November 2021 – March 2023 Annual Trust Report
Registered charity number 1143692 Weymouth Museum Trust Ltd Company Number 7435561
CHAIRMAN’S REPORT
2022 has seen us move out of Brewers Quay hopefully for a temporary period of time. The building was finally sold, and a developer is now working on plans for residential accommodation with us occupying a central position and having a frontal access onto Hope Square. Our move was made possible by a grant from the Heritage Lottery (HL)which has enabled us to store the majority of our artefacts and provide the small pop-up museum in the centre of Weymouth. The Trustees felt it essential that we kept the museum alive in the minds of the general public and hence the shop. This required considerable work before we could move in, and some volunteers were wonderful in turning their hands to decorating and shop refurbishment. This pop-up was opened by the Portfolio Holder for Culture, Communities and Customer Services from Dorset Council as it provided matched funding for the HL bid. It has proved very popular, and we surpassed the number of visors we had in the Brewers Quay for the equivalent period of the year 21/22. We have already had one temporary exhibition ‘Every Item Tells a Story’. This has enabled us to display the beautiful diorama of the Weymouth Coast and was very popular. The current display is ‘Sea, Sand and Quay’ and after that we will focus on contemporary collecting. The ‘Sea, Sand and Quay’ exhibition has attracted a huge amount of local interest. One wall of the museum we have held for a display of part of the Bussell Collection of art. We have at the time of writing exhibits not only of Bussell Collection but also from students at All Saints who have curated the exhibits and drawn their own representations. We intend to change the pictures on display so that more of this collection is seen by the public.
One big change has been the move to being a volunteer only museum. Over the past two summers we have employed a manager, but we need to train up our volunteers as we will be a volunteer-run museum when we return to Brewers Quay. We would like to thank Dan Weiss for his work at the museum until the end of October 22. One strand of our lottery bid has been to widen
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our community engagement and we have been very fortunate in that Anne Brown who has done similar work at Shire Hall worked on this for period of time followed by Sarah Butterworth .Both have made tremendous strides and we are very grateful to Sarah and Tom de Wit for the interviews they have conducted with Weymouth residents and to Sarah for her work with students from Wey Valley School on fashion through the ages. It was so heartening to hear one student say that as a result of this she was curious and interested in Weymouth’s history.
As part of the Lottery Grant, we also are undertaking a rationalization of our artefacts. These are now safely and securely stored off site and we have been very fortunate in being able to employ Kate Hebditch, who has extensive experience in museum curation, to organize and to rationalize the collection. This includes the moving of our registers of items to a new collections management software system Modes. One of the necessities going forward is for us to train all of our volunteers in using this system.
The Trustees continue to keep a firm eye on the future and have begun work on a new HL bid in preparation for our move back into Brewers Quay. The developers will leave us with a shell which will need fully fitting out as well as the interpretation work. We are in conversation with the developers and a full business plan has yet to be established. This year we made the decision not to charge an entry fee to the pop-up but to rely on donations. This has affected our income and, going forward, funding the museum remains one of our major issues.
The Trust was strengthened by the joining of Bob Chedzoy and Fred Allott who bring a freshness to the Board. There is an urgent necessity for us to recruit two more Trustees. I would also like to continue to thank Vicky De Wit, the Dorset Museums adviser. Without her and her husband Tom, who was the most magnificent support during our move, the museum would not be in the position it is today. Of course, without the volunteers our museum could not function. Those in the pop-up continue to talk to visitors and add a
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great deal to our public face. Those who work in the store give so much and I would like to thank you all. Thanks also to Graham Perry who runs our Facebook page which is highly successful with large amounts of discussion being generated from the photographs he and Peter Harley have scanned. Thank you to all of you. Finally, my thanks to Richard Breward and Phil Wise for producing the statutory accounts for the Trust this extended year.
Marcia Headon Chair of Weymouth Museum Trust
April 2023
COMPANY SECRETARY’S REPORT
It has been a busy year for our museum board with lots to plan with our pop up shop, storage and preservation facility and in preparation for the return to our permanent museum base. The board has met regularly and so has our ‘Bridging the Gap’ working group with all our member actively contributing to the goals of the Board.
