Opportunity for volunteers to help at the Priest’s House Museum

The museum is looking for volunteers to help with its “decant” project in advance of its closure for major refurbishment.

Volunteers will be trusted to physically handle museum objects currently on display or stored at the museum, specifically packing and wrapping the artefacts, and recording appropriate information to enable the safe storage and subsequent retrieval of the items before the museum re-opens in 2020. There are an estimated 4,000 objects that need to be re-located.

Anyone interested in participating in the decant project must be over 18 years old and reasonably fit, with a good standard of written English and willingness to work as part of a team. Volunteers will need to go through a formal Volunteer Induction and will be expected to commit to a regular half-day session per week, subject to prior agreement with the museum staff. Training in correct object handling, packing and recording procedures will be given, as well as health and safety awareness training. A decant training session is planned for Friday 2nd November and will be delivered by Helena Jaeschke, Conservation Development Officer for the South West Museums Federation and Mark Neathey, Collections Officer at the Priest’s House Museum.

An “Expression of Interest” form can be found on the museum’s web site. Alternatively, Volunteer Packs for the Decant Project are available at the Tourist Information Centre (TIC) desk.

Revival Project is supported by £982,000 of National Lottery funding awarded through the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) as well as charitable foundations including Garfield Weston, the Talbot Village Trust, the Valentine Trust and the Pilgrim Trust.

Emma Ayling, Director of the Priest’s House Museum, said: “This is a wonderful opportunity for members of the public to be part of a community team and acquire new skills and museum experience. As well as handling the collections, volunteers will gain a unique insight into how a community museum is run and how it works behind-the-scenes.

Our Revival Project will transform the access and facilities of the museum, provide some fantastic opportunities for volunteers in the coming months, and ensure the area’s heritage is shared more widely than ever before.”

For further information on the Museum’s Decant Project, contact Emma Ayling or Mark Neathey on 01202 882533, email: museum@priest-house.co.uk