Museums and Galleries Forward Plan

2007 - 2010

1. Context
2. Aim of the Forward Plan
3. Key Service Objective/Statement of Purpose
4. Overview of Museum Service
5. Borough Demographics
6. The Council: Political and Management Structures
7. Description of the Museums and Galleries Service
8. The National and Regional Context
9. The Local Context
10. Situational Analysis
11. The Current Situation
12. Service Aims
13. Service Objectives and Action Plans
14. Budgets and Funding
15. Monitoring and Review

• Appendix 1 - Council Structure
• Appendix 2 - Museums and Galleries Staff Structure

1. Context

1. This Forward Plan reflects the changes in the way the Council provides its services to meet the needs of its residents and visitors as well as Government policies influencing the Museums and Galleries Sector.

2. Aim of the Forward Plan

1. The aim of this Forward Plan is to provide a policy context for the work of the Museums and Galleries Service Unit for the next three years. It outlines the main work areas proposed during this time and how the service will be delivered.
    
2. The proposals in the Forward Plan will help to:
    
   • Increase awareness, understanding and enjoyment of the Borough's museums and galleries and their collections.
   • Ensure equality of opportunity for people to visit, enjoy and learn from the Museums, Galleries and Collections managed by Tameside Museums and Galleries Service.
   • Safeguard and preserve the collections for future generations of Tameside residents and visitors.
   • Drive improvement within the service and enable development.

3. Key Service Objective/Statement of Purpose

1. Tameside Museums and Galleries service will collect, preserve and interpret the cultural heritage and visual arts of Tameside for the learning and enjoyment of the whole community.

4. Overview of Museum Service

1. The Museum Service was established in 1975. Prior to that date there was only one art gallery in the Borough, the Astley Cheetham Art Gallery . Since 1975, the Museums and Galleries Service has expanded dramatically. All services are operated directly by Tameside MBC. The council are custodians of the collection held in trust by the Trustees of the Manchester Regiment.
    
2. The Service includes:
    
   Five visitor sites:
    
   • Astley Cheetham Art Gallery
   • The Museum of the Manchester Regiment
   • Portland Basin Museum
   • Central Art Gallery
   • Setantii Visitor and Family History Centre
      
   Also within the remit of the service:
    
   • Heginbottom Mill Museum Stores
   • Education Service available for all-age learning
   • A targeted service for children, including holiday workshops and Saturday art clubs.
   • An information and enquiry service
   • Outreach talks and lectures
   • Community loan service
   • Temporary Exhibitions
   • Museum Shops

5. Borough Demographics

1. There are just over 200,000 people living in Tameside. About 4% are non-white, predominately of South Asian cultural descent.
    
2. Large increases are predicted in the numbers of elderly people living in the Borough.
    
3. The implications for the museums and galleries service are to ensure that we continue to provide services that are enjoyable and accessible to our changing communities in addition to providing a family friendly environment at our sites. We should ensure that the service caters for the cultural heritage of diverse communities and the needs of the over 50's.

6. The Council: Political and Management Structures

1. The Council operates a Cabinet structure with an Executive Leader. The Cabinet is made up of ten Members. Cabinet Deputies have ‘Warrants of office' which set their roles and responsibilities. The Cabinet Deputy (Lifelong Learning Services) has overall responsibility for general education policy, schools, libraries and lifelong learning, and cultural services (via a Project Head: Heritage and Tourism). The Museums and Galleries Service reports directly to the Project Head who in turn reports to the Cabinet Deputy.
    
2. The Council's officer structure is based on Service Units. There is a Chief Executive, four Executive Directors, and four Assistant Chief Executives. The managerial responsibility for the Museums and Galleries Service can be seen in Appendix 1.

7. Description of the Museums and Galleries Service

1. The Museums and Galleries Service Unit care for the Council owned Museums, Galleries and their collections. This Unit forms part of the Culture and Customer Services within the Sustainable Communities Directorate, Appendix 2.
    
2. The Museums Service Unit Manager has responsibility for the strategic leadership of the service, policy-making, collections management and budgetary control. The Museums Business Manager supports this role and is in charge of the operational activities of the service, health and safety and visitor services.
    
3. In addition a Visitor Service Manager is responsible for the operational management and promotion of the Setantii Visitor Centre and the Museum of the Manchester Regiment.
    
4. The service has a Curator for each of its main collections, social history, regimental history and art. Each Curator programmes exhibitions, produces publicity and manages their collections.
    
5. The Education Manager is responsible for the education provision throughout the service, and plays a key role in the promotion and development of education and holiday event activity across the sites. Education Assistants deliver and develop education provision at the two art galleries and at Setantii.
6. The Retail Manager has responsibility for the retail outlets at each of the sites. The Museum and Gallery Technician is responsible for the maintenance, environmental monitoring and technical projects throughout the whole service.
    
7. There are 13 front-of-house staff responsible for visitor services at the various museums and galleries. These staff also deal with some visitor enquiries and workshop bookings.

8. The National and Regional Context

1. Much has changed both locally and nationally during the last few years.
   
   The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA), has succeeded Re:source, the Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries. Their mission is “ to connect people and change lives through museums, libraries and archives”.
    
