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The Museum of Army Flying British Army Flying: Discovering Stories of Courage, Comradeship and Innovation

ACTIVITY PLAN

October 2017

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British Army Flying:

Discovering Stories of Courage,

Comradeship and Innovation Project

2018 - 2021

Heritage Lottery Fund Activity Plan

Chloë Bird and Jane Frederick October 2017

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Contents

Executive summary 4

1 Where we are now: organisation, audiences and activity 8

1.1 Introduction 8

1.2 Organisational commitment to engaging the public 8

1.3 Current activity 10

1.4 Creating the Activity Plan 11

1.5 Learning from others 14

1.6 Current audiences, motivations and attitudes 21

1.7 Potential audiences 29

1.8 Barriers to access 45

2 Making strategic decisions about engaging more people 48

2.1 Project description 48

2.2 Commitment to putting the Activity Plan into action 48

2.3 Audiences for the project 51

2.4 Project activity 55

2.5 Approaches to volunteering and training 61

2.6 Achieving HLF outcomes 64

2.7 Managing project activities 68

2.8 Plans for handling potential difficulties in engaging people 70

2.9 Evaluation and measures of success 72

2.10 Sharing lessons 76

2.11 Long term benefits and sustainability 77

2.12 Organisational development 80

2.13 Summary budget 81

3 Activity Action Plan 84

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Executive summary

The ambition of the British Army Flying: Discovering Stories of Courage, Comradeship and

Innovation Project is to create a sustainable museum that tells the unique stories of British

Army flying in a way that engages the next generation of audiences. The vision for the

project is to:

• Transform the display of the collections and the visitor experience providing an

updated, professional standard of interpretation that meets modern expectations of a

day trip destination and that the organisation is proud of marketing.

• Tell the story of British Army flying for all in a way that entertains, engages and

inspires, with stories of universal appeal and relevance.

• Reconnect to the Army Air Corps as its regimental museum through representing

modern stories of campaigns and reflecting the ongoing courage, comradeship and

innovation of the Corps.

• Bring the Museum of Army Flying (MAF) into the community by developing activities

and interpretation that draws local people in regularly and creates a familiar and

popular focus for communities.

• Enable an organisational transformation through staff training programmes and

growing the volunteer workforce to increase the museum’s capability and capacity.

The HLF project will have a significant impact in terms of developing MAF’s audiences,

through newly relevant, refreshed and engaging displays, education programmes, improved

visitor experience, volunteer involvement and targeted work with those not currently

engaged with MAF’s heritage. The project will enrich the offer at the museum for every

visitor and take an approach that both creates deeper links with local people and

encourages larger numbers of visitors from a wider geographic reach. The project will

particularly target broadening and diversifying the following groups of people:

• Families

Families are a key audience for the museum to build for general day trips, at the

same time as offering an effective route into connecting more closely with the local

community. New interpretation and a lively programme of weekend and holiday

activities will encourage repeat visiting by family audiences through offering

something for all family members to enjoy and creating many reasons to come back

time and again.

• Primary Schools and Youth Groups

Primary school groups and groups of young people taking part in informal learning

activity have a great potential to be engaged with and developed through the

project, particularly with a focus on engaging them in practical, applied learning

activities at the museum.

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• Serving and Retired AAC Personnel

Connections with serving and retired AAC personnel will be made stronger as a result

of the HLF work, building on the ways in which the museum can represent the AAC

story right up to the present day.

• Adult Curious Minds

Adults looking for a lively and interesting day out will be served more effectively

during their time visiting MAF as a result of the museum developments. This

audience group travel from towns and villages in the Test Valley and further afield.

• Aviation and Military Enthusiasts

Aviation and Military Enthusiasts are a loyal and self-motivated group with a

specialist interest which will be served more fully as the museum develops its

collections access and interpretation.

A focus on access will be embedded in all project work to ensure that visitors from all target

audience groups with disabilities can engage with the museum. Access awareness and

infrastructure to enable suitable access for all will run throughout the project.

Volunteers will be drawn from all of the target audience groups to create a volunteer

workforce that is representative of the breadth of visitors coming to the museum. The

project will enable a shift in volunteering practice, moving it from the periphery to the core

of museum activity.

Activity delivered through the British Army Flying: Discovering Stories of Courage,

Comradeship and Innovation Project will connect these audiences with MAF’s collections and

stories in new ways. Development and updating of the museum’s displays, the upgrading of

collections, archive and education room spaces, the creation of new public programmes,

targeted outreach work and enhanced volunteering activity will reach out to new audiences

and transform visitor experience at the museum.

Project activity has been shaped as a result of widespread consultation and will be

developed alongside partners to ensure the needs of target audiences are met and activity is

developed that is relevant and of appeal to these groups. The four activity strands for the

project are outlined here:

• Making collections accessible

Making museum collections more accessible through updated and refreshed

exhibition displays, new interpretation and storytelling, new archive and research

facilities, collection care volunteering and internship programmes. Placing museum

collections at the heart of storytelling and enabling the public to engage with them in

relevant and inspiring ways.

• Community connections

Wide ranging outreach and community promotion including a Pop Up Museum,

collaborative projects with the Army Welfare Service and family and adult workshops

which actively raise the profile of the museum, building greater links with new

audiences for the first time and creating programmes that encourage these

audiences to visit time and again.

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• Establishing STEM learning

Working collaboratively with experts to build a reputation for hands on STEM

learning at the museum for formal learning and informal groups of young people,

placing STEM topics at the centre of the museum’s learning offer and through this

strength of focus reach new groups of school children and young people.

• Organisational capacity building

A programme of active volunteer recruitment and growth, moving this activity from

the periphery to the core of museum functions. Organisational transformation

through an investment in training and capacity building throughout all levels of the

organisation, equipping everyone involved, either professionally or in a voluntary

capacity to deliver an enhanced offer at the museum by the end of the project.

All of the activity in the HLF Project has been designed in a way which will ensure a

sustainable legacy from HLF investment through developing new interpretation, public

programmes, networks and resources which build the capacity of staff and volunteers and

celebrates the story of soldiers in the air with the public in the long term.

Amongst the many benefits for heritage, people and community the HLF project will deliver

during the life of the project there will be:

• Over 80,000 people will engage with interpretation in the museum and café during

19/20 and 20/21.

• 270 volunteer days will have been completed on collections care.

• 260 days of Volunteer Explainer volunteering will have taken place.

• 120 days of volunteer oral history recording will have taken place.

• 68 volunteers will have taken part over the life of the project.

• 74 people will have received heritage training.

• 1,200 people will have taken part in guided tours led by volunteers.

• 30 oral histories will have been collected.

• 3,100 pupils will have been engaged in the revitalised education sessions both on

and off site.

• 800 children will have attended STEM workshops for schools.

• 525 children will have taken part in out of school STEM workshops.

• 15 local people will have been involved in designing the hands on base for families.

• 2,850 people will have engaged with the Pop Up Museum off site.

• Over 13,000 people will be engaged through activities and events.

The HLF project will revitalise MAF, transforming how it operates organisationally and what

it can offer to visitors in parallel. It will enable the museum to play its role more fully as both

a heritage attraction and a community resource. The project will deliver significant

organisational development in the following areas:

• Engaging the next generation of audiences – meeting the modern expectations

of museum visitors and creating a museum to be proud of which champions a

warmth of welcome and is financially sustainable.

• Placing the museum within the heart of the community it serves – actively

building live, long term partnerships with local stakeholders.

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• Transforming the volunteer workforce – providing the extra capacity to build

and extend the museum’s volunteer team, creating a growing volunteer community

who feel equipped, inspired and confident to deliver their roles.

• Developing a highly skilled staff and Board – creating a workforce that is

dynamic, highly skilled and well placed to deliver a museum with a growing future.

The successful achievement of this organisational development will enable not only local

people, but regional and national audiences to connect with the museum in new ways,

feeling inspired by the stories it can share.

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1. Where we are now: organisation, audiences and activity

1.1 Introduction

The Museum of Army Flying (MAF) is the regimental museum of the Army Air Corps (AAC)

and is the only museum in the world dedicated to telling the story of British Army flying from

the early pioneers in the late 1800s to the modern professionalism of the Army today.

The museum welcomes visitors 362 days a year and is open 10am to 4.30pm daily. A

charity, the museum is overseen by a Board made up of 14 Directors, all of whom are

volunteers. It employs a staff of 14 full time equivalent posts.

In July 2016 the museum was awarded a Round 1 pass by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF)

to develop the British Army Flying: Discovering Stories of Courage, Comradeship and

Innovation Project. The project will transform the museum and visitor experience through

new interpretation, improved education and research facilities, comprehensive community

engagement and volunteer programmes.

1.2 Organisational commitment to engaging the public

MAF tells the extraordinary story of Army flying from 1878 and the pioneers of early Army

flying to today’s modern Army aviation, in which men and women play an equal role. Its

story covers the five main branches of Army Aviation:

• Royal Engineers (1878 – 1912)

• The Royal Flying Corps (1912-1918)

• Air Observation Post Squadrons (1941 – 1957)

• Glider Pilot Regiment (1942 – 1957) and

• Current Army Air Corps (1957- to date)

The First World War was the moment when a culture of comradeship, courage and

innovation was born in Army flying. During the Second World War, Army flying was a key

component of many operations and today provides a vital capability in British military

operations (including humanitarian operations), with the AAC recently playing a crucial role

in Afghanistan and the Middle East. More than 5,000 soldiers have died in the service of

British Army flying. The story of Army flying is unique and it has a heritage which can tell

very human stories which resonate powerfully with visitors.

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The museum is committed to engaging the public and its key stakeholder group of AAC and

military personnel with this significant story and this commitment can be illustrated in a

number of ways:

• The Memorial – the museum has undertaken a major project this year to

commemorate the more than 5,000 soldiers who have died in the service of Army

aviation. The museum has actively involved the AAC and veteran’s organisations in

the collection of names for the Memorial and in its design. The Memorial will play an

important part in drawing people to the museum, act as a focal point for

remembrance and recognition of service personnel and as an important additional

resource which will add power to community engagement and learning activity

during the HLF project.

• Life Through a Lens Project – the museum has launched an appeal for

photographs taken by veterans and serving members of the AAC which show

operations, life at war and in training. The images will be used to create a display

which plots the 60-year history of the Corps from the perspective of the people who

were there. This project helps museum reflect the realities of serving with the AAC

from a very human perspective.

• AAC Cadet training – the museum hosts all AAC Cadets free of charge as part of

their training to familiarise them with the history of the Corps. This introduces them

to the regimental museum and begins a relationship for life.

• Free entry – the museum offers free entry to a range of groups of people to

encourage their engagement. These include:

• Army Air Corps (plus their accompanying Spouse/Children)

• Army Air Cadets (Army Air Corps Booking)

• Serving British or Commonwealth Military personnel on production

of an MOD 90 or equivalent ID Card

• AAC Veterans with a AACVA Membership Card

• Wheelchair pushers and carers of disabled people

• Middle Wallop Membership cardholders (usually people living on

the Army patch)

• Children under 5

• Free holiday activities – the museum offers free activities, with an entry ticket,

for children every week day during the school holidays to more actively engage

them with the museum’s collections and stories.

