Friends of the Black Country Living Museum -

Moreen Wilkes - Chairman of the Friends of the Black Country Living Museum - originally written in 2001

Simon Nuttall, the editor of 195 has persuaded the Chairman of Friends of the Black Country Living Museum to write a short article about their activities.

"I was very pleased to be asked by Simon to write something about the ‘Friends’, having been involved, with others, in the establishment of the Museum twenty-four years ago.

Our support and involvement with the Museum is very broad based. Originally we were involved in the educational input of the Museum into schools and school parties and with money raising for specific projects.

Our educational input is still part of our role as we have members on the Educational Panel, but our physical presence on site and our responsibility for particular buildings or areas of the Museum has now developed in a much more specific way. We organise and run all the Services in the Chapel over the year and we have donated money for heating, lighting of the Chapel and also the upkeep of the organ. We maintain and man Pitts Cott . A group of Friends taking it in turns to be in the cottage and also care for it.

We provide extra pairs of hands for special events such as the Open Evenings e.g. make and sell cocoa on Bonfire Night as well as being in the cottages, and places not covered by the museum’s paid members of staff, to talk to visitors. Also on site a group of four or five families "live" in the houses as though it was about 1925 for a weekend three or four times a year, giving visitors an insight into every day life.

Off site we are involved in publicity of both the Museum and Friends through the "Talks Panel", a group of speakers led by Bert Phillips who talk to all types of groups and organisations about the museum and its history. We take the caravan or just a small group of Friends to fetes and events around the Black Country, again to invite people to come to the museum but also to talk about the Friends. Recently another specialist group, "The Steam Group", have formed themselves putting some of the Museum exhibits into steam on a regular basis. The group joins the others involved in the industrial side of the Museum with the Rolling Mill Team largely made up of volunteers, and the nail makers, both volunteers now completing an order for boat spikes from a man renovating an ice breaker.

Our most recent project has been fund raising for the Rolfe Street Project as we have pledged some£25,000 over five year, already having handed over£10,000 of the pledged sum plus extra from donations and fund raising events.

In all we are a busy group who, like all volunteer organisations, would welcome more "active" volunteers, but, I’m sure you’ve heard it all before!

Moreen Wilkes
Chairman of the Friends of the Black Country Living Museum

Book review by Simon Nuttall - ( Autumn 2001 )

My first visit to the Museum was fourteen years ago in 1987 and since that time a great deal has changed. As a member of the committee I am conscious that our role is two-fold. Apart from our work with the boats we are also there to promote the Black Country Living Museum.

At a recent visit to the museum I bought this book. A soft back with 127 pages it is a photographic record of 25 years of the BCLM. It shows all the main buildings, their original locations and their rebuilding at the Museum.

This book is a worthy addition to any coffee table or bookshelf, it shows just how much has been achieved in 25 years. The transformation of the site from a sewage treatment area with over 40 former coal mines its current day glory is amazing. I would thoroughly recommend this book for anyone with an interest in the museum. It is available from the museum shop at £9.99, a discount is available for Friends of President if you present your membership card.

Simon Nuttall

Black Country Living Museum Transport Group (BCMTG)

The Black Country Living Museum Transport Group (BCMTG) are a group of volunteers who work along side other groups at the Black Country Living Museum at Dudley in the West Midlands. They are involved in the restoration and running of a variety of historic vehicles, but mainly Trolley Buses and Trams.http://www.bcmtg.co.uk/

photos courtesy of Steve Morgan of BCMTG

The Friends of President

The 'Friends of President' 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 country throughout the year to promote the Museum, President, and the waterways..