2. They are a Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB), sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
   
   Their strategic aims are to:
    
   • Increase and sustain participation
   • Put museums, libraries and archives at the heart of national, regional and local life
   • Establish a world class and sustainable sector and put it on the best footing for the future
   • Lead sector strategy and policy development
      
3. They work in partnership and through collaboration with government departments, national and international organisations, and with umbrella bodies and other Non-Departmental Public Bodies and development agencies. They work with nine Regional Museum Libraries and Archive Councils as their key strategic partners in the English regions, the Museum Libraries and Archive Council: North West being the link for Tameside Museums and Galleries Service.
    
4. The Museum Libraries and Archive Council has been particularly instrumental in the establishment of regional Hubs for museums whereby the whole North West region would be represented by Manchester Art Gallery , in partnership with a consortium of the other major Manchester City museums. A number of supporting wider partnerships feed into the Hub - Greater Manchester, including Tameside is represented by Bolton Museum . It is intended that Hubs will become centres of excellence throughout the region. We have begun working on an audience development project with Oldham Art Gallery and Museum Service funded through Hub grant monies.
    
5. The Museums Libraries and Archive Council's Museum Accreditation Scheme sets nationally agreed standards for UK museums. To qualify, museums must meet clear basic requirements on how they care for and document their collections, how they are governed and managed, and on the information and services they offer to their users. A performance indicator using Museum Accreditation now forms part of Cultural Services Assessments for county and single tier local authorities. Tameside Museums and Galleries Service has been invited to apply for Accreditation in 2007 and it is a key objective for the service.
    
6. Learning is at the forefront of the national agenda for museums, libraries and archives. In 2004 the Museum Libraries and Archive Council published ‘Inspiring Learning for All: a framework for access and learning in museums, archives and libraries', which contained the following key principles:
    
   • Providing more effective learning opportunities
   • Creating accessible and inspiring learning environments
   • Building creative learning partnerships
   • Placing learning at the heart of the museum, archive or library
   • Qualitative approach to analysing Museum success
      
7. Inspiring Learning For All has become a key foundation for Museum Services and assessment of their impact, alongside the Accreditation scheme and Benchmarking for Collections Care.
    
8. In 2006 the Museums Association published their report ‘Collections for the Future'. This report makes proposals to ensure that more people have more opportunities to engage with museum collections. The key findings of the report encourage museums to increase community engagement with their collection. The report also suggests that collections should be dynamic, with a renewed commitment to acquisition and that disposal should be seen as an integral part of collections development. The ideas expressed in this report will have a direct impact on the strategic decisions we make within the museum service to ensure that in future years we are fit for purpose.
    
9. The cultural sector has also been identified as a significant partner in regeneration linking to areas such as employment, health, social inclusion and neighbourhood renewal. In Tameside the Museums and Galleries form a central part of the cultural activity within the borough. They engender a sense of civic pride and express the local distinctiveness of the area. However we must ensure that the facilities and services provided at our sites reflect the cultural background of all citizens. The Service's role in tourism is key, and currently the Museums, Galleries, countryside and festivals are central to the tourist offer in Tameside. It is inevitable that Tameside's tourism appeal will grow with improved transport links and increased leisure opportunities. The service must ensure that the product and service we offer is of a standard that can realistically compete with other leisure and tourism attractions.
    
10. Museums and Art Galleries should be accessible to the widest possible audience. The designation of 2003 as the European Year of Disabled People helped to stimulate a fresh assessment of access provision across the sector. Resource has developed a Disability action plan and self-assessment ‘Toolkit for Museums, Archives and Libraries for Disabled users' and is developing social inclusion and cultural diversity toolkits intended to help museums improve their access provision for all members of the community. Social inclusion has been defined as ‘a process where all the varying needs of a community, and the groups which constitute it, are recognised, prioritised and met. It is the positive management of diversity, to which all organisations should aspire.' Across our sites we are meeting the challenge to widen physical access to our buildings and displays. Our challenge for the future is to address wider issues of intellectual access making the collections and facilities relevant and interesting to all visitors.

9. The Local Context

1. There are various national programmes and Council priorities and strategies that link to the work of the Museums and Galleries Service Unit and help to provide a policy context. The Council's priorities are as identified in the community strategy.
    
2. It is the ambition of the Museum and Galleries Service to proactively contribute to the ideals and priorities of the Council.
    

   Community Strategy Priorities	Our Key Contributions
   Supportive Communities	Working with community and voluntary groups Actively collecting and documenting the heritage of whole community Providing a welcoming and inspiring environment for all visitors. Working with other services to provide events and facilities that promote understanding and good relations between different communities. Work with other services to provide engaging facilities for young people. Provide opportunities for work experience for young people. Develop closer links with diverse community groups. Develop and provide facilities for older visitors Engendering a sense of ownership of the local heritage
   A Prosperous Society	Ensuring high quality visitor services, attracting tourism into the borough, which in turn will attract new business investment.
   A Safe Environment	Ensure that all sites meet high health and safety standards. Ensure that all visitors feel happy, welcome and safe within Museums and Galleries Review and address access requirements both intellectual and physical to ensure all visitors can enjoy facilities provided by the service Develop and host activities and events for integrated communities. Developing understanding of the past to make sense of the present. Developing a sense of pride and ownership within the local community which contributes to a reduction of anti-social behaviour and vandalism
   A Learning Community	Continue to provide educational resources for Life Long learning Develop and improve free education provision for Tameside schools. Use the ‘Inspiring Learning for All' framework to create exciting and enjoyable learning experiences within all Museums and Galleries Sites. Develop outreach and loan material for schools and community groups based on the collections. Encourage cultural understanding through a series of engaging community based exhibitions.
   Attractive Borough	Ensure a high profile within the borough, developing the sense of public ownership of the museums and galleries. Ensure that all sites are well maintained and sign posted. Ensure the quality and the range of exhibitions and activities within all sites.