• Membership scheme – the museum has a Society of Friends with around 90

members. The museum is currently absorbing the Friends’ Society into a new

membership scheme which is being launched at the end of 2017.

• Volunteering – the museum has 14 volunteers acting as a Board of Directors. In

addition it has a further 17 active volunteers who engage in a range of tasks

including guiding, exhibition building and maintenance, archive research and

collections care work.

• Policies for safe and inclusive participation – the museum has a number of

existing policies in place which underpin their commitment to engaging people safely

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and inclusively. These include: Safeguarding Policies for Vulnerable Adults and

Children; Volunteer Handbook; Health and Safety Policy and Access Policy. The

policy documents relating to volunteering will be reviewed and updated as part of

the project

All of this activity is rooted in the desire to give as wide a range of people as possible the

opportunity to become actively engaged and inspired through participation. This principle

has underpinned the development of work for the Activity Plan.

1.3 Current activity

MAF is visited by approximately 30,000 people every year. The museum runs a broad range

of activity to engage people with the story of Army flying and this includes:

• Schools programme – primary, secondary and special schools utilise the museum

for a range of curriculum related learning opportunities. The museum has a range of

workshop sessions and offers a bespoke service to schools where they can mix and

match sessions on offer. History sessions are particularly popular. The museum also

offers a small number of work experience placements each year. 1,080 pupils

engaged with the schools programme between March 2016 and February 2017.

• Beavers, Cubs and Scouts – the museum attracted visits from nine Beaver, Cub

and Scout groups totalling 173 young people between March 2016 and February

2017. Four of the groups came for museum sleepovers and five for activity visits.

The museum offers opportunities to support badge work particularly relating to air

activity. In addition the museum hosted a Cub/Scout Promise ceremony attended by

150 young people.

• Temporary exhibitions – the museum runs a temporary exhibition programme

both onsite and online. Exhibitions are often linked to specific anniversaries such as

the 60th anniversary of the inception of the AAC and calls are made to retired and

serving personnel for material to support such exhibitions encouraging their

engagement. Alternatively temporary exhibitions are themed on more universal

themes relevant to Army Flying to engage more diverse audiences. Recent examples

include nursing and animals associated with Army flying.

• Arts and Aircraft holiday activity programme – the museum runs free hands

on children’s activities every day of the holidays between 11 and 2. Participation in

the activities are free with museum entry. All activities are based around the

collections and have recently included: stop frame animation, glider making and the

opportunity to achieve the Discover Arts Award.

• Tours – groups can book guided tours led by experienced volunteers who often

have specialist aviation or military experience.

• Lecture series and events – the museum runs a regular, popular lecture series at

the museum with occasional lectures off site too. The lectures cover a variety of

military subjects and not exclusively Army flying. The museum also runs and hosts a

wide variety of evening events ranging from concerts to comedy tours and daytime

events like Wartime Wallop and the Aircraft Enthusiasts Fair. Over 2,500 people

attended lectures and events at the museum over the last year.

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• Archive enquiries – the museum runs an archive enquiry service and regularly

receives around 20 requests for information a month. These range from requests

from the AAC and MOD as well as requests from individuals researching a particular

area of interest or family member.

• Apache Café – the museum café is open every day 9am to 4pm and can be utilised

without buying a museum ticket. Visitors can enjoy views across the AAC airfield

adjacent to the museum.

Current activity is wide ranging and offered with the intention to draw in and meet the

needs of different audiences.

1.4 Creating the Activity Plan

The museum employed Activity Planning consultants to write an Activity Plan based on the

vision and aims outlined in the Round 1 HLF application:

Our project will transform the museum and place British Army Flying back at the

heart of our stories, our collections and our vision by:

• Transforming the display of the collections and the visitor experience.

• Telling the story of British Army Flying for all in a way that entertains,

engages and inspires.

• Reconnecting the Army Air Corps with its regimental museum.

• Bringing the Museum of Army flying into the community.

A total reordering of our displays and existing hangars will transform our archive,

artefact storage, conservation workshop and learning facilities. We will reconnect

with people through a 3 year outreach and volunteering programme.

The Activity Planners worked closely with the Project Team, meeting monthly to discuss

both capital and activity aspects of the project. The Project Team comprised the Chief

Executive, Head of Operations, Curator, Archivist, Site Manager, Learning and Communities

Officer, Architects, QS, Exhibition and Interpretation Designers, Project Managers and the

Activity Plan Consultants.

The Activity Planners facilitated two workshop sessions with the museum’s staff team to

define and articulate target audiences for the project and to scope and confirm project

activity. The Activity Planners also had additional meetings with Susan Lindsay, Curator and

Joanna Wenham, Learning and Communities Officer to share consultation findings, discuss

interpretation scope and develop ideas for the activity programme.

Wide ranging consultation and research has been carried out during the HLF Round 2

development stage to gain insight into the current context and opportunities, gather

evidence to develop project activity, ensure audience needs are met through the project and

to develop partnerships for project delivery.

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Evidence gathering, research and consultation to support the Activity Planning process has

included:

• Analysing existing audience data – a variety of reports and data sets have

helped construct a picture of motivations, attitudes and barriers for the local

population, visitors to Hampshire and the museum itself relating to heritage and

museum visiting. Reports and information consulted include: Museum of Army Flying

Audience Development Plan 2015-2017, Museum of Army Flying postcode and ticket

type breakdown, Visitor Verdict, TripAdvisor, Nesta Museum Map, Cambridge

Tourism Economic Impact Study for Hampshire 2014, Hampshire Visitor Survey 2013

and Hampshire County Council Key Facts and Figures.

• Consultation with key internal stakeholders – interviews were carried out with

16 internal stakeholders covering all museum functions and a number of Directors.

This ensured the Activity Planners fully understood the make-up and workings of the

organisation now, opportunities and challenges for activity and programming,

heritage highlights, training needs and project ambition. Consultees included: Chris

Munns, Chief Executive; Susan Lindsay, Curator; Marjolijn Verbrugge, Archivist;

Joanna Wenman, Learning and Communities Officer; Lucy Johnson, Head of

Commercial Operations; Joe Feretra, Marketing Officer; Chris Hyslop, Site Manager

and four of the team of Wardens; three of the Front of House team and John Deacon

and Philip Webb from the Board.

• Consultation with volunteers – an in-depth interview was held with three long-

standing volunteers and a further group meeting was held which was attended by 14

volunteers to gain insight into the current volunteer experience, opportunities for

volunteer growth and training and heritage highlights.

• Review of staff, Board and volunteer skills and knowledge – a skills audit

was carried out with staff, Board members and volunteers to assess present skills

across the organisation and to identify any skills gaps that the project could help

address.

• Consultation with existing audiences and non-users – a participatory event at

the museum involving 52 current visitors, a survey for lecture series attendees

completed by 44 people and a focus group with non-visiting families representing the

views of 19 family members with children ranging in age from 8 – 27 were

conducted to explore scope and opportunity with existing audiences and non-user

family audiences. These included current barriers to engaging with the museum,

relevant heritage stories, current attitudes and perceptions of the museum and its

interpretation and future activity and programming opportunities.

• Consultation with local service providers, community and special interest

groups – 12 local organisations and individuals were consulted to gain insight into

the current tourism, cultural and volunteering landscape in Hampshire, to explore

barriers to accessing the museum for audiences, identify relevant interpretation,

promotion and activities to attract broader audiences and to look at volunteering

development and growth opportunities. Individuals and organisations consulted

included: Lt Col Alex Willman, AAC Liaison Officer; Lt Col Chris Ions, Regimental

Secretary and secretary to AAC Veterans Association; Lt Col Andrew Simkin,

Secretary for AOP veteran association; Alison Hunt, Army Families Federation; Janine

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Shipley, Community Development Worker Middle Wallop, Army Welfare Service;

Heath Gunn, Acting CEO, Enham Trust; Terry Bishop, CEO, Test Valley Volunteer

Centre; Jaane Rowehl, Museum Development Officer, Hampshire Cultural Trust;

Keith Hatter, Winchester Access for All; Andrew Bateman, Tourism Manager,

Hampshire County Council and Isabel Benavides, Interpretation Manager, Greenwich

Heritage Centre (Woolwich Arsenal).

• Consultation with primary schools and youth groups – consultation took place

with a variety of schools and specialists to explore barriers to access for schools and

young people and how these could be mitigated, curriculum requirements, best

practice in STEM provision and partnership opportunities. Consultation included

talking to participants at a STEM event for teachers at the museum attended by nine

teachers, students, educational specialists and Reaching Out project partners; an

email consultative forum conversation with six teachers from Hampshire and Dorset;

current school user feedback forms and interviews with: Emma Jeffries,

Headteacher, Stockbridge Primary School; Sarah Cleary-King, Science Subject Lead

and Head of KS1, Vigo Primary School; Beth Thomas, Reaching Out Co-ordinator

(partnership STEM project); Alison Bowyer, Executive Director, Kids in Museums;

Emily Thorpe - Smith, Director of STEM Engagement, Winchester Science Centre;

Martin Rudd, Deputy Commissioner and Community Development Lead, Hampshire

Scouts; Angela Hammond, County Commissioner Hampshire North Guides and Anne

Falconer, County Commissioner Hampshire West Guides.

• Reviewing internal documents and past activity – the museum’s internal

documents have been consulted and reviewed during the development stage to gain

insight into the current working of the organisation and strategic direction.

• Learning from others – a comprehensive best practice review has been carried out

to inform project development.

Consultation and research findings were shared with the Project Team and influenced wider

project design and interpretation alongside activity.

Following detailed and project specific consultation, an in depth exercise to review the

project activity outlined in Round 1 took place. As a direct result of the consultations, work

with the Project Team, best practice review and the skills audit the approaches to activity

were refined and focused to ensure the needs of target audiences are met. There have been

no significant shifts from the objectives outlined in Round 1, but some areas of work have

been redefined to deliver opportunities in a more sustainable and effective way. These

include:

• Audiences – the Round 1 bid identified ten groups of people who could benefit

through the project. The Activity Planners worked with the staff team to look at

these groups to prioritise, refine and rearticulate them into target audience groups

for the project with shared, identifiable characteristics and motivations. The group

thought about why these audiences were important to the museum and how each

audience group could broaden and/or diversify groups of people already coming to

the museum. Audience groups are described in detail below.

• Hands on base for families – consultation with current visitors, non-visiting

families and umbrella organisations all highlighted the importance of the current

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Explorers’ World (situated by the Education Room) as a driver for child focused visits

and repeat visiting. However the area could benefit from updating and is currently

not integrated with the main museum displays. Consultation showed this area could

work much harder for the museum so the Architects, Interpretation Designers,

Activity Planners and museum staff have worked together to incorporate this area

more fully into the overall museum design vision. Details of an activity led, co-design

project with local families to populate this area with interactives has been included in

project activity.