All our Charity Commission and Companies House submissions have been completed and are up to date. We incurred a small fine for a late submission of data (£100) but this matter has now been rectified.
We have continued to recruit new members to the board thereby increasing the expertise of the group. We are looking to recruit further members in the run up to our bid to the Heritage Lottery Board and our move back into the Brewers Quay. If you think you can help us with this work do please contact us.
Robert Chedzoy
Company Secretary
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VISITOR SERVICES
| YEAR ON YEAR VISITOR NUMBERS AND INCOME |
2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022/2023 (to March) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VISITOR NUMBERS– Children & Adults |
3096 | 1834 | 5039 | 4991 |
| INCOME | ||||
| Shop Sales | 1667.11 | 1219.00 | £1210.75 | |
| Donations | 598.33 | 1195.00 | 90.00 | £879.00 |
| TOTAL INCOME | 6449.34 | 4350.00 | 9239.00 | £2089.75 |
THE OPERATIONS MANAGER’S REPORT to OCTOBER 2022
The pop-up Museum has been a great addition to the legacy of the museum and its developmental journey. In March a team of stalwart volunteers worked diligently to transform an empty unit on St. Thomas Street into a suitable new home for our temporary exhibitions. The team of Vicky and Tom De-Wit, with consultation from Marcia and the Trustees, carefully selected a myriad of items to fit our first exhibition; ten individual stories of people who have
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lived, worked, and played in Weymouth and Melcombe Regis throughout history.
Abbie King used her creative flair to stock up and set out the shop section of the museum, ready for our soft opening on March 16[th] . The full team of volunteers from last year returned; Lindsay, Michael, Iqbal, Sue, Brenda, and Wendy, and have been subsequently joined by Wendy#2 and Sally, who have been delighting the public with their infectious enthusiasm, knowledge, and passion.
Although we understand the importance of strong financial performance and the implications of profitability on our future operations, we put our focus into public engagement and meaningful interactions. Our aim was to get people through the door, delight them and leave them with fond memories of Weymouth. Our new, more central, location, alongside our informative and engaging social media marketing and our excellent levels of customer service and engagement, has brought over 3000 visitors to the end of October. We officially opened our doors on the 30[th of] May and were delighted to have Cllr Laura Miller, Portfolio Holder for Culture, Communities and Customer Services, cut the ribbon and pay tribute to our wonderful team of volunteers who have kept the museum going.
We look forward with a sense of optimism, creativity and an openness to adaptation and change and look forward to welcoming customers from around the world to our pop-up museum.
Dan Weiss
WEYMOUTH MUSEUM LOCAL HISTORY CENTRE ENQUIRIES September 2021-March 2023
Richard Samways and Maureen Attwooll have continued to provide answers to many questions asked by a variety of residents. We thank them for their diligence, research and knowledge.
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During the above period we have dealt with 94 enquiries. Some were answered without much research being required. Others needed quite a bit of research to answer fully. As usual the subjects covered include family history, the history of specific buildings, or particular events. Those enquiries that stand out include: Miss Weymouth speedboat 1920s; location of World War II air-raid shelters; Smallmouth camp World War 1; Broadwey Mill and the Luckham family; Chesil beach seine fishing and ferrets; railway history for the Weymouth Station Gateway project; black American soldiers in Weymouth 1945; Trelawney, Old Castle Road and Weymouth Sports Club, Redlands; The Star of the West, a Weymouth built vessel, launched 1840 and wrecked off the coast of California in 1845; the history of donkey rides on Weymouth Beach; the Brooks family and Harmony Court and Burdons Buildings, 1920s.
Richard Samways
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT MANAGER’S REPORT
School Summer holiday activities for the pop-up museum were created. These include an activity sheet for spotting and counting museum objects and pictures; an object identification and handling box and a fossil dig provided by Vicky.
Visits to the pop-up museum for activities around the exhibitions have been organised for groups of adults with learning difficulties (AWLD) and older people living with dementia, memory loss, mental health issues and disabilities.
A new ‘Seaside’ session for schools using the Punch and Judy puppets and photographs was developed and delivered.