    
3. As part of the Sustainable Community Directorate, Museums and Galleries have an important contribution to make to develop these priorities. The national priorities set out by the Museums Libraries and Archive Council and the standards by which the service will be judged through the Accreditation programme have a great deal of relevance to the priorities as set out by the Council.

10. Situational Analysis

How good is the service?

1. This section looks at the headline performance indicators for the service. The Business Plan currently includes the following Best Value Performance Indicators.
    

   Ref	Indicator	Target 2005/6	Actual 2005/6
   BVPI 170a	Number of visits and usages of museums per 1000 population	940	1122
   BVPI 170b	Number of those visits which were in person per 1000 population	840	893
   BVPI 170c	Number of pupils visiting museums and galleries in organised school groups	10,350	11,132

    
2. Performance for all three of these indicators is in the top quartile for the All England quartile performance.
    
3. In the Residents Opinion Survey carried out by Mori in 2004 the Museums received a 92% satisfaction rating from users, which was an increase of 3% from the equivalent survey carried out in 2001 and a significant increase on the national average of 75% user satisfaction. 
    
4. Since the Museums Libraries and Archive Council's introduction of ‘Inspiring Learning for All' in 2004 we have been using the framework as the basis of our consultation and evaluation programme. Additional to asking users where they are from, their age, gender and ethnicity we have also been asking them direct questions about their learning and enjoyment. Survey's over the past three years have shown that we have a great deal of local support with on average 60% living in Tameside and 50% of all visitors being repeat visitors.
    
5. The surveys for all Museums and Galleries sites demonstrate a high level of enjoyment and obtaining new skills and knowledge.

11. The Current Situation

1. The Museums and Galleries have maintained consistent visitor figures over the past seven years since the re-opening of Portland Basin Museum in 1999.
    
2. The figures for the last four years are as follows:
   
   (The figures for 2005/2006 also include the visitor figures for Setantii which are now permitted to be included as part of our Best Value Performance Indicator submission)
    

   2001/2002	2002/2003	2003/2004	2004/2005	2005/2006
   152,125	142,707	154,437		190,846

    
3. Attendances vary dramatically both seasonally and in response to special events and exhibitions.
    
4. Figures breakdown 2005/6
    

   Portland Basin	Manchester Regiment	Astley Cheetham	Central Art	Setantii
   96,094	24,808	21,583	12,342	36,019

11.5 Portland Basin Museum

1. Portland Basin Museum has the highest profile within the Museums and Galleries Service. It has the largest number of employees and attracts the highest proportion of visitors.
    
2. The Museum was redeveloped and opened to the public in 1999. It is located in a former canal warehouse and describes Tameside's social and industrial history over the past 200 years. The attractive location of the museum, combined with its unique ambience, makes this a very popular amenity within the region. It is exciting and family friendly and is fully accessible to the pubic. The Ground Floor consists of foyer displays, shop and computer interactives, a 1920's street and popular changing exhibition area. The Lower Ground Floor explores the local industries of the area with many interactive exhibits appealing to all ages, including the Nuts and Bolts play area for pre-school aged children. School workshops are held within the street sets, specifically in the schoolroom and house. Other sessions are also held on the wharf side.
    
3. The museum has maintained a consistent level of visitors over the past five years, however the visitor numbers are beginning to decline and some of the displays need updating in order to ensure repeat visits. Customer questionnaires have revealed that visitors particularly enjoy exploring the 1920's street and the various interactives on the ground floor. The many interactives and the ability to touch things within the museum ensure that there are plenty of fun things to do. The displays and changing exhibitions generate plenty of local interest and the museum encourages self-directed learning.
    
4. The museum is recognised as a prime site for families learning together and has the added appeal of parking, a picnic area and a reasonably priced gift shop. During the summer holidays and on Bank Holidays visitors can enjoy a canal boat trip from the museum wharf, organised by voluntary groups such as the Huddersfield Canal Boat Society.
    
5. Since 2002 we have taken a new approach to exhibitions with a focus on community involvement. Visitors were encouraged to contribute their memories and ephemera to the exhibition and this approach engendered a new sense of ownership and interest for the duration of the show.
    
6. In 2004 the exhibition ‘Sixties Scootermania' was held. Through local collections of scooters and sixties ephemera, visitors were able to take a nostalgic look back at the local scene during this particularly evocative period. The focus on more recent history has engendered a greater sense of participation and relevance for the local community and the service intends to continue this approach to exhibition planning.
    
7. This exhibition contributed towards a slight rise in visitor numbers this year. However if the site is to maintain this level of visits then it will require some redisplay within the next five years. The street provides excellent opportunities for ‘living history' interactive workshops, both for school and adult learning. However the models and interactive computers within the museum are now beginning to show their age and require constant remedial maintenance. Within the next two years capital funding will need to be found to update and remodel some of these popular features.
    