• Partnership with Army Welfare Service – consultation with the Army Welfare

Service at Middle Wallop identified a clear appetite for additional activity with local

young people, families and service spouses. The Army Welfare Service were

enthusiastic about working more closely with the museum. As a result a practical,

working partnership will be established with the Army Welfare Service on site to

work with people living on base in a number of areas which include: signposting and

promoting volunteer opportunities for service spouses; encouraging visits for children

under 5 and their parents and carers; regular sessions for young people on site

working with the established Army base youth club; hands on base co-design

project. Community engagement work at the museum will be designed

collaboratively with the Community Development Worker at Middle Wallop Army

Welfare Service to ensure it complements other services on offer at the base rather

than acting as competition.

• Heritage Site Management Intern – a review was carried out of the proposed

internship positions identified at Round 1 to ensure that they still met the needs of

the project and would be attractive to target audiences. The Heritage Site

Management Internship has been refocused to become a Visitor Experience Intern.

Although this intern will still gain skills in site operations it will be refocused to

include support of front of house teams and increased activity programmes directly

related to audience development ambitions in the project.

• Glider parts project – conservation reports have suggested that the level of

conservation work which needs to be undertaken on the glider parts is not suitable

for volunteers. Volunteers however will be working on other conservation aspects of

the project which will include artefact cleaning, pest and environmental monitoring

and aircraft repair and restoration.

These minor changes to the Activity Plan proposals will enable the project to more fully

meet the needs of audiences and ensure activity can be delivered in a meaningful and

effective way.

1.5 Learning from others

A range of internal and external best practice has informed the Activity Planning process

throughout. The Project Team and project stakeholders were consulted to identify relevant

examples in relation to the British Army Flying: Discovering Stories of Courage, Comradeship

and Innovation project. Examples were explored across the heritage, museums and

volunteering sector to draw out learning points.

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Examples were picked because they had inspired individuals involved or showed interesting

approaches to the types of work that the project proposed. Best practice examples were

researched in a number of ways: through visiting in person, accessing online, talking to staff

involved with the projects, reading evaluation reports and hearing case studies at

conferences.

A selection of the most pertinent examples have been grouped here into five broad areas:

accessible interpretation and layered visitor experiences, inclusive volunteer practice and

training, community engagement and outreach, formal and informal STEM learning in

museums and engaging family audiences. Learning points from this comparator activity are

outlined below:

Accessible interpretation and layered visitor experiences

Project

Key learning points

York Art Gallery

Art gallery with

temporary and

permanent exhibition

spaces

• Layered interpretation creates many access points for visitors of

different ages.

• Seating and opportunities for sketching available throughout the

museum to encourage increased dwell time and repeat visiting.

• Displays are visually impactful and include set dressing and

creative structures around objects to draw visitors into a deeper

engagement with the collection’s content.

• Clear access information online and a proactive approach to

providing equality of access for visitors to the museum.

Fleet Air Arm

Museum Naval aviation

museum

• Positions itself as a ‘must see’ attraction.

• Includes interactive galleries and experiential displays to show the

aircraft in action.

• Clear thematic route for visitors which follows a broadly

chronological order.

• Ark Royal Air Craft Carrier immersive simulation experience

particularly popular.

Imperial War

Museum Permanent galleries

devoted to First World War

• Focus on the causes and consequences of war rather than solely

combat.

• Rich in human interest stories and objects that represent these.

• Use of animated film to set scenic backdrop and context for

objects on display.

• High levels of digital technology enables interactivity and delving

deeper into stories of particular interest.

Oxford University Museums

Sensing Culture

Project

• Partnership with RNIB to reveal museum collections to blind and

partially sighted people.

• Focus group feeds back on all aspects of museum experience so

improvements and adaptations can be made.

• Meet the museum toolkits include large print guides, tactile maps

and self-led audio description introductions to galleries on

discovery pens.

• All volunteers receive access awareness training and volunteer

guides receive audio description training.

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Touch tours,

Southampton Art Gallery

Friday touch tours

• Regular touch tours hosted by the gallery.

• Tours explore temporary and permanent exhibits with visually

impaired visitors.

• Friendly and approachable tone championed in how the tours are

promoted.

HMS Belfast

Historic warship • Interpretation focuses on what life was like for the crew on board.

• Personal stories bring the ship’s history to life.

• Clear access information online with detailed descriptions of what

limitations are and what support is available.

• All front of house staff are fully trained in disability awareness and

are proactive in their support of visitors with access requirements.

Here Come the

Girls, Greenwich

Heritage Centre Exhibition project

focusing on roles of women in First World

War

• Exhibition shifted perceptions of war stories primarily reflecting a

male narrative.

• Volunteer research led to the creation of characters based on real

women in Greenwich in the First World War.

• Exhibition and characters portrayed by actors very locally rooted.

• Developed new audiences for the heritage centre through

outreach work in local libraries and community venues using

costumed characters.

• People focused approach highlighting the personalities of the

characters brought stories to life.

• Large social media presence and strong marketing angle.

The Wing, Battle

of Britain Memorial, Kent

The Scramble, audio

visual experience

• Effective use of digital, hands on and audio visual exhibits to

recreate a day in the life of one of the Few in 1940.

• Evocative presentation puts visitor at the heart of the experience.

• Presentation coupled with a memorial which creates a place for

reflection and brings personal stories of sacrifice to life.

The above examples show how effective layered interpretation can be in creating a

universally accessible experience which meets the needs of a wide range of audiences. They

also demonstrate the power of personal stories in connecting with visitors more deeply during

their museum visiting experience.

Inclusive volunteer practice and training

Project

Key learning points

Brooklands

Museum

Wide ranging

volunteering

opportunities

• Very large and active volunteer workforce.

• Clearly promote volunteering to those who might not have an

interest in cars and aeroplanes, but more skills focused

motivations.

• Emphasis on volunteer team and enjoyment at heart of the

volunteering activities.

• Roles for volunteers present across all museum functions.

• Effective training programme for volunteers.

Volunteer programme,

Postal Museum

Newly established volunteer programme

• Structured recruitment programme for new museum that is about

to open.

• Attracts young volunteers through time limited, skills focused

volunteer projects.

• Emphasis on team work and skills development.

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• Promotes opportunities as led by volunteer interests.

• Runs regular volunteer information sessions as a taster for

potential new volunteers.

• Includes Discovery Room volunteers who engage the public with

original archive material.

STEM

Ambassadors Volunteers promoting

STEM in education

settings

• Volunteers from science, technology, engineering and maths jobs

and disciplines.

• Offer enthusiasm to bring STEM subjects to life and demonstrate

their role in life and work.

• Free resource to support STEM learning in classrooms and other

educational settings.

• Ambassadors bring real world STEM problems and their own

experiences as the focal point for learning.

Boathouse 4 Portsmouth

Historic Dockyard Volunteer hosts

• Volunteer roles focusing on active engagement with the public.

• Role combines welcoming and practical demonstration in

traditional woodworking and rope making to bring the

craftsmanship of the boats on display to life.

• Volunteers lead short tours of the workshop floor to show the

work that is taking place each day.

• Volunteers support hands on activities and workshops.

• Full training provided, so standards are high.

Archive Studio

Volunteer

Programme, Southbank Centre

Short term volunteering

packages

• Volunteers recruited in groups.

• Each cohort volunteers for a period of eight weeks.

• Volunteers contribute directly to temporary exhibition research on

festival themes working alongside project archivist.

• Drop in volunteering sessions act as a taster for longer term

volunteering recruitment.

• Volunteers diverse in terms of age, experience, interests and

backgrounds.

Team London

Ambassadors Volunteer

programme welcoming visitors to

London in busy

tourist areas

• Creative open recruitment and taster days promote volunteering

opportunities.

• Inclusive group activity tests team work and ability to work under

pressure rather than a formal interview.

• Positioned as London’s ‘friendly face’ and trained in welcoming

and sharing the best of the city.

• Volunteers over summer period only.

• Volunteers deployed in small groups.

The above examples highlight creative ways to frame volunteering opportunities which

support the growth and diversification of volunteer workforces. They highlight the types of

practical roles that appeal to volunteers and ways to support volunteers in feeling part of a

team.

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Community engagement and outreach

Project

Key learning points

Maritime Memory

Machine, National Maritime Museum

National touring programme

• Bespoke van travels to coastal areas to raise awareness of the

museum, connecting its stories to people’s own.

• Van is eye-catching and humorous, drawing people in through its

warm and welcoming presence.

• Van acts as a backdrop for participatory community engagement

work in coastal communities.

• Systematic and managed approach to areas travelling to where

there is least engagement and the most potential to make

connections.

Time Truck,

Museum of London Archaeology

Outreach service

• Flexible focal point for lectures, events, workshops and hands on

community engagement activities.

• Takes experts from the museum into community settings.

• Engages a wide audience ranging from school children, local

businesses and the elderly.

• Focus on getting hands on with archaeology and linked to local

heritage connections.

• Activities build around development of new skills and stewardship.

Saints Memorabilia

Roadshow at St

Mary’s Stadium, Sea City Museum

Crowd-sourcing roadshow at

Southampton football

stadium

• Roadshow event at football stadium clearly designed to attract

Saints fans and promoted through the club’s channels.

• Series of events run a number of times over a year in the run up

to exhibition opening.

• Memories and memorabilia of fans collected by the museum team

to be incorporated into Sea City displays.

• Created strong groundswell of local support as people felt they

were a part of the museum’s story.

• Helped to diversify the museum’s collections as well as raising

awareness of the museum in the community.

University of Oxford Museums

and Collections Meet the Museums

• Takes the museum staff and collection out into the community.

• Outreach sessions focused on engaging non-visiting audiences.

• Targets areas with low levels of participation and groups who

haven’t visited the museum service before.

• Free sessions act as a lively introduction to the museum.

• Includes object handing and discussion.

RAF Museum

Cosford

Girl Guide group visit

programme

• Lively interactive sessions in the museum for Girl Guide groups.

• Developed in partnership with Shropshire Girl Guides and actively

promoted to Girl Guide groups.

• Activities include challenge badge trail and flight simulator

experience.

• Trip integral to each participant getting a fun and flight badge.

• Wrap around catering and shop offer including ‘emergency ration

pack’ for lunch and pre packed souvenir sets.

The above examples demonstrate that a targeted approach to outreach work, delivered in a

creative and playful way and with ways that people can actively get involved are most

effective at building participation and connection with new audiences.

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Formal and informal STEM learning in museums

Project

Key learning points

Winchester

Science Centre

Hands on Science

Centre and

planetarium

• Interactive centre with activities using an experiential approach to

support science investigation and learning.

• School trips combine taught workshop sessions and a focused visit

to the interactive exhibitions.

• Set of schools sessions designed to clearly deliver on science

curriculum requirements.

• Sessions place children in the role of scientist, teaching scientific

enquiry skills and methodical experimentation as well as helping

build knowledge in particular topics.

Science Dome

Mobile science resource

• Dome structure visits schools presenting interactive science,

geology and geography experiences.

• Combination of 360 degree film presentation and follow up

activities with expert facilitator.

• Supports cross-curricular teaching and the creative curriculum.

• Menu of bookable sessions to choose from.