The Punch and Judy puppets and photographs were used to engage with groups of children and families (including families receiving free school meals); older adults living with dementia and memory loss and their carers and adults with learning difficulties.
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| Date | Details | Numbers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Children | Adults | |
| 13thJuly | Outreach school session: Cerne Abbas 1stSchool. Seaside topic. |
17 | 2 |
| 23rdJuly to 8th September |
Pop-Up Museum Family Activities. Dartington O’Keefe Summer trail and activities. |
TBC | TBC |
| 4thAugust | Outreach public session: Adults & Children. Punch & Judy. |
10 | 16 (9 AWLD) |
| 8thAugust | Outreach: Memory Café Reminiscence session. Seaside & Holidays topic. |
0 | 10 |
| 16thAugust | Outreach: Dorset Council HAF (Free School Meal Families) Summer activities |
5 | 2 |
| 25thAugust | Outreach: Acorns Day Centre. Older Adults. Reminiscence session: Weymouth WW2 and changes. |
0 | 8 |
| TOTAL | 32 | 38 |
Anne Brown
Community Engagement Coordinator to August 2022
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COLLECTIONS MANAGER’S REPORT
Museum Collections
In spring of 2022, the museum collections were moved from Brewers Quay to safe storage in a removals company’s unit on the Granby Industrial Estate. Thanks are due to the volunteers who helped pack up and unpack the collections under the supervision of Tom de Wit. Some large items remain at Brewers Quay, including parts of the George III bathing machine and bath, the torpedo, lighthouse lens and the lerret boat, which will be boxed to protect them on site.
Volunteers worked hard to house the collections in proper order and got the new store into shape in remarkably quick time.
Eleven volunteers over the year have worked with the freelance Collections Manager on:
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Sorting collections, categorising them and checking that all have arrived and are stored safely,
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Installing pest and environmental monitoring procedures,
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Processing the local history material donated by the Dorset History Centre, adding relevant material to the local history collection and identifying non-Weymouth or duplicate material for transfer elsewhere,
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Cleaning the Access database for transfer of the records to MODES,
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Producing an information audit and new documentation policy, plan and procedures,
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Familiarising themselves with the new MODES database, adding and editing data and adding digital images of the collections,
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Digitising the photographic collection and some of the archival material,
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Photographing old exhibition material so that it can be held digitally instead of on bulky graphic panels,
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Creating content for the shop window and social media,
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Providing material for the community engagement programme
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Assessing the relevance of items and compiling a list of those for rationalisation and transfer to more appropriate museums/institutions,
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Identifying gaps in the collection which, with help from the community, could be filled to create a more complete story of Weymouth in the new museum.
Collections engagement
Volunteers have been actively engaged in working on the collections and two new volunteers were recruited at the end of the year, one in time for the MODES training. Volunteers have contributed to the displays in the Pop-Up Museum and social media posts, as well as work in the store. They have given over 700 hours in time between the move here and the end of the year and several of them add in significant extra hours at home, working on enquiries, research for articles and social media posts and to find further information on the collections. In December Peter Harley was given a Dorset Museums Association volunteers’ award for his work. David Riches has stepped down from his role as volunteer collections manager and the Weymouth Museum Trust is extremely grateful for his substantial contribution to the Museum in this role. Thanks are also due to all the volunteers for their help; without them there would be no Weymouth Museum!
Kate Hebditch
TREASURER’S REPORT
This year has seen a total change to the finances of the Museum. Due to the closure of the old Museum premises, we have had to seek alternative ways of keeping ourselves in the public view and raising money to support it. The museum closure meant that we had to pay to store all the artefacts off site. This is forecast to cost us in the region of £50,000. We have also taken a shop in Trinity Street at an annual cost of £12,500. On top of that we have paid
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staff to manage the packing up and removal (£5,000), running the shop (£12,000), collections management (£5,000), and outreach (£5,000). Our total income for the year from sales and donations is likely to be in the region of £2000 which is well down from last year because we can no longer charge for admission. On the positive side we have received numerous grants including £99,000 from the NHLF, £38,000 from Dorset Council, and £5,670 from Bristol City Council. We received further donations from the Friends of Weymouth Museum for £3905
RW Breward Treasurer.