8. A redisplay should also reflect the histories of diverse communities living within Tameside. A lot of work needs to be undertaken to actively collect oral histories, documentation and objects from families who have moved to Tameside from South Asia, the Ukraine and Ireland . A proposal for the redisplay of the museum would also include changing some of the workshop areas on the lower ground floor to create a discovery centre that would enable visitors to discover the wealth of the natural and historical collections which are not currently on display and whose potential is underused. A project of this size would require substantial capital funding and is subject to a Heritage Lottery Fund bid.
    
9. The interactive computer programmes giving an introduction to the local area will also need to be revised and rewritten within the next three years to ensure visitor interest. It would be desirable to include a searchable collections database to the general histories to give visitors a more overall view of the museum's collections.
    
10. Throughout the whole service the importance of consultation has been recognised in the process of exhibition planning and community ownership. In the last two years the Museums service has been actively involved in local heritage forums, including the Heritage Consultation Group and the Local History Forum. The relationships built have been invaluable and have helped the service to be more responsive to the needs and desires of local residents. The expertise that is found in these local groups has also improved the service's historical knowledge of the local area.
     
11. In the next three years the service intends to widen its circle of community partnership and to build relationships with the arts, the voluntary community and diverse cultures to ensure that the service remains relevant, responsive and dynamic.
     
12. The building in which Portland Basin Museum is housed is not owned by the council, but by an independent landlord, Sanctuary Housing. This situation presents two challenges to the future of the Museum. Firstly, the café, which is vital to the visitor experience is owned and run by a private contractor and the Museum Service has no influence on the quality of the food or opening hours, rightly or wrongly a negative experience in the café has a detrimental impact on the museum's reputation. We need to ensure a better working relationship with the café or perhaps investigate alternative catering arrangements for our visitors. Secondly, the rent payable to Sanctuary Housing is due for review in 2008 and the service charges are currently the subject of a legal dispute. This creates uncertainty in terms of future revenue costs.

11.6 Central Art Gallery and Astley Cheetham Art Gallery

1. Tameside has two art galleries, both located above library buildings. Central Art Gallery is in Ashton-under-Lyne and Astley Cheetham Art Gallery is located in Stalybridge.
    
2. Astley Cheetham Art Gallery opened in 1932, following a donation of money for the building of a library and art gallery in 1910 by the Cheetham family of Stalybridge and the subsequent receipt of the Cheetham family bequest of paintings. The original collection has since been added to and now comprises over 400 paintings and illustrations. It is widely acknowledged as being one of the finest collections in the Northwest. The gallery was totally refurbished in 1996 and redecorated again in 2002.
    
3. Central Art Gallery was opened in 1998 as part of the refurbishment of the Ashton Central Library. The gallery consists of two fine gallery spaces and adjacent meeting room for community groups.
    
4. Both art galleries exhibit a rolling programme of temporary exhibitions. Parts of the permanent collection are displayed at Astley Cheetham in selected exhibitions twice a year.
    
5. In recent years visitor figures for both Art Galleries were decreasing. However this trend has been reversed by the introduction of schools and adult education workshops.
    
6. School groups are invited to participate in free workshops throughout the week that are closely connected to the temporary exhibition programme. During holiday periods the gallery holds a combination of booked and drop in workshops for children and families. Astley Cheetham also holds an adult art class on a Monday morning and a recent addition to the adult learning programme are monthly life drawing classes at Central Art Gallery . All the above activities are developed and delivered by practising artists.
    
7. Throughout the year, the gallery programmes 18 exhibitions by local and regional artists. The exhibitions encompass a wide range of artists working in varied media. Exhibitions by local artists are particularly popular, as are annual exhibitions such as the ‘Open Art' and Tameside Primary and Secondary School exhibitions. Most of our visitors to the art galleries come from Tameside, unless there is an exhibition by a more renowned artist, attracting visitors from the northwest region and central Manchester . Many regular visitors to the art galleries make repeat visits as the exhibitions change.
    
8. Both art galleries have beautiful rooms and are ideal spaces to relax in. Unlike many art galleries visitors are encouraged to have fun and experiment. There is opportunity for drawing and artwork every day and staff at both sites to engage visitors in discussion about the exhibitions on display.
    
9. Improvements are needed to the running and programming of the art galleries, including the need to increase the exhibitions budget to ensure that we can continue to attract exciting and popular art exhibitions for the local community. The programme of more than 18 exhibitions a year, over three display spaces is a punishing schedule and leaves the curator little time for collections care or the development and promotion of the very fine permanent collection. Within the next three years the number of temporary exhibitions at the Art Galleries will be reduced and the permanent art collection will be displayed for a longer period at Astley Cheetham Art Gallery .

11.7 Museum of the Manchester Regiment

1. The museum, situated in Ashton Town Hall , is run by the museum service on behalf of the trustees of the Manchester Regiment. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, Colonel-in-Chief of the Manchester Regiment and the King's Regiment, opened the original museum in 1987 part of the museum was redeveloped in 2002 and reopened by His Royal Highness Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales.
    
2. The Museum displays the history of the Regiment from the foundation of the 63 rd Regiment in1758 to eventual amalgamation with the King's Regiment in 1958. The Ladysmith Gallery tells the story chronologically, emphasising the campaigns and prominent actions, whilst also highlighting the importance of the social and political history of the soldiers' home communities. The Forshaw Gallery was refurbished in 2006 and the new display concentrates on the soldiers' life, displays include a jeep, costumes and interactives. Thanks to a productive and dynamic relationship with the Trustees of the Manchester Regiment Museum and the Leader of the Council a great deal of investment has been made in the Museum, all of the capital funding for these two refurbishments has been found within the Council.
    