Curiosity Project, Siemans

STEM and young people engagement

project

• Online curriculum based STEM resources for a range of key stages,

including short films and lesson plans.

• STEM learning linked into cross-school activities and challenges

schools can opt to participate in.

• Promotion of STEM careers through STEM Ambassadors’ visits into

schools.

London Transport

Museum

Inspire Engineering Primary session

• Primary STEM session focusing on the difference engineering

makes in everyday life.

• Uses hands on challenges as the way for students to explore the

museum galleries.

• Focuses on developing problem solving skills.

• Involves practicing Transport for London engineers and planners

to share their real life experiences with pupils.

RAF Museum

Cosford KS2 Science of

Forces and Motion session

• Session couples teaching the science of forces and motion with

scientific enquiry skills.

• Practical and hands on in approach, activity involves

experimenting, building and testing.

• Hour-long workshop followed by museum visit with guided

resources to consolidate and build on learning.

• Activities support the curriculum and can be adapted to meet the

needs of pupils with additional sensory or mobility requirements.

Wonderlab, Science Museum

Interactive gallery

• Focuses on developing curiosity in science and maths.

• High energy live shows at a chemistry bar, build excitement and

are regularly repeated for visitors.

• Explainers on the gallery floor play a proactive role in engaging

with visitors.

• Enriches learning across science curriculum subjects for KS2/3.

• Encourages students to use creative problem solving skills.

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The above examples show how powerful hands on encounters and the opportunity to test

and experiment are effective in STEM learning experiences. In addition to this they highlight

the benefits of linking in with experts in STEM careers to bring learning to life.

Engaging family audiences

Project

Key learning points

Ahoy! Gallery,

National Maritime Museum

Interactive and immersive children’s

gallery for under ’s

• Maritime themes explored with young children through interactive

role play experiences.

• Activities include dressing up, props and set dressed spaces.

• Atmospheric lighting enhances playful nature of space.

• Dedicated space but connected thematically and visually to main

gallery so can flow between museum collections and interactivity.

Tank Museum

Family friendly visitor attraction bringing

history of tanks and tank crews to life

• Range of engagement methods connects to all family members.

• Can see live action and working machinery in demonstrations.

• Extent of site and wrap around catering and retail provision makes

it a good proposition for a full day visit.

• Displays represent modern battles and regiment members so

visitors with a connection with the museum can show their families

the work they do and the part they have played in the story.

• Tours led by people who have worked on or used the tanks brings

the stories of the museum to life in a personal way through

anecdotes and lived experiences.

• Soft play area for families clearly advertised as a space to let off

steam during a visit.

London Museum of

Water and Steam Museum based in an

historic waterworks

• Interactive waterworks exhibition offers an appealing and hands

on way to explore the story of water supply in London.

• Range of activities and spaces clearly developed with families in

mind and includes garden play area and splash zone outdoor

water play area.

Tullie House Museum and Art

Gallery Family friendly

museum of historic collections and

contemporary art

• Winner of the Telegraph Kids in Museums Family Friendly Museum

Award. Follows Kids in Museums Manifesto.

• Gallery spaces are relaxed and friendly, with plenty of seating and

places to sketch.

• Cafe has affordable and family friendly menu.

• Has a family friendly map of the museum to help guide family

visitors.

• Regular family Sundays drop in activity sessions are incredibly

popular and have been instrumental in building a regular and

growing family audience.

• Has a dedicated Tullie Families Facebook page to promote directly

to family audiences.

• Tullie toddlers weekly sessions for parents and under 5s offer a

friendly first experience of the museum through sensory play and

craft activities.

21

The Big Sheep,

Devon Family focused all

weather attraction

• Clear offer for winter and summer with changing activities to suit

the seasons.

• Practical activities, offering something for everyone.

• Catering facilities have a range of family friendly food and drink.

The above examples illustrate how ensuring interpretation which is interactive and offers

something for everyone, as well as using family friendly programming to drive up regular

visiting is central to family friendly museum visitor experiences. It highlights how tone and

championing a clear welcome for intergenerational visitors is vital from pre-visit and

throughout a trip.

1.6 Current audiences, motivations and attitudes

Reviewing current visitor figures and documentation1 alongside gathering feedback from staff,

volunteers and visitors as part of the consultation process for the Activity Plan development

paints a broad picture of current audiences to MAF and their attitudes towards visiting.

1.6.1 Current visitors

Between February 2016 and March 2017 there were 29,552 ticketed visitors to MAF. This is a

slight drop from 2015-16, where visitors numbers were 29,865. Looking at a breakdown of

tickets indicates that 22% bought adult tickets, 17% bought senior tickets and 10% bought

child tickets, with a further 11% of admissions being free tickets for a child under five. Free

admissions for AAC and MOD staff accounted for a further 11% of the tickets. Mosaic data

indicates that the majority of visitors come from the South East region and within an hours’

drive time of the museum.

In terms of online engagement, during 2016 there were 43,698 unique users to the MAF

website, with 46% of these accessing the site from a desktop device. The homepage and

visiting information pages are the most regularly used by online users. MAF has a following of

3,908 Facebook followers and 1,856 Twitter followers, with video content being the most

popular. Social media users tend to fall into the 35-54 age range aviation enthusiast category.

An analysis of AIM Visitor Verdict Statistics for eighteen months running up to May 20172

can give a more detailed picture of who the museum’s visitors are:

• Age – 25% of respondents were age 55-64, with a further 23% age 65+, 18% of

respondents were 45-54 and a further 21% were age 35-44. Only 12% of

respondents were age 25-34 and 1% 16-24.

• Ages of all visitors in party – When looking at the ages of all visitors in a party

27% included children under 16.

• Gender – 60% of respondents were male and 40% were female.

1 Audience Development Plan 2015-2017; Mosaic data; TripAdvisor and Groupon comments; and AIM Visitor Verdict data. 2 Results drawn from a base of 124 responses.

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• Ethnicity – 93% of respondents were white, with 3% from BAME groups and a

further 4% preferring not to say.

This demonstrates a current appeal for the museum in terms of older visitors; the museum

also has an appeal for family visitors, but with this group coming in lower numbers

currently. The figures also indicate an emphasis towards male visitors and people from a

white ethnic background.

When looking at visiting pattern data from the AIM Visitor Verdict statistics, the following

information can be extrapolated:

• Visitor origin – 40% of respondents had visited from the same county, 18% from

the same region but a different county, 41% from the rest of the UK and 1% from

the rest of the world.

• Trip type – 75% of respondents were on a daytrip, 14% were en-route somewhere

else and 10% were staying away from home.

• Visit length – 43% of respondents spent 2-3 hours at the museum, with a further

20% each respectively spending either 1-2 hours or 3-4 hours. 15% of respondents

spent over 4 hours on their visit and only 2% of respondents spent under an hour.

• Promotional channels – In terms of sources for encouraging a visit, 44%

responded as ‘other’, citing word of mouth or a road sign as the reason they’d

decided to visit. 27% had looked online. 56% of respondents had used the

museum’s website in advance of their visit.

• Catering – 82% of respondents had used on site catering during their visit.

This demonstrates the local and day trip nature of the museum’s offer in terms of current

visitors, but also highlights long dwell times in most cases for visitors. The results also

highlight the popularity of the café as part of a visiting experience. Of the respondents, 59%

said they would be likely to recommend the museum to someone else.

Visitor Verdict respondents rated an overall enjoyment score of 8.6 out of 10 for MAF. In

addition to this, the friendliness and welcome from staff and volunteers received a score of

9.3 out of 10, demonstrating how much current museum visitors valued the face to face

interactions they have during a visit. Two of the lowest scores in terms of visitor satisfaction

related to ‘opportunities for you to participate’, where the museum was rated 7.9 out of 10

and ‘being lively and exciting’ where the museum was rated 7.8 out of 10. Whilst these

scores aren’t low, there is some room for improvement in relation to this aspect of visitor

experience.

The AIM Visitor Verdict data segments current visitors in relation to their main motivation for

a visit. A breakdown of the motivational segments for MAF audiences can be seen here:

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Motivational segment

Proportion of respondents

Child Engagement

Encouraging children’s learning and giving kids a new

experience.

33%

Broadening Horizons

To explore or learn something different or new and have subject matter brought to life.

26%

Topic Interest

Following a professional, academic or personal interest in

the subject matter.

26%

Special Focus To see a specific exhibition or event.

6%

Big Kids

So we could have fun.

4%

Social Mindset

Convenient place to meet friends, have a social experience, relax and be with other like-minded people.

3%

The three top motivational groups for the museum indicate learning and new experiences

are at the heart of what drives their visit, as well as intergenerational learning being a key

driver too. There is the opportunity to serve these groups more fully as well as creating

more opportunities for social experiences and public programmes that drive up visiting,

which would increase numbers in some of the less represented motivational groups to the

museum currently.

Feedback comments from current visitors highlight the things they have especially valued

during a visit:

“We found it a good, informative, comprehensive and enjoyable day out.” “History of early flight most interesting. Nice that not all of the interactive elements were technology based.” “We spent over two hours there. We took our two grandchildren. One was an eight year old girl and she enjoyed it just as much as her brother. Very good value.” “Been here a few times now and the kids still love it! So much to keep the kids entertained and educational too.” “A fabulous place to visit with great staff and great exhibits.” “Great for young children. Excellent and informative hands on exhibits. Very good day out, especially when you can see the helicopters take off from the runway next door.” “I’ve never been all that interested in things military but we happened to drive past this museum whilst on holiday in Hampshire. It was absolutely fascinating and well worth the couple of hours we spent there.”

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Comments from current visitors also highlight the things they think could be improved:

“Nothing has changed much over the past 15 years since I last visited. There’s a lot of ‘simulator’ promotion on the website, but the technology is very old.” “Modernise and update your museum.” “It’s a shame some of the interactive items weren’t working.” “Needs better lighting of the interior of the gliders.” “Please change the horrible orange lighting in the entrance lobby!” “A few more interactive displays for the kids would have been good.” “Some exhibits not working as well as they could.” “Would have liked some directional arrows or similar on the floors to guide one round in a logical way.”

This sample of quotes underlines the way that current visitors really value the museum,

often have long dwell times for their visits and feel the displays offer something for people

of all ages. The feedback on areas for improvement highlight that the museum is in need of

some modernisation and improved ways to support visitors to orientate themselves during

their time there.

A participatory consultation event took place with visitors to the museum during February

half term3 to gather feedback from general visitors on the HLF project to inform the Activity

Plan. 52 people took part in the event, including 35 adults and 17 children. Around 50% of

participants were in groups of solely adult visitors and 50% were family group visitors.

Three participatory activities took place including:

• A mind map to gather visitors’ feedback on narrative focus and story-telling for the

museum’s HLF project.

• A voting activity to gather feedback on activities for the museum’s HLF project.

• A free comment activity on what visitors currently like most about existing museum

displays and what they would like to see change.

Visitors contributed to a large scale mind map exploring the stories the museum can tell

focusing on the themes of:

• Innovation – Cutting edge design for flight.

• Comradeship – Working together to keep soldiers in the air.

• Courage – Ordinary people doing extraordinary things.

Three main areas of interest in methods of storytelling and narrative focus clearly emerged.

These were:

• Personal and specific stories of people and aircraft – It was clear that many

museum visitors wanted to see interpretation led by more specific stories of the

aircraft themselves and the people that flew and serviced them. People were

interested in what the aircraft on display had actually done or moments in time that

3 See Appendix A4 Participatory Event Feedback Responses.

25

they represented. They were also interested in the experience of real people to

illustrate operational details of the aircraft.

• Modern battles, campaigns and Army – There was a real interest in seeing more

in the museum about modern campaigns and battles from all types of visitor whether

they indicated a personal connection to the military or not. There was an

understanding that dealing with very recent areas of conflict might prove difficult but

visitors felt that there needed to be a recognition that Army flying was still very

much current.

• Chronology – Although not as strong as the other two areas there was a clear

sense from visitors that the whole history of Army flying was of interest and that a

chronological approach was sometimes easier for visitors to navigate.

Some visitors also commented that they would like to see stronger links made between the

museum and what you can see on the airfield outside.

A participatory voting activity involved visitors in making a choice and prioritising only one

activity from a range suggested. People put a star on their choice for the activity in the

museum that they'd most like to see in the future. The decision making process also created

lots of discussion around the choices made. The voting resulted in the following:

• 1st – Large-scale audio visual presentations (10 votes)

• 2nd – Aviation themed soft play area (9 votes)

• Joint 3rd – On the floor exhibition explainers (8 votes)

• Joint 3rd – Demonstrations by aviation experts (8 votes)

• 4th – Family trails and activities (4 votes)

• No votes – Specialist lectures and talks

• No votes – Weekly activity club for families

Generally discussions focused around how the living experience of the planes in action and

the people who made this possible could be brought to life. Visitors were keen for the

interactive soft play area in the museum to be updated and aviation themed, as well as

having greater opportunities for face to face contact with museum staff and volunteers to

bring some of the exhibits to life. Whilst there were no votes cast for the weekly activity club

for families or the specialist lectures and talks, this reflects how the majority of participants

were day trip audiences, or if local, had pre-school aged children. A selection of comments

from participants in relation to the activities they voted for are detailed below:

“I'd like to know what it was like and to see what it was like to fly these planes and helicopters.” “Help bring some reality to what the aircraft have done.” “Soft play great as help stay longer and pace our visit.” “Bring young kids so nice to have physical hands on space for our under-fives - a good place for a grey morning with the soft play and a whip round the exhibition too.” “If quite mechanically minded, demonstrations would be good for both adults and kids.” “Help shift perception of veterans if get some to do it - lots are young and have a career after Army. Could make real what is displayed now and its importance. Veterans sharing experience from before, even if still in second careers and not retired.”

26

“Show people on the simulators and big objects how they would have been used.” “As an ex- soldier even I don't know loads of stuff about aircraft and it would be nice if you could discuss it with people.” “Love to have someone to tell me about it and point out some of the less obvious and interesting things.” “Don't want a whole tour, but just informal titbits.”

These comments underline the enthusiasm of current audiences for the proposed new

activities the HLF project could provide.

Through a free comment activity, visitors were asked to say what they would keep the same

or what they would change in the museum. The two most commented on areas to keep

were the 1940’s house and the interactive elements of the museum - things to touch, have a

go at and get in and on. Discussion around people’s choices revealed that visitors felt a real

connection with the 1940’s house because of their own personal memories and because the

objects were so clearly presented in a context. With the interactives, people liked the

experiential element to them. Overwhelmingly, the most commonly commented area to

change in the museum was to have more interactives, vehicles to get in, things to try, get

on and have a go at. A large number of people participating in the activity, whether with a

family or not, wanted more opportunities for visitor involvement.

There are opportunities through the HLF project to enrich current general visitors’

enjoyment and understanding through an updating of the displays and more opportunities

to become more actively involved. In addition to this there is an opportunity to increase the

number of younger and family visitors and those from further afield.

1.6.2 Schools and group visits

Between March 2016 and February 2017 MAF welcomed 32 school groups, comprising 1,080

pupils with over 60% being visits from primary schools. Many schools visit for local history

and World War Two related topics, with a small number attending STEM based workshops

as part of a pilot of this developing offer. Schools come from the surrounding areas, both

very locally and from a wider regional reach. Feedback from schools visiting gathered

through four school session evaluation feedback forms and thank you letters from pupils and

teachers indicated that session delivery and activities were well received and that sessions

supported classroom teachers. Comments included:

“Great for the kids to be able to see a lot of what they learnt.” “Great reinforcement of topics covered in school. Super artefacts and hands on experience.” “The children returned to school and had lots of discussions about what they had seen.” “The children were able to apply their knowledge already learnt in school to help their understanding in the sessions. Where children learnt new information this has then informed their learning back in school.”

This demonstrates that the current education sessions support teachers in their curriculum

teaching and offer lively experiences for their pupils. Other consultation highlighted that the

27

delivery of schools sessions at the museum could be made more efficient by avoiding lots of

multiple group activities running in parallel in favour of larger group work. Gathering pupil

and teacher evaluation needs to be embedded in session delivery. Teachers were all

interested in a new offer being developed around STEM learning with topics of particular

interest being wide ranging and including: air resistance, building and testing gliders and

technical innovation and change over time. As part of the Museum Education Partnership for

North Hampshire’s ‘Reaching Out’ project a STEM session was developed and piloted by MAF

in winter 2016. Feedback from teachers and pupils taking part highlighted that hands on

activities linked to the collections and investigative activities were particularly popular.

In addition to this, the museum has had 173 visitors in the last year from Scout, Cub and

Beaver groups as part of activity days or sleepover events. Feedback from group leaders is

testimony to the success of these visits:

“My cub Scouts have not stopped talking about all the exciting things they did at the museum las weekend. You really fired their imaginations, resulting in some well-earned badges being presented at the end of their camp.” “The group had a fantastic time learning about the history of Army flying as well as sleeping among the aircraft.” “We had a fabulous time and have recommended you to the rest of our District! I hope to make the event a bi- or tri annual event for my Cubs.” “Thank you so much to you and all the staff at the museum for making us feel so welcome.”

Visits by both formal and informal groups of young people are a potential area of growth for

the museum.

1.6.3 Lecture series attendees

The museum runs a public events programme which includes an adult lecture series, music

events and a Wartime Wallop day each year. Between March 2016 and February 2017 there

were 1,801 attendees to these events. The evening lecture series offers a regular

opportunity for a specialist adult audience to discover more about stories relating to historic

aviation. A survey of 44 attendees to the regular lecture series gives an insight into the

attitudes of an audience who can be categorised as having a specialist interest in military

aviation4:

• Frequency of visiting – over 60% of lecture attendees had been regular visitors

over the last year, highlighting a loyal and regular audience. Only 20% were visiting

the museum for the first time.

• Reason for visiting – 97% of lecture attendees had visited the museum before for

other talks or lectures, with 37% having also had a general museum visit in the last

year.

• Reason for attending lecture – 85% of lecture attendees were attracted to

attend by the subject content of the lecture.

4 See Appendix A6 Lecture Series Survey Report.

28

• Satisfaction – Attendees had high levels of satisfaction with both the content of the

lecture, with 89% rating it excellent, and the quality of the speaker, with 95% rating

them excellent. 74% of attendees rated the lecture excellent value for money.

Additional feedback comments highlight what these lecture attendees especially value about

the museum:

“A good mix of exhibits covering all areas of Army aviation.” “Relaxed atmosphere.” “It takes many visits to realise how much there is to see and therefore I can always find something new.” “Exhibits and the general atmosphere of days gone by.”

The feedback demonstrates the enthusiasm of this group of visitors for the museum.

Comments from lecture attendees in terms of improvements for the museum focused

primarily on updating displays that looked tired. Lecture attendees were asked if they would

be interested in other events in the future. 100% said that they would be interested in

attending a future talk or lecture; just under 50% said that they would be interested in

attending an exhibition and 43% said they would be interested in attending a tour of the

archive collection and museum stores. This underlines the appetite for more opportunities

for specialist perspectives and insight with this audience group.

1.6.4 Researchers

The museum receives regular enquiries from archive researchers, with 247 initial enquiries

and 59 research visits to the archive between November 2015 and 2016. Enquiries range

from requests from the Ministry of Defence, enquires about the museum displays, enquiries

from people who have (or have a family member who has) previously donated something to

the museum and general enquires by researchers. The top five areas which researchers

request information on are:

• Family history

• Individual aircraft

• Photograph requests

• Particular subject requests from researchers or authors

• Squadron histories

Feedback from researchers highlights how appreciative they are of this service being on

offer and the support that the museum team have given them. There is an opportunity

through the project to create a better infrastructure for access to the collections for

researchers to meet their needs more fully.

1.6.5 Volunteers

The museum has a current team of 17 volunteers. Individual interviews and a group

meeting with 14 volunteers gives an insight into current volunteer roles, motivations and

29

areas for development5. Current volunteers carry out a wide range of roles spanning tours,

set dressing, gardening, maintenance and research. Volunteers currently are predominantly

male, retired and with an existing interest in aviation and military history. The volunteers

interviewed were all enthusiastic about their volunteering with the museum. Particular

motivations for volunteering included: a love of working with the aircraft, being able to

redeploy skills, personal connections, the social experience and friendships that they made.

Volunteers underlined that they valued that their contributions could be flexible to fit around

other aspects of their lives.

The volunteers indicated that there were some challenges around the organisation of

volunteers, but made clear that they felt this was a result of lack of time in terms of staff

capacity rather than a lack of engagement with the volunteers. In terms of volunteer

development the volunteers indicated that a less ad hoc management approach might

support the volunteers being able to use their time most efficiently at the museum. They

indicated that they would welcome further co-ordination if the extra capacity to recruit

someone to carry out this role was possible. They also reflected that they would like

something that identified them as volunteers to the public and would enjoy more

opportunities for meeting up and networking together.

The HLF project creates the opportunity to enrich the ways in which current visitors and

volunteers experience and play an active part in the museum. Improved access and updated

interpretation, alongside expanded public programmes, will create opportunities for current

audiences to engage with the museum in new ways. This will encourage repeat visiting and

deepen the connection between the museum and the stories of Army flying that it can share

with its visitors.

1.7 Potential audiences

Information from the 2011 Census for the Test Valley area6 provides data on the

demographic characteristics of its residents. In particular it is relevant to note the following

statistics in relation to the HLF Project:

• Population size – there is a population of 116,398 people in the Test Valley, which

is an increase of 6% from the 2001 census.

• Gender – 51% of the population are female and 49% of the population are male.

• Ethnicity – 92.6% of the population consider themselves White British.

• Marriage – 55.6% of the adult population is married.

• Dependent children – 40% of families have dependent children.

• Economic activity – 73% of residents aged 16-74 are economically active.

These figures show that there is a growing local population in the area, with slightly more

women than men and the majority of people defining themselves as White British. Just

5 See Appendix A1 Stakeholder Consultation Notes. 6 Census 2011 Key Statistics Test Valley.

30

under half of all families in the area have dependent children and the population is very

economically active.

In addition to this, MAF’s Audience Development Plan 2015-17 identifies potential for growth

in audience groups including families, empty nesters and education audiences, with an

opportunity to target extending engagement with audiences in areas regionally adjacent to

the museum but with a greater geographic reach.

This demographic and audience development data points towards two important drivers for

audience development for MAF:

1. The museum should actively reach out to a wider geographic catchment

through off site promotion and create new opportunities to draw greater numbers of

people into the museum as an attractive visitor destination through public

programmes and improved displays.

2. The museum should play a proactive part reaching local people through

creating an offer that is changing, relevant and meets their needs and signals that

the museum is a local resource on their doorstep.

The following sections explore more fully the ways in which the museum will develop its

audiences through the project to meet the needs and interests of those not currently

engaging with it.

1.7.1 Encouraging audiences to visit

Potential audiences identified for the Museum of Army Flying Discovering Stories of Courage,

Comradeship and Innovation Project can be broadly divided into five target groups7:

1. Families

2. Primary Schools and Youth Groups

3. Serving and Retired AAC personnel

4. Adult Curious Minds

5. Aviation and Military Enthusiasts

Detailed consultation with representative stakeholders from these groups took place during

the development phase of the Activity Plan8. Consultation with stakeholders explored the

potential challenges the museum faces in reaching these audiences alongside audience

barriers to engagement and potential audience attitudes and motivations. Consultation

established firm partnerships going forward for the project with representatives of target

audience groups. The main findings for each group are outlined in the following sections.

1.7.2 Families

Current family visitors to the museum enjoy their experience but there is the opportunity to

reach a larger number and wider range of families through targeted partnership work and

improved interpretation and opportunities to engage. There is a particular opportunity

through the project to connect more meaningfully with local families who have serving

members on the Army base next to the museum. Consultation with the Executive Director of

7 These are described in detail in section 2.3 of the Activity Plan. 8 See Appendix A1 Stakeholder Consultation Notes.

31

Kids in Museums, the Hampshire Coordinator for the Army Families Federation and the

Community Development Worker for the Army Welfare Service at AAC Middle Wallop

highlighted the barriers and opportunities around engaging more fully with family visitors9.

The Executive Director of Kids in Museums highlighted how important it is in terms of

attracting family visitors that the museum creates clear offers for easy days out, with

information about family friendly facilities, exhibits and play based opportunities. She

underlined how families who are less familiar with museum visiting need extra support to

feel confident to attend for the first time, and the power of face to face contact with

museum staff to draw these new audiences in. She referenced the Kids in Museums

Manifesto and suggested that if MAF were able to meet all of the points outlined on this they

would be well on the way to offering a great family visiting opportunity. Parental influence is

key, with mums often driving decisions about where to visit, so the museum should be

mindful of appealing to and promoting an offer that is attractive to them.

Consultation with the Army Families Federation highlighted how there are 100’s of Army

families within an hours’ drive of the museum. This potential catchment of families would be

drawn more to the museum if the fact they can get in for free is promoted more actively to

them, as well as ensuring relevant stories, such as those of more contemporary campaigns

and the stories of women were foregrounded. Active and interactive opportunities for

enjoyable experiences at the museum should be clearly articulated and regular holiday

programmes would also create an appealing way for Army families to engage with the

museum and its stories. She made clear that raising awareness on a regular basis with this

often transient group would be central to building a larger visitor base. Outreach and

promotional opportunities to raise the profile of the museum would be particularly effective,

with large military open days taking place on Salisbury Plain which could be a good platform

for promotion. There are also opportunities to promote the museum’s offer through the

Army Families Federation magazine Army and You and through the local Facebook group for

the Army Families Federation members based in Andover and Middle Wallop.

Consultation with the Community Development Worker for the Army Welfare Service at AAC

Middle Wallop demonstrated an enthusiasm to build stronger links between the base and

the museum and support the development of family audiences. The Community Centre on

base serves AAC families and families from local villages near Middle Wallop too. The sense

that the museum currently can feel quite divorced from the patch was seen as one of the

main barriers to encouraging local families to visit. In addition to this, ensuring the museum

communicates that its stories are relevant to serving personnel is an important factor in

building visitors from this group. She cited opportunities for positive whole family social

experiences as being key to connecting with this group and suggested special visiting offers

which included a relevant catering offer, such as Friday night fish and chip suppers or film

nights would reach out to the families she works with. She felt that central to engaging with

these harder to reach families for the museum was an active and personal invitation for

them so they felt welcome. The Middle Wallop Community Development Worker is keen to

work in partnership with the museum in a range of ways through bringing local new families

to the museum for visits as part of their regular parent and toddler group, supporting the

9 See Appendix A1 Stakeholder Consultation Notes.

32

development of the new offer for families being created through the HLF project and in

terms of making connections to draw parents into flexible volunteering at the museum.

A focus group with five non-visiting families from the neighbouring county of Dorset10 took

place in February 2017. This gave further insight in what families are looking for in a

museum visiting experience and what could draw them to MAF. The families made it clear

that the main factors that make a good museum trip for them were:

• There needs to be something for everyone, both those people who are really keen

and those who have had to come along.

• Lots of interaction and hands on activity.

• Things that bring displays to life through people’s stories and sound effects.

• A gift shop and decent café.

• The right price, so don’t feel ripped off.

The group also explored some of the current exhibits and narrative focus for the museum.

This highlighted:

• An interest in the history being told through the specific stories of people.

• An enthusiasm for the theme of innovation.

• Stories of people being central to leading the narrative and keeping it interesting.

• Ensuring the full story of the Army in the air is told.

• An enthusiasm for displays of vehicles visitors can get into.

• An interest in mannequins if used in the right context.

• The popularity of touchscreens and dioramas.

The main ways in which these families indicated that they find out about where they might

go on a visit is through internet research, TripAdvisor, friend’s social media posts and word

of mouth marketing. Drawing on these channels to promote the family offer at MAF will be

important in terms of growing this audience of day-tripping families.

The table below summarises the current barriers for this audience group which were

revealed through the consultation process and the targeted engagement actions that,

through the Activity Plan, would encourage family audiences to visit:

Families

Barriers to engagement

Audience development actions

• Low levels of awareness that the

museum has lots to offer families.

• Local families often visit the café and

play area but don’t enter the museum.

• A Pop up Museum roadshow will

promote the museum at local and

regional community events to raise the

profile of the museum for family

audiences.

10 See Appendix A5 Non-Visiting Families Focus Group Notes.

33

• There doesn’t seem to be something on

offer for all family members.

• The museum can seem quite

masculine.

• There is a lack of understanding of

what army flying is.

• Local families currently don’t have a

strong connection to the museum as a

place for them.

• Families are busy and at weekends and

there is lots of competition for things to

do.

• Parents in some cases have had bad

educational experiences themselves

and so are not confident in

participating in educational and cultural

activity.

• Parents are short on time and have to

prioritise the things they get involved

with.

• New interpretation and refreshed

displays will offer layered content to

suit the needs of all family members.

• Universal stories including those of

women and more recent campaigns will

broaden the appeal of the museum.

• Story maps will be created for different

audiences to help them navigate the

museum from a perspective that

interests them.

• Trained, on the floor volunteer

explainers in the museum will welcome

and engage family audiences at busy

times.

• Inspiring interactive holiday activities

will create reasons for families to visit

and return.

• Partnership work with the Army

Welfare Service will connect the

museum to local families.

• Collaborative project to develop the

soft play area will build new

relationships and give local families a

stake in the museum.

• Online content will clearly promote the

museum as a family friendly

destination.

• Flexible volunteering opportunities for

parents will be developed in a way that

can fit around other commitments.

1.7.3 Primary Schools and Youth Groups

The HLF project will create the opportunity to build school audiences for the museum as well

as increase numbers of informal groups of young people visiting the museum. Two thirds of

the ten schools in the local area have not visited the museum in the last year, so targeting

local non-visiting schools, and those schools from neighbouring counties would develop

audiences for educational groups. By looking to reach out to schools with higher levels of

Pupil Premium, and broadening the reasons for a curriculum visit through building STEM

focused visit options, a wider range of schools would become engaged with the museum.

A recent report from the Arts Council England11 highlights that the current landscape for out

of school learning through museums is increasingly challenging, but with greater autonomy

in schools, and a greater focus on raising pupil attainment, there are opportunities to

connect with school if high quality out of schools learning experiences are developed. The

report outlines that teachers are looking increasingly for opportunities that are cross-

curricular in their nature, experiential and investigative in their approaches. An emphasis on

place based learning offers the chance to develop learning experiences that are relevant to

pupil’s lives and the localities that they live in. The changing landscape of museum learning

11 Now and the Future - A review of formal learning in museums. Arts Council England, 2016.

34

also places an emphasis on how museums can deliver STEM learning, which is an area

which MAF has many resources to draw upon to deliver lively and engaging content for

schools.

Consultation with teachers from two local non-visiting schools, Stockbridge Primary and Vigo

Primary School12 highlighted the opportunities for MAF to serve a local primary school

audience more fully. Both schools emphasised that the person delivering sessions and the

interactive nature of what was on offer is key to creating a successful visit. They both stated

that when they found good places for trips they were loyal visitors and often returned year

after year, so it is important to actively reach out to draw new schools in for the first time.

The teachers were clear that they wanted their pupils to have an experience not possible in

the classroom, so developing workshops unique to the museum environment and

investigative in their approach was central to their success and key to how provision should

be marketed. Both teachers said that they were keen their pupils didn’t spend time doing

worksheets, but rather spent time exploring and taking part in practical activities in any

museum based learning experience. In addition to this, they made clear that talking and

presentations needed to be kept to a minimum and that the bulk of session delivery should

be through child orientated hands on activities. Both teachers highlighted the importance of

giving their pupils an out of school learning experience that they might not get unless they

visited through a school trip, and made clear how impactful trips are in terms of supporting

their pupils’ learning. The teachers underlined that charges for a visit need to be good value

and take into account additional costs such as coach travel. Both teachers stated that it was

an asset if their school was the only one on site during a trip, and so this should be

highlighted as a part of the marketing messaging around a new offer.

The teachers consulted were particularly interested in topics linking to innovation in flight,

forces and friction, materials and their properties and that support teaching of Foundation

Subjects creatively. Design and technology was also highlighted as an area that teachers

find more challenging to deliver in the classroom at primary level. Using MAF’s collections to

show changes in technology over time was seen as an asset in terms of linking to curriculum

learning. Both the Head at Stockbridge School and the Science Subject Lead and Head of

Key Stage 1 at Vigo School were keen to link more closely with MAF and saw the benefits of

collaborating with the museum to support the development of new STEM related sessions

for all primary schools that championed an investigative approach to learning that firmly met

the needs of curriculum delivery. Both schools are great advocates of ensuring their children

go on regular trips and so felt they would be well placed in helping to shape a new session

for MAF alongside the museum team. They also felt the involvement of a STEM specialist in

the session development would ensure the resulting offer was a unique one that could be

marketed dynamically and would be attractive to a wide range of schools.

An email consultative forum with teachers from six primary schools in Dorset and Hampshire

provided further insight into the potential to develop primary school sessions at the

museum. All of the teachers interviewed underlined the importance of hands on, practical

activities that immersed their children in learning and access to resources that weren’t

12 See Appendix A1 Stakeholder Consultation notes.

35

available in the classroom. They highlighted the benefits of learning outside the classroom in

terms of providing experiences that engage their pupils and create memorable reference

points to build on in learning back at school. Links to the curriculum and cost were cited as

the main influencing factors on decisions around choosing where to go on a trip. In addition

to this, the quality of the experience was also highlighted as important. Ensuring there is

practical support with booking around the development of risk assessments, facilities and

ease of organisation during a visit were also cited as being important. The teachers made

clear that the most successful sessions for them either created a hook to start teaching a

curriculum topic or provided something that enhanced learning in the classroom. The

teachers were asked to rate their interest in potential subject areas for a session at MAF and

the top four responses were:

• Forces and friction (5 teachers interested)

• Building and testing gliders (5 teachers interested)

• Materials and their properties (4 teachers interested)

• Map reading and map making skills (4 teachers interested)

The teachers interviewed clearly had a preference for STEM subjects over history topics

such as the Second World War. This reflects the shift in the primary curriculum in the last

few years, and indicates the potential for MAF to develop and promote a STEM offer which

would be of appeal to a primary school audience. Discussions with the teachers also drew

out the challenges they are finding in delivering the new design and technology curriculum,

which has a focus on designing for a purpose, so the opportunity for MAF to offer something

that supports this concept would help teachers in an area they find more challenging to

deliver in the classroom.

The teachers who took part in the email consultative forum also highlighted that:

• Information to school needs to highlight the clear curriculum links.

• Promotion needs to highlight the ‘wow factor’ and special experience the trip will

provide.

• Teachers are not keen to lead parts of a trip unless this is really unavoidable.

• Promotion needs to be sent out directly to the relevant subject coordinator.

These findings can play a useful part in steering the development of a new and refreshed

schools offer at the museum.

Consultation with Emily Thorpe, Director of STEM Engagement at Winchester Science

Centre, Beth Thomas, Reaching Out Coordinator for the North Hampshire Museum

Education Partnership13 and consultation at a STEM event14 hosted by MAF gives a further

steer on the opportunities around developing STEM learning for primary schools. This

consultation highlighted that the success of STEM activities for primary schools is partly

because many primary teachers are not science subject specialists, so it is not an area of

their teaching they feel as confident in. They also highlighted how teaching in context and

13 See Appendix A1 Stakeholder Consultation Notes. 14 See Appendix A2 STEM Event Consultation.

36

creating opportunities for pupils to explore using scientific methodologies is especially

effective, promoting experimentation through a process and applied science learning rather

than right answers being important.

Winchester Science Centre has an incredibly successful science focused primary programme,

with 38,000 school visitors a year. Their workshop sessions for Key Stage 2 are 45 minutes

long, which works well when combined with an additional focused gallery visit. Promoting

scientific enquiry, problem solving and using creativity in STEM learning create the most

impactful learning opportunities for pupils. Their approach to STEM schools programing is a

good model for MAF to draw from. Winchester Science Centre also coordinates a national

STEM Ambassador volunteer scheme, with people over the age of 17 who have a

professional interest in a STEM subject. The STEM Ambassadors volunteer at a range of

places, bringing their own, real life STEM experiences to act as a role model for children and

young people raising awareness of the application of STEM subjects in careers. The STEM

Ambassadors could play a part in bringing STEM subjects to life as a part of formal and

informal learning programmes at MAF.

Winchester Science Centre are keen to work in partnership with MAF to help them develop

their STEM offer in a number of ways including: helping identify and place STEM

Ambassadors at the museum for demonstrations and to share their experiences, acting as a

critical friend and advisor on the development of new STEM schools sessions at the

museum, supporting the museum in using the Crest Awards (a science based accreditation

for out of school science work), and by offering space at Winchester Science Centre for

outreach promotional activity for the museum. This partnership could both help the museum

develop its schools audiences through new relevancies in terms of curriculum teaching, at

the same as supporting wider work with groups of young people learning out of school

though their STEM Ambassador volunteers and Crest Awards programmes.

In addition to consultation focusing on primary school audiences, consultation with the Army

Welfare Service for Middle Wallop, the County Commissioner for Hampshire West Guides,

the County Commissioner for Hampshire North Guides and the Deputy County Commissioner

for Hampshire Scouts15 highlighted the ways in which MAF could grow and develop its

audience of youth groups through out of school learning. This would build on the current

good work with Cubs, Beavers and Scouts groups who attend the museum for sleepovers,

but widen the reach across genders through linking more fully with Guide groups. The North

Hampshire Area for Guides has 5,000 members, with the Hampshire West area has a further

6,500 members. Both Commissioners for these areas indicated that they would be keen to

link with MAF to involve their Girl Guides in out of school learning opportunities at the

museum. Consultation with them highlighted that STEM focused activities would be

especially popular and that the sleepover model had an appeal for their groups. Ensuring

any visit created opportunities to help deliver badges for the Guides taking part would be an

important part of the offer. They both felt incorporating trips for Guides in their offer would

be of value in terms of broadening the horizons of their members. Both Commissioners were

enthusiastic about working with the museum to promote trips. Central to the success in

15 See Appendix A1 Stakeholder Consultation Notes.

37

terms of promotion is the creation of a flyer for the session which is exciting and inspiring

which can then be distributed to local group leaders.

The Hampshire Scouts has 21,000 young people taking part, of which 20% are girls. The

Deputy County Commissioner for Hampshire Scouts echoed the enthusiasm for working in

partnership with MAF to promote new activity, particularly linking to badges. They cited how

they pride themselves in the range of activity they offer their members, but were clear that

promotion needed to take place when group leaders are planning their programmes for the

year to reach the widest audience.

In addition to this, the Community Development Officer for the Army Welfare Service at AAC

Middle Wallop was keen to work in partnership with MAF to offer regular activities for their

youth club at the museum; this again would build links with a group of local young people

and strengthen the connection between the base and the museum.

The table below summarises what the consultation process revealed are the current barriers

for this audience group and the targeted engagement actions that, through the Activity Plan,

would mitigate these barriers:

Primary Schools and Youth Groups

Barriers to engagement

Audience development actions

• Schools have low awareness of what

MAF has to offer.

• Lack of understanding of what army

flying is.

• Bespoke sessions can be confusing in

terms of marketing to teachers.

• Cost of trips means that any visits

needs to be inspiring to draw groups in.

• Schools sessions need to clearly link to

curriculum delivery.

• Some schools want to be able to bring

more than one group at a time.

• Teachers can feel outfaced by the

planning around risk assessments.

• Resources need to be adequate to

service a whole group.

• The museum can feel quite dated.

• Military topics can feel less universally

appealing to all young people,

especially girls.

• Targeted promotion to local schools

and schools in neighbouring counties

will be directed at relevant teaching

staff and group leaders and be sent at

times of year when planning for trips is

taking place.

• A clear menu of session options

outlining curriculum links will be

developed.

• STEM sessions will deliver in areas of

the curriculum where teachers are less

confident at delivery.

• Pre-trip planning information and risk

assessments will be available.

• Sessions will be developed in a way

that ensures more than one group can

be involved at the same time.

• Improved education facilities will

ensure school visits are hosted in a

38

• Out of school groups need a clear offer

to attract them.

• There is lots of competition in terms of

places to visit with young people.

space that is high quality and fit for

purpose.

• Workshop costs will include free entry

to the museum.

• School sessions will be developed

alongside local teachers to ensure they

meet their needs and will create

credibility for the offer.

• Sessions will be offered at times that fit

within the school day and account for

travel time.

• Updated interpretation and displays will

have a greater appeal and relevance to

school and young people’s groups

visiting.

• Regular promotion to a wider network

of schools and young people’s groups

and outreach marketing using the Pop

up Museum will raise awareness of

what the museum has on offer.

• Sessions will be developed in a way

that is highly investigative, interactive

and has a wow factor.

• Out of school group visits will include

opportunities to gain badges or get

accreditation through Crest and Arts

awards.

• Improvements to learning facilities will

provide a pleasant environment for

informal group learning experiences.

1.7.4 Serving and Retired AAC Personnel

Consultation with internal stakeholders, AAC Liaison Officer, the Secretary for the Air

Observation Post Squadron and the AAC Regimental Secretary and Secretary for the AAC

Veterans Association16 highlighted how MAF could build stronger links with serving and

retired AAC personnel. Consultation highlighted that whilst serving personnel visit the

museum as part of their introduction when they first arrive at the AAC, there is little to bring

them back to return again currently. With the Army aviation family comprising a range of

cap badges and civilian connections, there is a sense that the community that the museum

represents is quite disparate, and so in depth work to reach out to the wide range of

stakeholders it represents needs to take place in a more proactive way.

The consultees were all enthusiastic about the proposed developments at the museum, in

particular the way in which the redisplay could support sharing more modern stories of Army

aviation and build on the way it represents the AAC in a more positive and dynamic way.

Bringing the story up to date and re-ordering the museum so it tells a more coherent story

of Army flying was seen as a key driver to connecting more effectively with both serving and

retired personnel.

16 See Appendix A1 Stakeholder Consultation Notes.

39

Consultees felt that by updating the museum displays and creating a wider range of

programmes and events that were targeted at the AAC could make stronger links between

the museum and the regiment. They underlined that many serving and retired personnel

have families they would bring to visit the museum if they felt confident their story was

being shared and that there was plenty to do for adults and children, so people could bring

their children and grandchildren and share their experiences. This indicates that many of the

audience development actions designed to build family visitors would also encourage serving

and retired AAC members to come to the museum in greater numbers. With many serving

and retired AAC personnel not living near the museum, any developments that improve its

value as a day trip destination would ensure visitors from this audience group would feel

motivated to travel from further afield and make the museum a place that the regiment can

feel proud of and a sense of ownership for.

Consultation with the AAC Liaison Officer at Middle Wallop demonstrated that whilst the

Phase 2 recruits use the museum to understand Corps history, there were greater

opportunities to extend the connections with staff on the base. He felt that bringing the

displays up to date would encourage people to visit more as they can then share their

experiences of the modern AAC with their families. He felt that the interactive elements of

the museum were especially engaging for AAC personnel and that improvements around

these would encourage people to visit more, building a reputation locally with AAC staff

through word of mouth marketing. The AAC Liaison Officer was keen to work in partnership

with the museum more actively, suggesting that the base could host visits for volunteers to

familiarise them with Army flying in action. He also highlighted the importance of building

stronger links with the local Army community through the Army Welfare Service.

The table below summarises the current barriers to visiting MAF for serving and retired AAC

personnel and the audience development actions that would mitigate these barriers:

Serving and Retired AAC Personnel

Barriers to engagement

Audience development actions

• Lack of capacity to make active

connections with serving and retired

personnel currently.

• Limited reflection of more modern

stories of Army flying which are

relevant to serving personnel.

