Supporting the Museum
The Black Country Living Museum, as a charity dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the history of this great area, encourages the active involvement of volunteers through the following support groups. If you have a particular interest and would like to help the Museum please contact the relevant group organiser direct.
Collections Team Volunteers
A team of volunteers is currently working to relocate a large proportion of the museum’s permanent collections. Many of the objects need to be carefully cleaned and repackaged, some may need to be photographed. We are also updating our documentation for many of the objects.
If you’d like to get involved behind the scenes of the curatorial department, then please phone the enquiries line or email info@bclm.co.uk.
The Friends of the Black Country Museum
The Friends are the group of people who originally were the driving force behind the formation of the Black Country Living Museum in the 1970s. Since then the Friends (a registered charity) have supported the Museum in collecting exhibits, manning displays, promoting the Museum, organising events and making donations. The Friends are responsible for the services in the Museum Chapel and the Living History Weekends. In addition a group of Friends are trained to act as guides and demonstrators and there is a talks panel which provides speakers for outside bodies.
The Friends have a base in Pitt's Cottage on the Museum site. This building is manned, cleaned and maintained by the Friends and was rebuilt on site mainly with donations from the group.
The Friends meet monthly throughout the year for a programme of talks, walks, and visits to places of interest.
Further information can be obtained from Alan Carter on 01902 670402 or Don Shipman on 0121 422 8587.
The Mining Group
The Mining Group is a subsidiary of the Friends dedicated to the development, maintenance and operation of the mining exhibits.
Group members look after the Racecourse Colliery and the Brook Shaft Pit.
The group members are at the Museum on most Sundays and have regular Tuesday night working session where they repair and restore mining and other machinery.
The 'Steam Team' is a subsidiary of the Mining Group which is dedicated to the operation of the steam plant and the gas engines within the Museum. The steam engine operation is undertaken on the 3rd Saturday of every month with gas engines being operated on the 1st Saturday of every month and occasionally during the week. The Steam Team is always looking for more members to help operate the engines on a more regular basis and can be contacted via Mr John Selway on 01922 683748.
The Black Country Museum Transport Group
The Transport Group was originally established as the Wolverhampton Trolleybus Preservation Society to save a Wolverhampton trolleybus when the system closed. The Group is now completely responsible for the operation of the trolleybus system at the Museum and maintains the overhead wire system and provides volunteer drivers for the Museum's electric tramway. Group members also assist in the operation of other motor vehicles of the Museum and provide voluntary assistance with other Museum activities as necessary.
Further information can be obtained from www.bcmtg.co.uk
The Friends of President
This group of volunteers supports the Museum in the preservation and operation of the steam narrowboat President and its un-powered butty boat Kildare.
Group members both maintain and operate the boat and its steam plant and undertake a number of trips around the English canal system throughout the year to promote the Museum, President, and the National Canal System.
During 2001 President underwent a major programme of restoration which was completed in 2002 with the installation of a new engine.
Further information can be obtained from http://www.nb-president.org.uk/
Other Supporting Organisations
The Black Country Living Museum works closely with the Black Country Society, Dudley Canal Trust, the BCN Society, and the Marston Heritage Trust to ensure that as much as possible of the story of the Black Country is preserved and displayed at the Museum.