3. A five year temporary exhibition plan has been devised and approved by the Regimental Advisory Committee in which educational activities will be developed as well as new material collected for the permanent collection.
    
4. Significant numbers of people use the Museum as a resource for studying Family History . As the conflicts of the first half of the twentieth century gradually fade from living memory, many are inspired to uncover the story behind granddad's medals or the bronze plaque on the wall above grandma's fireplace. There is good provision for adult learners jointly by the museum curator and Tameside Local Studies and Archive Service. An object surgery now takes place every Wednesday afternoon enabling members of the public to gain expert help with their family history research.
    
5. Although the focus the museum is military history, which is not strongly represented on the National Curriculum, we make every effort to provide educational sessions and interpretation that is relevant to school aged children.
    
6. The Museum's location in the Town Hall on the Market Square has many advantages of ease of access and prominence. The Museum is fully accessible, though the entrance for disabled visitors is through a side entrance, which can be easily missed by the first time visitor.
    
7. The challenges, which lie ahead for the museum, are to ensure the newly refurbished galleries are maintained to their current high standard and the ability to develop exhibitions and events which appeal to a wide family audience.

11.8 Setantii

1. Setantii is the newest Museum in Tameside. Setantii was opened to the public in March 2002 and was transferred to the Museums and Galleries Service in April 2003. It is located in the basement of Ashton Town Hall and can be accessed either through the Town Hall building or the Council's Customer Service Area. The site is accessible for wheel chair and pushchair users and can be visited as part of a combined trip with the Museum of the Manchester Regiment.
    
2. Setantii tells the story of Tameside from the Celtic times to the present day using a combination of tableaux and interactives. Booked groups and schools can also watch a five-minute audio-visual introduction to the site. At the end of the tour visitors have an opportunity to trace their family tree in the family history centre run in partnership with the University of Manchester. This facility is extremely popular with visitors and has encouraged many repeat visits.
    
3. Setantii has a great deal of political support and has received additional investment for improvement since it's opening. It does have an ideal location in the centre of Ashton, so it is well placed to attract people from the main shopping area. Recent improvements include museum objects within the displays and the addition of a temporary exhibition space.
    
4. Improvements that can be made should ensure that the signage to the site is improved and the Family History Centre is fully marketed, as this is a growing interest and hobby for many members of the community. Setantii has achieved VAQAS accreditation and will now be an additional submission for Museums Accreditation with the other sites.

11.9 Education and Learning

1. A museum or gallery is a unique resource as it is based on first hand experience of ‘real' objects. The service has the valuable position of bringing history and the visual arts to life with the museums providing rare glimpses into the past and the galleries offering an insight into the artistic processes, giving greater understanding of the social and economic place of art within the community.
    
2. For a long time the service has believed that the learning experiences within the museums and galleries extend far beyond formal education to school groups. We have a desire to create those special ‘moments' of inspiration, excitement and reminiscence for all our visitors no matter what their age. The development of the MLA's ‘Inspiring Learning for All' has given this approach an impetus for all museums, libraries and archive services. We will use this toolkit to assess the learning experiences available throughout the service and use the finding to revise our Education and learning policy.
    
3. In recent years the education and events programme has grown remarkably. The Lifelong Learning Directorate supports our work and we receive a monetary contribution of £27,000 for this service. This ensures that any schools within the Tameside Education Authority receive free facilitated workshops at any of our Museums and Galleries. Schools not in the Education Authority are charged for facilitated sessions at the rate of £2.00 per child or a minimum payment of £40. Schools can also obtain free transport for up to two classes per financial year for combined visits to Portland Basin Museum and sites at Ashton Town Hall.
    
4. The service employs an Education Manager, three part time art education facilitators and an educational facilitator for Setantii.
    
5. In addition to formal education we also provide a series of adult education workshops, an out of schools workshop programme, museum trails and worksheets, a range of outreach talks and lectures and loans boxes for schools and community groups.
    
6. The Setantii visitor centre has a very popular ‘family history' research facility provided in partnership with the University of Manchester . Visitors are given an introduction to family history research and guidance on how to develop their studies.
    
7. The provision of family friendly events across all sites is now seen as an established part of the service's work. We hold large family friendly events on bank holidays and a series of interactive drop-ins, demonstrations and talks throughout the year at all sites.
    
8. The education and learning provision is central to what the service aims to do and achieve. The education function has been considered in the planning of all displays, exhibitions and interpretation. Consideration is made of how exhibitions and permanent displays relate to the school curriculum and the general interest of the visiting public.
    
9. In the next three years it is of vital importance that the education and learning provision is strengthened through the use of the ‘Inspiring Learning for All' toolkit and the procurement of additional resources. We aim to use the collections and the specific history of Tameside to provide a unique learning experience for all ages and market these resources to raise awareness of their value in supporting learning. In the past year we have a slight decline in the number of school pupils using the education service although performance is still within the top quartile for the national average. There are many factors which have contributed to this including greater competition from museum services in other boroughs, fewer field trips being made by school groups and the number of staff moving on to jobs in other services. The issue of staff retention within the Education Service area is a key challenge that we need to face in the next year. The role of Education Assistant is an ideal entry-level museum job, which enables young professionals to get their initial experience in the sector. However the inevitable staff turn over has meant that the number of sessions we are able to offer has been reduced. Action is being taken to ensure that the education programme is specifically targeted at the needs of school groups and a new Education team is being established to ensure consistency and quality within this area.

