Welcome to your September Newsletter!

The kids are going back to school and so are we! Today we're launching our autumn SW Skills programme, full of free online training covering a wide range of topics and museum practices. More sessions will go live over the autumn, so keep an eye out. 

If that wasn't enough, from today you can apply for our Capacity Builder grants to fund your own skills development and learning. Don't forget, your museum can now apply to join our Volunteering fit for the Future programme. If you have any questions, please get in touch with your local, place-based Museum Development Officer. 

In this newsletter we're also celebrating Railway 200 with a special blog looking at how heritage organisations across the South West are marking the occasion. You can also find in this issue your usual sector news and grants.

Our latest programme of training is now live. It includes popular topics such as creating family friendly museums and preparing for your Accreditation return. Get all the information you need about applying for Volunteering Fit for the Future by signing up to Foundations of Volunteer Involvement. 

You can also book onto a wide range of national training from Collections Trust, covering object entry to documentation planning and more. If you’re looking to reduce your museum’s environmental impact, then there is support available for those who want to undertake the Carbon Literacy for Museums training, as well as further training for those who are already certified.

Today we’re opening round 2 of Capacity Builder for applications! These grants unlock opportunities for those working and volunteering in museums to develop skills and build confidence. Individuals, teams or groups of museums can apply, and we accept applications from freelance consultants who have a current contract with an eligible museum.

Individuals can apply for up to £500, teams from the same museum can apply for up to £1,000, and collaborations between museums can apply for up to £1,500. The deadline to apply is 12 noon on Monday 29 September.

There are lots of ways this grant can be used, from conference costs to in-house training and team away days. Take some inspiration from last year's recipients and read about how they used their grants!

200 years ago, on 27 September, if you want to be specific, the modern railway was born! Railway 200 is a cross-country initiative to celebrate this history-making moment, with nationwide events taking place throughout 2025. There are lots of different ways that heritage sites have been taking part in Railway 200, and we thought that in our latest blog we’d take a look at what activity has been happening in the South West.  

On five dates throughout the summer holidays, Dean Forest Railway ran a ticketed heritage diesel railcar journey with a Railway 200 theme. There was an on-board display with information about the significance of Railway 200 and a history of the Dean Forest Railway.

Earlier this year, Gloucestershire Archives and Gloucester Railway Station collaborated on a new exhibition for Railway 200. This exhibition celebrated the achievements of Asian and Caribbean people who have worked in the UK rail industry.

Bishop’s Waltham Museum have put on an exhibition displaying  railway letter stamps, maps, a locally made clock with a railway time hand and much more, including a vintage train set. 

The Watercress Line's education and outreach team embarked on a community engagement textile project to commemorate the anniversary. They worked with over 100 individuals to create a three dimensional interpretation piece which highlighted key themes, topics, years and milestones from the past 200 years.

This September there are new Accreditation achievements in our area to celebrate! Congratulations to all of the following museums:

Gift Aid Awareness Day is coming soon

Since 2018, charities across the UK have been sharing the #TickTheBox message with donors, supporters, volunteers and others on one day in October. This year, Gift Aid Awareness Day will be held on Thursday 9 October.

Join the Charity Finance Group's #TickTheBox campaign and increase engagement with Gift Aid by sharing the impact Gift Aid has had on your museum, or by recognising your supporters’ generosity. Show people why it is so important to #TickTheBox!

The Charity Finance Group have launched a campaign toolkit, which includes logos, social media graphics and a 'how-to' guide on how to make the most out of Gift Aid Awareness day.

AIM Conference 2026 Speaker Call Out

Have you got something great to shout about? The Association of Independent Museums (AIM) are looking for proposals for breakout sessions for next year’s AIM Conference at Ushaw Historic House and Gardens, and Beamish in County Durham on 10 and 11 June 2026. 

The breakout sessions will reflect on the themes of relevance for resilience, building the brand, and entrepreneurialism.

To propose a session, fill out this form by Wednesday 24 September 2025. If you have any questions get in touch via aimadmin@aim-museums.co.uk.

New Book on Cultural Digital Content

Do you want to improve your museum's digital offer? Digital Content in Museums by Georgina Brooke, author of the Cultural Content newsletter, comes out on Monday 15 September.

The book covers three main topics; how to make your cultural institution more visible online, how to improve the usability and engagement of your content online, and how cultural organisations can produce strategic and creative content to forward their mission and vision. It features case studies from the Tank Museum in Dorset as well as a range of cultural institutions across the UK.

‘Spaces, Places and Belonging’ Community Hub

The ‘Spaces, Places and Belonging’ Community Hub is a new national programme led by The National Archives in partnership with Leeds Museums & Galleries, the National Library of Wales, and the Community Archives & Heritage Group. Funded by the AHRC (UKRI), the Hub will support inclusive, community-led research across the UK’s galleries, libraries, archives, and museums (GLAM) and heritage sectors.

It will offer three grant schemes—Seed Corn Grants, Skills Bursaries, and Project Grants—totalling £550,000, alongside a programme of training, digital skills development, and network-building. The Hub will also create a permanent digital platform to share resources, learning, and best practice. Applications for Seed Corn Grants and Skills Bursaries open on the Monday 15 September 2025.

There will be a launch webinar on Wednesday 17 September 2025 to take you through each grant scheme in detail, covering everything from eligibility to assessment criteria to budgets. There will also be a Q&A at the end to enable you to ask any extra questions you may have about this programme.

Benefact Group - Movement for Good

The Movement for Good Awards is the Benefact Group's annual programme of giving that anyone can get involved in. This year they aim to donate over £1 million to charities and good causes.

Until Tuesday 16 December 2025, you can nominate your favourite charity or charities for an award of £1,000 – it’s one nomination per charity, per person. The more nominations a charity gets, the better their chances of being drawn, so once you’ve nominated your museum share with your visitors and supporters.

The best ways to get in touch are via the form on our website or by emailing museum.development@bristol.gov.uk

If you think a colleague or friend would like to keep up to date
with Museum Development South West, please forward this email or encourage them to join our newsletter by clicking below:

Museum Development South West content: