Polly has worked at the Braintree Museum for half a decade and shows no sign of stopping as she tells CommunityAd why she loves her work, how she’s been overjoyed to hear the museum buzzing with people again after such a long lockdown governed winter, and why volunteers are so crucial to this community asset.
What’s your role and what do you enjoy most about it?
I am the commercial and communications manager for Braintree District Museum Trust which look after both Braintree Museum and the Warner Textile Archive.
Part of my job is running the Museum Shop and making sure the visitors and the community have great local and unique products they can buy. Spending in the Museum Shop means they are supporting the works by the Museum and Archive and really supporting the culture in the community.
It is always lovely to hear customers say that we have the best card range in town! But bringing the rich heritage of Braintree and the district to life, through all our services like exhibitions and events, and seeing the community engage and enjoy the Museum and the Archive is the very best part, that’s what we are here for.
What a tough 18 months or so it’s been for everyone in our community, how nice does it feel to be able to open up the museum doors and welcome back visitors?
It has been such a pleasure to hear the Museum filled with people and life again. We have had such wonderful support from the community in so many different ways throughout the last difficult 18 months from locals coming to buy their honey from us when we could only open the Museum Shop to engaging with us through social media while in lockdown. So it really has been wonderful to be able to open all our doors again, welcome people back and physically thank them for their ongoing support.
How was your summer? I bet the kids loved the spacecraft sessions that the museum held? They must have been a lot of fun?
Having the kids and families come back this summer to see our Space: Fact & Fiction exhibition and to come and have fun with our family craft sessions has been great.
We had to make some changes to our programme but families have been so supportive and understanding, it has been a great summer. Kids made moon rocks, piñatas, jigsaws and much more and we will be continuing to offer these popular family crafts on Saturdays for the duration of the Space exhibition. Just go to the website to find out more.
Why should our readers consider a trip to their local museum? What’s on offer for them?
Our Space exhibition is on till December 11th 2021 and as mentioned we will be doing family craft sessions every Saturday up till then. The exhibition itself has fun activities as well as a Doctor Who Tardis and giant War of the Worlds war machine. We will also be doing loads of activities for October Half Term* and will be taking part in this year’s Christmas Light Switch On with Braintree District Council (more information will be released soon).
Besides the changing exhibitions and events programme Braintree Museum is a great place to explore more about the rich heritage of the area from the Iron Age to more recent history like the band The Prodigy. The Museum is a great way to spend a couple of hours learning something new, supporting local culture and something fun to do with the family.
Is there any need for volunteers at the museum at the moment and if so why should readers consider coming forward?
We rely heavily on the support from volunteers, without them we wouldn’t be able to do the things we do. We are always looking to strengthen our volunteer group and have a range of volunteering opportunities from helping in the Museum Shop to collection work. More information and how to apply to become a volunteer can be found on our website or simply pop in and enquire.
Anything else you’d like to add at all?
We would encourage locals and the community to support their local heritage and culture by exploring things that are on your doorstep, you’ll be surprised at what you’ll find, learn and discover!
Did you know that Braintree is home to a nationally important textile collection? The Warner Textile Archive houses over 60,000 textiles and 10,000 paper designs providing an insight into the weaving and printing techniques used by textile manufacturer Warner and Sons. It is open by appointment for research, schools and group visits. It opens its doors to the public on days like Heritage Open Days and for special events, please check the Warner Textile Archive website for more information. We are a charitable trust so rely on grants, donations, admissions, people spending in the shop and using all our other services so we can fund the important work we do on collections, delivering exhibitions and events as well as being a hub for the community.
Finally, how long have you lived here in Braintree and what makes it such a pleasant community to call home?
I moved to Braintree to work at the Museum so I have been here just over 5 years. I received a very warm and helpful welcome from the community and am happy to call Braintree home. There is so much to do, visit and see that are also really accessible whether by car, bike or public transport. Braintree District really does have a lot to offer and for that I am grateful!
Find out more about Braintree Museum, the Space: Fact & Fiction exhibition and their Christmas holiday offerings by visiting their website or following them on Facebook or Twitter @museumbraintree. Find out more about the affiliated Warner Textile Archive here.