11.10 Museum and Gallery Storage and Collections Management

1. Collections are held in trust for public enjoyment, inspiration and learning. The Museums and Galleries Service supports and strives to achieve national standards in collections care, namely Accreditation and Benchmarking in Collections Care, to ensure the preservation and appropriate acquisition of collections for the benefit for future generations.
    
2. The reserve collection of any museum is a vitally important part of the service offered to the public. It acts as a repository for the heritage of the region and plays a key part in long-term preservation of collections.
    
3. The Council built a new archive centre for the borough, which opened in 2005. As part of this plan it was decided that the museums store would remain at Heginbottom Mill (the adjacent building). The original intention was to move the museums collections into the ground floor accommodation, which the archives had vacated.
    
4. Refurbishments have already been carried out on the large object store and the regimental store plus another room to house the art gallery collection. Greater Manchester Police have been consulted on security requirements and the mobile picture racking has been installed. Since these improvements have been made the viability of Heginbottom Mill in terms of this investment and its future use has been assessed and called into question. Other options are being looked at in for Museum Storage that would be more accessible, environmentally sound and cost effective.
    
5. A certain future for the storage of the collection would enable us to increase access to the reserve collections will help raise the profile within the borough creating an increased sense of public ownership. To meet the challenges of ‘Collections for the Future' we must ensure we have dynamic collections, identifying priorities for acquisition where there are collection ‘gaps' and objects for disposal or handling purposes.

11.11 Conservation

1. In the past years the majority of conservation projects have concentrated upon the fine art collection. Four major works in the Astley Cheetham Collection were conserved in preparation for the 1998 Royal Academy Exhibition ‘Art Treasure of England '. Although the Heritage Lottery Bid submitted in 1998 to conserve all the paintings within the collection was unsuccessful, gradual conservation progress has been made to the art collection.
    
2. We have been involved in two major conservation projects this year. Firstly United Utilities donated the ‘Bateman Valve' and its sophisticated control gear to Portland Basin Museum . Originally the valve was installed at the Torside Reservoir. It was commissioned by John Frederick La Trobe Batemen (1810-1889) and, at the time, was at the very cutting edge of engineering technology. Thanks to the kind support of United Utilities, North West Museums Service and the Science Museum PRISM fund this important object has been preserved and is on display at Portland Basin Museum.
    
3. Secondly the conservation of sculpture ‘Charity' by John H Foley is completed. This fine bas-relief was originally placed at Queens Road Chapel in 1861 and then transferred to Hurst Cross Community Centre where it was tragically damaged in a fire. It is hoped we will be able to install the sculpture in a permanent position in the following year at Central Art Gallery once funding for its installation has been procured.
    
4. With the improvements in our storage facilities we can then confidently increase the number of items conserved from our collection each year. The improvement in conditions will also enable us to seek grant funding for this conservation programme.

11.12 Documentation

1. In the past few years the curators have made extremely good headway into rectifying our documentation backlog. Images are now being added to the object catalogues and it is hoped that the information stored on the collection will be made available to the public digitally within the next three years. Together we have prepared a new Documentation Plan. A complete audit of the Art Gallery collection has been completed and it is hoped that in the near future we will be able to move the majority of the Art Collection to its new storage area. The new documentation plan is seen as a ‘live' document and will be amended if needed as we progress through the backlog.

12. Service Aims

1. The key aims of the service are to provide the following:
    
   • Access to Services. Ensure that all our sites are accessible, friendly and have the highest standards of customer care.
   • Access to the Community. Respond to the needs and the demands of the local community, and to participate fully in the life of Tameside, contributing to the cultural, social and economic activity of the borough.
   • Access to Learning. Offer visitor's enjoyable, inspirational and educational experiences.
   • Access to Collections. Ensure that the borough's museums, galleries and collections are cared for and added to, for future generations.

13. Service Objectives and Action Plans

13.1 Key Objectives

The service has seventeen objectives that fall under the themes of the Service Aims. The following objectives are headline priorities for the service over the life of the Forward Plan:

• To gain accreditation for all five Museum and Galleries sites through the Museum Libraries and Archive Council Accreditation Scheme in 2007
• To obtain grant and capital funding for refurbishment of part of Portland Basin Museum
• To secure and improve the storage provision for the permanent collections
• To increase our education and event provision, increasing the number of school pupils visiting our sites.
• To develop a business case for the Rutherford Gallery in Hyde

13.2 Action Plans
 

13.2.1 Access to Services

Ensure that all our sites are maintained to a high standard, accessible, friendly and have the highest levels of customer care.

Objective 1

Ensuring the highest quality of customer service is central to the business of the museums and galleries service. It is important that every member of the public feels welcome within any of our sites. To ensure that this level of service is maintained and improved there are a series of action plans which need to be achieved over the next three years.

