – and there can be no let-up. It’s a key part of my job, and we’re always conscious that we’re ambassadors not only for the museum but the whole borough and wider region.
If it’s quieter, you can really take time engage with visitors - my favourite part of the job. I love helping the children in the craft area and helping put the idea in their heads that a museum is a fun and interesting place to be.
I really enjoy chatting with people who wouldn’t necessarily think about coming to a museum. You often hear people say they thought museums were kind of too highfalutin or ‘clever’ for them. For me – and all of the brilliant team here – it’s a joy to see them slowly realise that this is really a fun, interactive, joyful place – a very long way from that old image of dusty exhibits behind glass cases. They open up more and more. And it’s not hard to get talking when there’s so much of interest here. For example, you might get an old ironworks worker really engaging with the Steel Stories exhibition, or someone recalling their childhood trips to Redcar in Ian MacDonald’s brilliant photography exhibition about the town. It’s lovely to see.
Late afternoon
We’re all proud to work together and support with planning ahead. Obviously, the big decisions are taken by our managers – but we are a real team and all of us are needed to make every new development a success. We all chat and get involved in the practicalities of preparing, not only for the next day but further ahead. If it’s the school summer holidays, we’re making sure that we have enough stock and materials to cope. At other times, it could be thinking about special occasions and launches or what’s needed for or to link in with special activities for children - it could be a treasure hunt, or something related to the season, you name it!
When it’s time to leave, I’m always ready for home but happy after a hard-but-enjoyable day’s work. I can say with no doubt at all in my mind that this is the best job I’ve ever had - I often say that if Carlsberg had museums, this would be one of them.
I want the whole world to come and find out for themselves. Just don’t forget to say ‘hello’ when you come!