It looks like being full steam ahead for Chard Museum when
at an Extraordinary General Meeting held this week, those members who attended
agreed to go ahead with a proposal to purchase the museum from South Somerset
District Council. The definitive result of the vote is yet to be ratified, as
the wishes of those members unable to attend in person have yet to be counted.
But, local councillor, and museum trustee, Linda Vijeh, said,
‘It was great to see such a high turnout amongst our
members. This is a fantastic opportunity for the museum, and I cannot see why
it should not go ahead. Our Chairman, Vince Lean, has worked tirelessly over
many months to bring this about, along with fellow trustee Howard Bailey. The
museum is in healthy financial shape and will be able to stump up the £50,000
required for the community asset transfer. Until now the museum has been leased
from the district council but, as it is a full repairing lease, we have been
responsible for maintenance and other costs, so with the £9,000 a year saving
on rent we will be in good shape money-wise and will be able to determine our
own future. There are already exciting plans for a makeover, which is part of
our long-term plan. During lockdown there have already been some interesting
innovations as the museum works to ensure that it remains relevant to both
townspeople, and visitors alike.
Organisations such as museums owe their existence to the
dedicated time and effort of its volunteers and like many other organisations,
the museum is always looking for fresh blood to keep it on its
toes. It was super to see local student, Olivia Lawrence, receive a
certificate in recognition of her work with the museum as part of her Duke of
Edinburgh award.
Gardening is not my forte, quite the opposite in fact, but
over the summer months I was delighted to work with a team of volunteers to
spruce things up in the grounds in time for our re-opening, and we were
grateful for plant donations from Combe Dingle Nursery, B&Q and Chard
Garden Centre.
Since re-opening for private tours earlier in the year, the
museum kick-started its autumn events this month with a celebration of the life
of Roger Carter, by the Chard community and fellow historians. A former
curator, author, local historian and most importantly, friend to so many
people, Roger had a vision for the future and wanted to excite young people
about history and science, especially engineering, making sure that history was
saved for future generations.
In addition to the formal tribute, in which the current
curator Angie Loader, spoke of the support Roger had provided to her and
others, including long-standing volunteer Gerrie Bews. A plaque honouring
Roger’s contribution was unveiled by Chard Town Councillor Jenny Orchard, and
in the company of members of Roger’s family, we all enjoyed entertainment
provided by Mike Froom to accompany the food, pasties from yours truly, and
cider, kindly donated by Perry’s and Burrow Hill.
Donations given at the event, will directly fund an annual
science workshop for the museum’s new half-term activity programmes for
families and young people (starting in October), and also the archiving of
Roger’s extensive collection that he donated to Chard Museum.
Later on this month the museum is participating in Heritage
Open Days, with its theme of Chard Remembers. This will celebrate the stories
and memories of local Chard residents through the theme of food, contrasting
the differences between village and town life, why people moved to the town,
and even some war time memories. There will also be a World War 2 Cooking
Challenge to cook a World War 2 recipe.
Further information about the museum and its wide range of
activities can be found at info@chardmuseum.co.uk
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