We have changed our accounting year from December to November to April to March this year which means that the current year is extended by four months.
THE MUSEUM’S LINKS WITH OTHER ORGANISATIONS
The Trust works with many other organisations. Often people come asking for information and the plaques which continue to appear on the streets of Weymouth are as a result of information from the Museum.
This year we have collaborated with Dorset Council to provide information for the interpretation boards on the Weymouth Harbour Tramway and Station
We welcome such help we can give and are pleased to be associated with
Dorset County Council, Weymouth Town Council, Heritage Lottery Fund
GRANTS AND DONATIONS
The Trust is grateful for grants and donations from
Dorset Council
Friends of Weymouth Museum
Heritage Lottery
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Weymouth Town Council
Bristol City Council
TRUSTEES 2021 -2023
Richard Breward
Laura Gardner (resigned Oct 22)
David Harris
Marcia Headon – Chair
Abbie King (resigned Oct 22)
Paul Webb
Bob Chedzoy Fred Allott
Other officers
Cllr Kate Wheller- representative from Dorset Council
Cllr Brian Heatley- representative from Dorset Council
Vicky De Wit – County Museums Adviser Geoff Pritchard - Minute Secretary
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THE STORY OF THE NEW POP-UP MUSEUM AND STORE IN PICTURES
The original shop premises before the volunteers remodelled it:
The inside March – May 2022 - Painting has begun. Volunteers did all of the fit out, paining, laying carpets, plastering and removing the original fittings. The costs of materials were absorbed through our own budget or by donation.
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The outside of the new Pop-up
The pop-up shop was designed to have cases in the middle but around the edge to have boards setting history in context. The back wall was designed to be used for our own art collection which had not been on display for many years. The next pictures show the museum with the exhibition boards in situ and the explanations of the artwork. The large boards came from a display we had held in conjunction with Shire Hall Dorchester
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The Bussell Wall with the first set of artwork. Signage was purchased for the outside of the Museum and the Heritage Lottery Logo displayed.
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Some children’s activities at the museum
The stewards during a quiet moment at the museum
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Changing the exhibitions
Our first exhibition was entitled Every picture Tells a Story – the cases on display are shown. Each case tells the story of a person associated with Weymouth and artefacts from our collection linked to them. For example, an evacuee’s story is told, that of a fisherman, that of a Victorian shopkeeper and a modern-day artist. This has engaged the public who talk with the stewards about their own experiences.
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The second exhibition which is currently on display is of Sea, Sand and Quay tells the story of Weymouth’s development as a seaside resort. The exhibition incorporates three really exciting themes.
The first tells the stories of life in Weymouth in the 1950s and 1960s, including what it was like to run a guest house, to work on the Railway or the Quay. The exhibits for these include the actual menu and china used by guests, the fishing gear and an example of a railway man’s cap as well as a model of a train used at the time.
Interviews have been held with the people who have given their stories, and more are to come including the stories of the donkeys on the beach, the firm of Weyrad and more about Cosens paddle steamers and the working life in the Harbour.
The second theme shows how people took leisure from the eighteenth century on. This includes an early example of a bathing costume, souvenirs from Weymouth, tokens and games played in the 18th century assembly rooms. It displays posters for artistes who appeared at the Pavilion as well as holiday guides sent to advertise Weymouth as a tourist destination. Punch and Judy appear as well as a booth where anyone can practice becoming the professor and calling out ‘That’s the way to do it’. As part of this exhibit pupils from Wey Valley school
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have created a Russian doll set showing costume through the ages. They were helped with this by Sarah Butterworth from Emerald Ant who has been working on community engagement with the museum.
The third theme shows more of the Bussell art collection which the museum holds. This was passed to the museum in the 1970s by the widow of Ernest Bussell, a prominent ironmonger in the town. Sarah Butterworth has also worked with pupils from All Saints who have researched the paintings, produced the labels for them and are displaying the paintings and line drawings they made from the same vantage points.
