Keswisk Museum project 

Lynda Pratt’s AHRC follow-on project has employed Charlotte May to work with Keswick Museum on a variety of impact-related activities connected to their Southey collection. 

Overview

The Museum was closed for 3.5 months during lockdown and Charlotte kept them in the public eye through a variety of methods, including regular posts on their Facebook and Twitter accounts and appearing in 2 interviews with BBC Radio Cumbria.

She also kept in contact with their community of volunteers and friends, many of whom were socially isolated, keeping them engaged with the project.

Project outreach

Charlotte's work has connected the Museum for the first time to national and regional heritage organisations. The project has produced a travelling education box, new guidebook, walking tour and other materials and ran a Southey event on Heritage Open Day (September 2020).

Charlotte has also enlisted the Museum's volunteers' help (e.g. making dressing up clothes for the education box) and provided on-site training and a training pack for them to use, thus increasing their understanding of the significance of the collection and their ability to interpret it for visitors.