No:	Action	Timescale			Cost
		2007	2008	2009
1.1	Use consultation results to develop new design & refurbishment ideas for Portland Basin Museum		X		Revenue
1.2	Develop Project Planning Grant Bid for Heritage Lottery Fund	X	X		£30,000
1.3	Develop Heritage Lottery bid for Portland Basin Refurbishment		X		£2,000
1.4	Procure and develop new computer interactive for Portland Basin Museum		X	X	£2,000
1.5	Deliver refurbishment to parts of Portland Basin Museum			X	£200,000

Objective 2

To ensure physical and intellectual access for all visitors to museums and galleries sites.

No:	Action	Timescale			Cost
		2007	2008	2009
2.1	Complete access audits of sites with disability groups		X		£200
2.2	Upgrade all induction loops at sites		X		£2,000
2.3	Audit signage at all sites and translation provision		X	X	£2,000

Objective 3

To ensure that all sites demonstrate the highest levels of Customer Care.

No:	Action	Timescale			Cost
		2007	2008	2009
3.1.	Participate in the Institute Customer Service programme and training on equalities awareness	X	X		£1,000
3.2	Ensure all staff have up to date Customer First Training	X	X	X	Revenue
3.3	Complete Employment Development Reviews and progress training	X	X	X	Revenue
3.4	Monitor absence levels	X	X	X	Revenue
3.5	Complete annual visitor satisfaction surveys and progress findings	X	X	X	Revenue

Objective 4

That all sites and services uphold the highest health and safety standards minimising risks for both staff and visitor.

No:	Action	Timescale			Cost
		2007	2008	2009
4.1	Complete Health and Safety compendium for whole service	X			Revenue
4.2	Review first aid provision at all sites		X		Nil
4.3	Ensure all new staff have Criminal Record Bureau checks and investigate retrospective checks	X	X		£2,000
4.4	Complete service wide Emergency Plan	X			Revenue
4.5	Complete Health and Safety audits at all sites		X		Revenue

Objective 5

To ensure we provide high quality visitor services attracting tourism into the borough, which in turn will attract new business investment.

No:	Action	Timescale			Cost
		2007	2008	2009
5.1	Maintain Visitor Attraction Quality Award Standard status for Portland Basin and Town Hall sites	X	X	X	Revenue
5.2	Obtain Visitor Attraction Quality Award Standard status for Gallery sites	X			Revenue
5.3	Plan a series of maintenance and replacement of interactive models throughout the service		X	X	£20,000
5.4	Redecorate and carpet stairway at Astley Cheetham Art Gallery	X			£10,000
5.5	Implement Marketing Strategy Points	X	X	X	Revenue

13.2.2 Access to the Community

Respond to the needs and the demands of the local community, and to participate fully in the life of Tameside, contributing to the cultural, social and economic activity of the region.

Objective 6

To develop closer links with community groups.

No:	Action	Timescale			Cost
		2007	2008	2009
6.1	Meet with leaders of Black & Minority Ethnic communities to consult on service provision	X			Revenue
6.2	Establish focus groups through Citizen 2000 and community connections to consult on active collecting policy		X	X	Revenue
6.3	Continue active membership of community forums and establish new links with the Third Sector Coalition, and Community Cohesion Partnership	X	X	X	Revenue
6.4	Work with local heritage groups to record and preserve Tameside's Heritage	X	X	X	Revenue

Objective 7

To work with other services to provide events and facilities that promotes understanding and good relations between different communities.

No:	Action	Timescale			Cost
		2007	2008	2009
7.1	Develop community based activities in partnership with Arts and Events team	X	X	X	£6,000
7.2	Investigate opportunities for work experience/young apprenticeship placements within Museum Service		X		Revenue
7.3	Work with Greater Manchester Museum Forum to develop an outreach/community project with Black & Minority Ethnic communities	X	X		Nil

Objective 8

Ensure high quality exhibitions and activities within all sites.

No:	Action	Timescale			Cost
		2007	2008	2009
8.1	Obtain additional funding for exhibition programming	X			£5,000
8.2	Review exhibition contracts and policy for all sites		X		Revenue
8.3	Programme and develop community based exhibitions at both Portland Basin Museum and Setantii	X	X	X	£15,000
8.4	Work with the Greater Manchester Museum Forum to develop joint exhibitions and loans	X	X	X	£15,000

Objective 9

Ensure a high profile within the borough, developing the sense of public ownership of the museums and galleries.

No:	Action	Timescale			Cost
		2007	2008	2009
9.1	Consult with Press and Publicity Department on high profile publicity campaigns	X	X	X	Nil
9.2	Gain press coverage for high profile exhibitions in regional press	X	X	X	Nil
9.3	Obtain additional brown signs for venues		X		£5000
9.4	Mount 'collections' based marketing campaign			X	£20,000
9.5	Direct mailings of publicity material to local communities	X	X	X	£30,000
9.6	Develop wider distribution lists for museums leaflets	X	X	X	£12,000
9.7	Conduct familiarisation visits for tourism and hotel staff.		X	X	Revenue
9.8	Review website content and services	X			Revenue
9.9	Investigate changing the brand name of Central Art Gallery	X			Nil

13.2.3 Access to Collections

Ensure that the borough's museums, galleries and collections are cared for and added to for future generations.

Objective 10

To gain accreditation for all five Museum and Galleries sites through the Accreditation Scheme in 2007 and maintain Accreditation Status in following years.

