Welcome to your June Newsletter

In this month's newsletter, we're launching our collection of brand new resources to help your museum asses and manage the hazards in your collections. 

We also have many Accreditation successes this month, and to keep the momentum going we are are recruiting Accreditation Mentors. You can find out more about being an Accreditation Mentor in our new SW Museum Skills session on Wednesday 15 July. 

Talking of SW Museum Skills, don't miss your change to prepare for upcoming Local Authority Reorganisation with our online workshop on Tuesday 16 June. 

Lastly, don't forget that the Annual Museum Survey 2026 will close Tuesday 30 June. You don't have long to submit your response!

How do you tackle a difficult subject like hazards in your collection and get the rest of your team on board? You watch a friendly but focussed animation to get the conversation started!

Following the success of The Museum Life of Pests, we were thrilled to work with Kilogramme Animation to create a five minute film to introduce the topic of hazards in collections and help museums start to create their Hazard Management Action Plan.

The film is called Hazards in Collections: Reducing the Risk and can be found on our website along with a Hazards in Collections handbook, a Hazardous Objects Register template and other resources, all free to download, thanks to funding from National Lottery Heritage Fund and Art Fund, supported by Arts Council England.

Did you know the South West has the largest proportion of volunteer run museums of any English region? For those that are Accredited or want to be, that means having an Accreditation Mentor to help them navigate the process of Accreditation. And we need more Mentors!

Do you have experience of museum Accreditation and would like to support a smaller volunteer run museum on their Accreditation journey? Would you like to gain experience of a different type of organisation to your own and learn the challenges they face? Are you looking for opportunities to build your continuing professional development?

Mentoring is a great way to stay connected to the realities of running a small museum and the standards of Accreditation as they develop and are implemented in the real world.

If you are interested or would like further information, please send us an inquiry and a member of our Accreditation team will get back to you.

Bringing together heritage professionals, volunteers, and funders from across the county, the 8th annual Cornwall Heritage Awards and Symposium took place on Tuesday 19 May at the National Maritime Museum Cornwall. The event celebrated the outstanding work being carried out to preserve and promote Cornwall’s rich cultural and historic legacy.

This year’s symposium featured a programme of talks and discussions centred around the theme of Community and Belonging, offering delegates a valuable opportunity to share knowledge, forge new partnerships, and reflect on the challenges and opportunities facing Cornwall’s heritage sector.

The highlight of the day was the awards ceremony, which recognised exceptional contributions across several categories. We extend our warmest congratulations to all winners, nominees, and everyone who contributed to making this year’s event such a success. Events like these remind us of the vital importance of protecting and celebrating our shared heritage for generations to come.

The full list of winners and our complete blog on the Cornwall Heritage Awards can be found on our website. 

In this bumper month for Accreditation success, please join us in congratulating the following museums for achieving Accreditation:

Martyn’s Law Guidance Published

The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, also known as Martyn’s Law, intends to improve organisational preparedness and protective security across the UK.

The newly published guidance is intended to support premises and events that fall within scope of the legislation, helping them to understand and prepare for their new statutory obligations.

The Security Industry Authority (SIA) is the regulator for Martyn’s Law and has opened a consultation on its role as a regulator for the act which closes on Friday 12 June. There are also a number of SIA webinars (various dates in June) and one from Historic England (Wednesday 10 June 1-2pm) to find out more. Gov.uk (news story), Gov.uk (guidance), SIA (consultation)

Latest UK Heritage Pulse Survey Now Live 

The latest UK Heritage Pulse survey is now live, exploring intangible cultural heritage and living heritage across the UK. The survey aims to better understand how heritage and cultural organisations engage with these themes and how they are interpreted across the sector.

Organisations are encouraged to share their experiences, whether this work is central to their activity or encountered more occasionally. Those for whom the topic is less relevant can still contribute through the Pulse Monitor, tracking resilience, confidence and ambition across the sector. 

Digital Emissions – Should Heritage Organisations Worry About Them, and How Can We Lower Them?

Join Claire Marchetti, Carbon and Sustainability Manager for Historic England, for a webinar to discuss how the organisation is addressing the environmental impact of its digital activity.

Taking place on Thursday 18 June at 1pm, Clare will look at the challenges Historic England has identified, the technical changes underway, how procurement is used to support its ambitions, and how staff are engaged in reducing digital emissions. This session will also look at practical steps heritage organisations can take. You can book your place through the Historic England website.

Museum Estate and Development Fund (MEND)

The sixth round of the Museum Estate and Development Fund (MEND), worth £25.25m, is now open for Expressions of Interest. Guidance is available to read ahead of submitting an Expression of Interest via their portal. 

If you are a non-national Accredited museum, or a local authority that maintains non-national Accredited museums, you can apply for: 

• Protecting building fabric or structure
• Upgrading your building services 
• Protecting your exhibits and collections 
• Improving environmental performance 
• Addressing access barriers 

Expressions of interest must be submitted by 12 pm (midday) on 12 June 2026.

Jerwood Art Fund Commissions

Through a new partnership between Art Fund and Jerwood Foundation, these grants will support museums and galleries to commission artists to make work of exceptional innovation and quality – furthering the artist’s development at a pivotal stage in their careers, while enriching public collections through new contemporary art.

Two commissions of £70,000 - £100,000 per year over the coming three years are available, covering the full costs of delivering and presenting the commissions with each partner museum.

The deadline for applications is 2 October 2026. 

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

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Image credits: 

• Museum Development South West 
• Kilogramme Animation
• Cornwall Heritage Awards
• Canva

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