Seaside postcards on display
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The Granby Store
Volunteers setting up the store… and then organisation of the store
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The office area at the Store
Some of the volunteers in the store in the museum with the collections manager and a visit from the Friends of the Museum to the Store with
Richard Samways explaining his work
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Weymouth Museum Trust –Audited accounts
Accounts for year ending 31 March 2023 Balance brought forward
| Balance brought forward | |
|---|---|
| Income | |
| Grants | £139,400.00 |
| FOWM | £3,905.14 |
| Sales & Donations | £2,567.76 |
| Total | |
| Total Balance | |
| Expenses | |
| Broadband & Phone | £446.89 |
| Cost of sales | £2,755.93 |
| Admin Costs | £87.00 |
| Rent | £12,777.12 |
| Storage | £33,696.00 |
| Management Shop | £10,917.23 |
| Management Collections | £7,383.39 |
| Management of Move | £5,020.25 |
| Management of Outreach | £5,856.63 |
| Consultation | £1,000.00 |
| Exhibitions | £4,178.98 |
| Display Costs | £84.42 |
| MODES Assistance | £3,700.00 |
| Security | £1,068.00 |
| Website & Emails | £277.96 |
£32,823.92 £145,872.90 £178,696.82
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| IT | £192.97 | |
|---|---|---|
| Modes | £1,198.00 | |
| Packing and Moving | £14,121.46 | |
| TUGL Insurance | £470.75 | |
| Float | £150.00 | |
| Memberships | £147.00 | |
| License | £132.00 | |
| BID | £419.25 | |
| HMRC | £200.00 | |
| Total | £106,281.23 | |
| Grand Total | £72,415.59 |
Richard Breward Philip Wise Hon Treasurer Independent Examiner
Date 05/04/2023
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WEYMOUTH MUSEUM TRUST Accounts for financil period 1 December 2021 to 31 March 2023
Balance brought forward £32,823.92
Income
| Grants | £139,400.00 | |
|---|---|---|
| FOWM | £3,905.14 | |
| Sales & Donations | £2,567.76 | |
| Total Income | £145,872.90 |
Expenditure
| Broadband & Phone | £446.89 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of sales | £2,755.93 | |
| Admin Costs | £87.00 | |
| Sundry Office Items | £139.47 | |
| Rent | £12,777.12 | |
| Storage | £33,696.00 | |
| Management Shop | £10,917.23 | |
| Management Collecti | £7,383.39 | |
| Management of Move | £5,020.25 | |
| Management of Outr | £5,856.63 | |
| Packing and Moving | £14,121.46 | |
| Consultation Advice | £1,000.00 | |
| Exhibitions | £4,178.98 | |
| Display Costs | £84.42 | |
| Security | £1,068.00 | |
| Website & Emails | £277.96 | |
| IT | £192.97 | |
| MODES Accounting | £1,198.00 | |
| MODES Assistance | £3,700.00 | |
| TUGL Insurance | £470.75 | |
| Association Members | £147.00 | |
| Council License | £132.00 | |
| BID | £419.25 | |
| HMRC | £200.00 | |
| Total Expenditure | £106,270.70 | |
| Total Carried Forward | £72,426.12 |
R W Breward Hon Treasurer
Philip Wise Independent Examiner
Date 313112023 Date 41512023
CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examinerfs report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner's Report Report to the trustees Weymouth Museum Trust On a¢¢ount3 for the year ended 319l March 2023 Charity no (if any) 1143692 Set out on pages 1 attached I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (°the Trust") for the year ended 31103 12023. Responsibilities and basis of report As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of Ihe accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 1.the Act.). I report in respect of my examination of the Trust's account$ carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carying out my examination. I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission unaer section 145{5}{b) of the Act. Independent I have completed my examination. l Confimi that no material matters have examinerfs ststement come to my attention in Connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect.. the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act., or the accounts did not accord with the accounting records,. or the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements conmIng the fomi and content of accounts set out in the Charities {Accounts and Reports} Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a 'true and fair, view which is not a matter consiaered as part of an independent examination. I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection wrth the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper undefslanding of the a¢¢ountg to be reached. Signed: Date: E) Namo: Philip John Wise Relwant profg$8lonal quallficthtrftsl or t#)dy Illanyl.. Address: Hanovef House 94 The Esplanade Weymouth DT4 7AT IER Oct 2018