No:	Action	Timescale			Cost
		2007	2008	2009
10.1	Complete Accreditation application for all five sites	X			Nil
10.2	Review the acquisitions and disposal policy	X		X	Nil
10.3	Review Emergency Plan	X		X	Nil
10.4	Review Security Provisions	X		X	Nil
10.5	Review Documentation Plan and Procedure	X		X	Nil

Objective 11

To ensure that the collections are relevant to the needs of the community and actively collect contemporary and twentieth century objects and art which will benefit the future generations of Tameside residents.

No:	Action	Timescale			Cost
		2007	2008	2009
11.1	Audit sections of the social history and military collections		X	X	Revenue
11.2	Audit art collection			X	Revenue
11.3	Identify duplicate items in the collections for transfer to handling collections or loans boxes or disposal		X		Revenue
11.4	Identify additional funding for active collecting	X			Nil
11.5	Identify gaps within the collections		X		Nil
11.6	Pursue an active collecting policy to plug gaps in the collection		X	X	£20,000

Objective 12

To develop a documentation system, which will give curators and the public quickly accessible and accurate information about any accession within the collection.

No:	Action	Timescale			Cost
		2007	2008	2009
12.1	Review documentation procedure manual	X			Nil
12.2	Eliminate the documentation backlog			X	Revenue
12.3	Complete annual review of the documentation plan	X	X	X	Nil
12.4	Complete transfer of catalogue cards onto computer catalogue	X			Revenue
12.5	Catalogue and photograph all new acquisitions within one month	X	X	X	Nil
12.6	Complete ‘online' collections project		X		Revenue

Objective 13

To ensure the preservation of objects within the collection to the highest standards.

No:	Action	Timescale			Cost
		2007	2008	2009
13.1	Use Benchmarking for collections care to audit standard of collections management		X		Revenue
13.2	Identify action points for improvement			X	Revenue
13.3	Identify and programme priority conservation of objects and paintings		X		Nil
13.4	Monitor environmental conditions in Heginbottom Mill	X			Revenue
13.5	Action improvements which are needed for store conditions		X		£10,000

Objective 14

No:	Action	Timescale			Cost
		2007	2008	2009
14.1	Cost new racking for ground floor stores	X			Nil
14.2	Develop grant funding capital funding application for new racking		X		£10,000
14.3	Transfer of non-bequest art to Heginbottom site	X			£3,000
14.4	Install catalogue computer within stores area			X	£10,000
14.5	Plan and develop joint exhibitions with archive service		X	X	£2,000

Objective 15

To ensure that the service maintains the highest level of security at all sites for the collection.

No:	Action	Timescale			Cost
		2007	2008	2009
15.1	Review Trams results	X	X	X	Nil
15.2	Review Security Procedures across sites	X			Nil
15.3	Review Close Circuit Television provision throughout the service		X		Nil
15.4	Plan improvements to Close Circuit Television coverage			X	£10,000
15.5	Investigate government indemnity for art galleries		X		Revenue
15.6	Review civic silver valuations	X			£2,000
15.7	Review art gallery valuations		X		£2,000

13.2.4 Access to Learning

Offer visitors enjoyable, inspirational and educational experiences.

Objective 16

Increase our education and event provision, increasing the number of school pupils visiting our sites.

No:	Action	Timescale			Cost
		2007	2008	2009
16.1	Review schools programme		X		Revenue
16.2	Review teaching packs and information		X		Revenue
16.3	Develop new teaching packs and supportive material			X	£1,000
16.4	Set up learning steering group	X			Revenue
16.5	Identify learning outcomes for all activities	X	X	X	Revenue
16.6	Develop new education policy/exhibition policy from Inspiring Learning for All toolkit findings		X		£1,000

Objective 17

Ensure that the service continues to provide information in an interesting and stimulating way for all ages and abilities.

No:	Action	Timescale			Cost
		2007	2008	2009
17.1	Establish focus groups to develop learning activities for all ages	X			Revenue
17.2	Review interpretation across sites		X		Revenue
17.3	Review and develop interactive data at museums		X		£10,000
17.4	Develop community exhibition and outreach programmes		X	X	£10,000
17.5	Review 'early years' learning at Portland Basin Museum		X		Revenue
17.6	Refresh the Nuts and Bolts area at Portland Basin Museum		X		£10,000
17.7	Develop learning opportunities within Heginbottom Mill, using the reserve collection		X		£10,000
17.8	Develop loan box - outreach material for schools and community groups		X		£1,000

14. Budgets and Funding

1. The Service draws in funding from various external sources, both as capital and as contributions to small programmes being met from the Revenue Budget. It has also benefited greatly from funding from the Council's own capital programme.
    
2. Over the period 2007 - 2009 using the action plan timetable it is estimated that the following capital resources will be required for implementing the proposals of this strategy.
    
   2007 - £62,500
   2008 - £133,700
   2009 - £295,000
    
3. The individual schemes and their proposed programming would be dependant upon availability of funding from within existing resources, from obtaining grant funding from such bodies as the Heritage Lottery Fund and subject to success funding bids to the Council's Capital Programme.
    
4. The Museums and Galleries Service Unit revenue budget (currently about £501,300 per year) covers staff costs, site management, running costs of Museums and Gallery sites, events programme.

15. Monitoring and Review

1. The Forward Plan will be the basis for the next three years for developing new programmes for work and for bidding for new sources of income. The proposals in the strategy will be monitored annually, and the full strategy reviewed in 2010.

Appendix 1 - Council Structure

Appendix 2 - Museums and Galleries Staff Structure