Cromarty Courthouse Museum announced as Winners of the 2023 Marsh Volunteer Awards
Cromarty: Built on Slavery Team, Cromarty Courthouse Museum have been announced as part of the The British Museum and the Marsh Charitable Trust winners of the 2023 volunteer awards, celebrating the work and achievements of museum volunteers across the UK.
The British Museum and the Marsh Charitable Trust have been working in partnership for the sixteenth year of the ‘Volunteers for Museum Learning’ award which recognises the hugely important contribution that volunteers make to help museums engage with their visitors.
The ‘Volunteers for Museum Learning’ award forms part of a programme of awards presented by the Marsh Charitable Trust in the fields of science, ecology, conservation, heritage, literature and volunteering.
Each one of these awards recognises individuals and organisations who devote their lives to improving the world today and in the future. The Marsh Awards programme is managed in association with key partners including the Zoological Society of London, English Heritage, Barnardo’s, the Refugee Council and the British Museum.
The aim of the ‘Volunteers for Museum Learning’ award is to recognise those volunteers who engage directly with museum visitors in any capacity. This could involve leading a school group, helping with family activities, running a guided tour or any number of other ways in which volunteers provide support to museum visitors.
Sarah Saunders, Head of Learning and National Partnerships at the British Museum said:
“Volunteers across the UK have made an enormous impact this year, helping people enjoy diverse collections. They help tell compelling stories, reveal remarkable histories, engage audiences and contribute to visitors’ wellbeing. We are delighted to be able to celebrate and honour all their achievements publicly with the support of the Marsh Charitable Trust.”
The winners each receive a cash prize of £500, donated by the Marsh Charitable Trust. The one overall national winner receives an additional £2,000.
The judges consisted of staff from the Marsh Trust, staff and volunteers from the British Museum and a representative from Tate Britain, London. Due to the British Museum’s involvement in the ceremony and judging, volunteers from the British Museum are ineligible for the awards.
The list of winners for the 2023 Volunteers for Museum Learning is:
National Winners
The Closer Look Guides, V&A, London.
@V_and_A
Scotland
Cromarty: Built on Slavery Team, Cromarty Courthouse Museum.
www.cromarty-courthouse.org.uk/
North East
Chris Mills at Locomotion, Shildon.
@LocomotionSHD
North West
‘Manchester Baby Computer’ Volunteer Team, Science and Industry Museum, Manchester.
@sim_manchester
Yorkshire
The Young Smeatonians, Leeds Industrial Museum
@LeedsMuseums
East Midlands
‘Ruddington Framework Knitters’ Museum volunteers, Ruddington Framework Knitters Museum
@FWKMuseum
West Midlands
‘Carer’s Cafe’ Volunteer Team, RAF Museum, Cosford
Wales
The Plas Mawr Volunteers - Tudor Dance Troupe, Plas Mawr Elizabethan House, Conwy
@cadwwales
East of England
Chatteris Museum Volunteer Team, Chatteris Museum, Cambridgeshire.
South West (Joint Winners)
Lizzie Wiscombe, Lyme Regis Museum, Dorset
@LymeRegisMuseum
Penlee House Learning Volunteers, Penlee House Gallery and Museum
@PenleeHouse
South East
Community Programme Ambassadors, Pallant House Gallery, Chichester.
@PallantGallery
London
The Closer Look Guides, V&A, London.
@V_and_A
Northern Ireland
Lizzie Hogg and Thomas Maguire – Castle Coole volunteers, Castle Coole, Co. Fermanagh, Northern Ireland.
@nationaltrust
