Press Releases

Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales awarded for its volunteers’ programme

Today (Monday, 1 June 2015), at the beginning of Volunteers’ Week, Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales was presented with a ‘Investing in Volunteers’ Award, for the opportunities presented to volunteers at its eight sites.

One of the Amgueddfa Cymru’s community partners, a volunteer and a member of staff accepted the award, which acknowledges the role of Amgueddfa Cymru in involving volunteers in its work.

 Amgueddfa Cymru currently has over 250 volunteers adding value to the work of the organisation’s seven Museums and Collection Centre. Volunteering opportunities range from cataloguing specimens at National Museum Cardiff, gardening at the National Roman Legion Museum and showcasing our Vivian Quarry Incline Train at the National Slate Museum.

Sophia Kier-Byfield, 22, who volunteers at National Museum Cardiff said:

“Volunteering in museums has been a central aspect of my life for the past two years. Not only is it a way to gain vital work experience and explore potential career pathways, it is also an enjoyable and rewarding opportunity to make museums more accessible and exciting for others.”

The help of volunteers has been central to the construction of an Iron Age farm at St Fagans National History Museum that forms part of its major redevelopment project. Volunteers have been assisting the Museum’s specialist builders to build the roundhouses out of clay and earth, threshing spelt and using it to thatch the roofs.  

The Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism, Ken Skates, said:

“I am delighted that Amgueddfa Cymru recognises the value volunteers can bring to our heritage and cultural sector. So many of our museums and heritage sites rely on the generosity of people sparing their time and knowledge to improve the experience for others.

“Volunteering also offers many valuable opportunities to those taking part, developing all sorts of new skills which can help them find employment, build confidence and gain accreditation. I am passionate about creating opportunities for people to develop life-changing skills in this way and am pleased Amgueddfa Cymru shares this view and has been recognised for this.”

This was Amgueddfa Cymru’s first application for ‘Investing in Volunteers’ status, which has been awarded to all of its sites. David Anderson, Director General of Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales explains more:

“I am very proud of the volunteers at Amgueddfa Cymru, and support from our staff for those who give their time to help add to the excellent work carried out at our museums. This area of our work has developed significantly.

“Volunteers make an important contribution to the work of Amgueddfa Cymru. Their involvement increases the institution’s skills and knowledge base and introduces a fresh perspective to our work.

“Volunteering provides some individuals with the opportunity to gain confidence and self-esteem and for others it offers the skills, knowledge and experiences that might help them to get back into work or change careers.”

People interested in becoming a volunteer at any of our seven museums across Wales can contact Ffion Davies, Volunteer Co-ordinator on volunteering@museumwales.ac.uk or 02920 57 3500.

For an example of how volunteering at Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales has changed one person’s life, click here http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/takepart/community/engagement/

-ENDS-

NOTES TO EDITORS

 

For more information and images and to arrange interviews, please contact Iwan Llwyd, Communications and Marketing Officer on (029) 2057 3486/ 07920 027054 or email iwan.llwyd@museumwales.ac.uk.

 

Investing in Volunteers (IiV

Investing in Volunteers (IiV) is the UK quality standard for all organisations which involve volunteers in their work.

Over 750 organisations have achieved this quality accreditation throughout the UK, ranging from small community groups that are totally volunteer-led to large national multi branch charities that have thousands of volunteers.

IiV is owned by the UK Volunteering Forum, which consists of the chief executives of the National Volunteering Development Agencies (independent charities), namely Volunteer Now (Northern Ireland & Republic of Ireland); WCVA (Wales); Volunteer Scotland and the Executive Director of Volunteering and Development at NCVO.  In 2013, Volunteer Ireland entered into a partnership with Volunteer Now to facilitate delivery of IiV in the Republic of Ireland.

 

Our Museum Initiative

At St Fagans National History Museum we are working in partnership with a group of Community Partners under the Paul Hamlyn Foundation funded Our Museum initiative. Our Museum aims to bring communities and museums together to form active partnerships. The central focus of our work is to develop, embed and sustain volunteering at the Museum and create a ‘Community of Volunteers’. We are working with partners to help us meet this aim.

Our partners are from a varied mix of organisations from the voluntary and public sector, representing both local organisations and national bodies.

As part of this process we are working to develop new volunteering opportunities across the Museum including roles connected to exciting projects taking place as part of the large scale HLF redevelopment of St Fagans National History Museum, such as the building of the replica Iron Age Farmstead Bryn Eryr, based on the archaeological site in Anglesey. Volunteers from non-traditional backgrounds have been involved in this project from the outset, developing new skills, meeting new people and working as part of a team.

Together with the Community Partners we are building resilience and sustainability into the volunteer programme and developing an approach to participation and engagement which we are sharing across National Museum Wales.