• The AAC is geographically spread and

people change loyalty from the AAC to

the local regiments they serve in.

• Museum feels outdated.

• Creating links with the Army Welfare

Service will draw in Army families more

regularly.

• Additional capacity for active outreach

to the base will make stronger

connections in practical ways with

serving personnel.

• Updated displays will reflect modern

Army flying and foreground people’s

stories, building a sense of pride in the

AAC legacy and making displays more

relevant to AAC personnel.

40

• The museum doesn’t celebrate its role

fully as the place to find out the story

of the AAC.

• Current AAC can’t see a representative

space in the museum that represents

them.

• Most AAC serving staff and veterans

don’t live in the local area.

• An AAC focused oral history project will

connect to serving and retired

personnel and enable their stories to

form part of the museum’s displays.

• Refreshing the museum displays will in

turn reflect a valuing of the historic and

modern AAC by the museum.

• Re-ordering the museum displays and

making a more obvious link with the

memorial will enable a more coherent

story of Army flying to be shared.

• Enhanced programmes for adults with

a specialist interest will offer new

routes into the museum for serving and

retired personnel who have a thirst for

in depth, expert knowledge.

• Improvements to the archive and

provision of a search room will offer

improved access to AAC historical

information for people.

• Improved interpretation and events will

create a stronger visitor proposition for

MAF, drawing serving and retired

personnel from a wider geographic

area.

1.7.5 Adult Curious Minds

Internal consultation and consultation with external stakeholders17 in Hampshire’s tourism

and museums sector, along with a number of recent sector reports gives an insight into the

current day trip market and museum visiting as well as indicating routes for audience

development for MAF. Taking Part Data18 indicates that in 2015/16, 52.5% of adults had

visited a museum, with engagement increasing across all demographic groups from 2014/5

statistics. The South East had the second highest level of engagement nationally after

London. The statistics indicate that more exhibitions of interest is the highest driver for

museum visiting, with having less free time as the main reason for visiting less often. In

addition to this, a recent Museums Association Report19 indicated that military museums

have shown some of the strongest growth in the last year in terms of visitor numbers. The

Nesta Museums Map20, an interactive map of the 1,304 accredited museums in the UK

indicates that there are 48,643 people within a 10 kilometre radius of MAF. These statistics

all underline a positive landscape for potential growth of adult curious mind day trip

audiences to the museum.

Consultation with the Tourism Manager for Hampshire County Council highlighted that whilst

the County as a whole is complex and wide ranging in its offer for tourists its tourism market

is growing, and there are 1.5 million people in the County, so there is a significant local

17 See Appendix A1 Stakeholder Consultation Notes. 18 Taking Part Focus on Engagement with Museums and Galleries Report, DCMS 2017. 19 Museums in the UK, Museums Association 2017. 20 https://nestauk.github.io/museumsmap/

41

market to draw upon as well. The steady growth in visitors is being seen especially from the

London market, with short breaks increasing with this group. The Tourism Manager

emphasised that the short break and day trip market for those who live in the county is

large, and should be capitalised upon when looking to develop adult day trip visitors to MAF.

Whilst there is lots of competition locally, he observed this can work in the favour of visitor

attractions, creating more options for visiting and a greater draw to the locality as a

consequence of their being more to do. The day trip market in Hampshire is a sophisticated

one, so any development of visitor offer needs to be a high quality experience to meet

expectations. He felt that whilst the current displays at MAF were a little outdated, with a

refresh and redisplay the museum would be in a strong position to grow its day trip visitor

base as it is well connected by road and the primary barriers are around awareness of what

is on offer at MAF for the tourist market. At the same time as any internal improvements, he

reflected that the museum’s exterior and signage also needed updating to make it more

attractive. He was enthusiastic about the breadth of stories the museum could tell, and

recommended focusing on great anecdotes and people stories to bring its history to life.

Alongside good storytelling, he also underlined the importance of the catering offer as key

to ensuring the day trip market have their needs met. He reflected that MAF needed to

position itself as cutting edge rather than a dusty niche regimental museum. Connecting to

the working airfield can support this emphasis on the museum reflecting a living story.

Consultation with the Museum Development Officer for the South East Region highlighted

the strong local museum network available through Hampshire Cultural Trust and the active

role that MAF already plays in this. With Hampshire having a high representation of military

museums locally, she made clear the museum needs to clearly articulate its unique offer to

visitors when it re-launches after the HLF development work. Due to MAF’s location, she felt

it was important that the museum was able to market itself as a full day experience, so

through promotion clearly signalling to potential visitors the breadth of things there are to

see and do at the museum. The Museum Development Officer was keen to see MAF develop

its narrative to tell more universal stories to enable it to be accessible and have a wider

appeal. She underlined the importance of animating the museum floor and the role

volunteers can play in enhancing the museum visitor experience.

Consultation with the CEO of the Enham Trust, and a representative from Winchester Access

for All21 gave their views on important factors to consider in terms of making the general

museum visitor experience an accessible and inclusive one. They emphasised the

importance of thinking about access in relation to the whole visitor experience, looking at

ancillary facilities as well as the main displays and to bear in mind the full spectrum of

access requirements that visitors might have ranging from physical requirements and visual

impairment, to learning difficulties. The CEO from the Enham Trust also made the point that

83% of people are not born with the disability they now have, so being mindful of

recognising this fact is an important attitudinal shift for the museum team. The role of small

changes that make a big difference to how people are made to feel welcome, including clear

access information online, trained staff and volunteers and different methods for

communicating the museums stories including large print formats and audio visual

21 See Appendix A1 Stakeholder Consultation Notes.

42

techniques would support the widest range of visitors to be able to get the most from their

experience. Both The Enham Trust and Winchester Access for All highlighted the importance

of involving people with access requirements in the redesign and redisplay of the museum

and both are happy to work alongside MAF at the detailed design stage to help review

proposed plans and developments to ensure access needs are met.

The following table summarises the current barriers for this audience group which were

revealed through the consultation process and the targeted audience development actions

that, through the Activity Plan, encourage these potential audiences to visit:

Adult Curious Minds

Barriers to engagement

Audience development actions

• There are low levels of awareness of

the museum.

• There is a lack of understanding of

what army flying is.

• External signage has a low impact and

it is hard to find the museum entrance.

• The museum needs to feel good value

for money.

• What the museum can offer on a day

trip is not currently clearly articulated.

• Museum displays feel old fashioned.

• There is a lack of staff available to

interact with visitors and the exhibition

galleries can feel empty.

• The perception is that many of the

stories told have an appeal to a more

male audience.

• Café visitors don’t know what they

would get from a visit inside the

museum.

• People with access requirements don’t

know what is available to them at the

museum.

• A Pop up Museum will be created and

used as an outreach marketing tool at

events in the region to draw new

visitors in.

• Museum improvements will enable the

staff team to confidently market the

museum as a high quality day trip

destination.

• Improvements to the exterior of the

museum and enhancement of its

entrance will make it more attractive

and easier to get in.

• Improved interpretation and events on

offer will create a buzz and draw

visitors in for the first time.

• Audio visual presentations of aspects of

the displays will create a cutting edge

and contemporary feel to how the

museum presents its story.

• New volunteer roles will animate the

museum and facilitate visitor

engagement with the displays.

• Story maps will be created on a range

of themes to help visitors navigate the

museum from a perspective that is

relevant and appealing to them.

• The museum reinterpretation will focus

on the universally appealing stories of

courage, comradeship and innovation.

• Displays in the café will promote the

museum’s collections and make a link

between the café and museum offer.

43

• A new archive research space will

provide facilities for visitors to engage

more deeply with collections.

• Access information will be available on

the museum’s website to support

people when planning their visit.

• Staff and volunteer training will raise

awareness of inclusive and accessible

museum practices.

1.7.6 Aviation and Military Enthusiasts

The museum has a loyal visitor base of self-motivated aviation and military enthusiasts, but

the HLF project would enable MAF to grow this audience group, encourage them to visit

more regularly and meet their needs more fully. Consultation with museum staff, volunteers

and the Heritage Interpretation Manager for Royal Greenwich Heritage Trust22 explored the

needs of this audience group. Consultation highlighted that this group have an appetite for

in depth and technical knowledge and high expectations of the level of information they can

gain from a visit to the museum. These visitors often come prepared with particular subjects

they want to explore more fully and with a wealth of prior information and a commitment to

spending significant time exploring. They are a visitor group whose enthusiasms need to be

channelled through specialist content.

Consultation also demonstrated that aviation and military enthusiasts are keen to see

collections items in context, with expert level information available to enable them to delve

deeper into the subject matter. In many cases these visitors are looking to test their current

knowledge as well as grow their understanding of the subject matter. They are a community

of interest who communicate with each other through online groups and so play a powerful

peer to peer role in recommending places to visit.

Increased access to collections and archive material through new research facilities at MAF

will serve the needs of aviation and military enthusiasts more fully, as well as the museum’s

redisplay taking into account the requirements of this visitor group for layered interpretation

that provides in depth content. The collections at MAF provide a rich source for people with

a keen interest in military and aviation history and this can be unlocked more fully for them

through interpretative media which offers expert perspectives and trained staff and

volunteers who can unpick more technical content and details. Public programming for this

specialist audience also has an important role to play.

The following table summarises the current barriers for this audience group which were

revealed through the consultation process and the targeted audience development actions

that, through the Activity Plan, will encourage these potential audiences to visit:

22 See Appendix A1 Stakeholder Consultation Notes.

44

Aviation and Military Enthusiasts

Barriers to engagement

Audience development actions

• Information provided in displays is not

in depth or technical enough.

• Information presented doesn’t feel up

to date.

• Access to archive material is limited.

• Museum displays don’t account for

people with significant prior knowledge.

• There aren’t people on hand to have

discussions with.

• There is the need to offer different

ways for the museum’s collections to

be engaged with by this group.

• The redisplay of the museum will

present layered information which

meets the needs of both general and

specialist audiences.

• New interpretation will offer up to date

information and create the opportunity

to ensure facts are accurate.

• Access to archive research spaces will

provide a space for researchers.

• Tours of the museum and stores

targeted at aviation and military

enthusiasts will offer them in depth

information.

• Trained, on the floor volunteer

explainers in the museum will be able

to provide specialist insight and have

discussions with visitors.

• A story map with a focus on technical

content will provide a route to navigate

displays with in depth information for

people with significant prior knowledge.

• Enhanced practical workshops and

events for adults will provide a

programme that has an appeal to a

specialist audience group.

An emphasis on growing the volunteer workforce will span all of the target audience groups

and is explored in more detail in section 2.5 of the Activity Plan, Approaches to Training and

Volunteering.

45

1.8 Barriers to access

The main barriers to access to the Museum of Army Flying for target audiences were

identified through consultation interviews with educational, community and cultural

organisations, internal consultation with relevant museum staff and volunteers and through

wider visitor research23. The ways in which many of the barriers to access for audiences will

be addressed through the Museum of Army Flying’s British Army Flying: Discovering Stories

of Courage, Comradeship and Innovation Project are outlined in the table below:

Barrier

Ways in which barrier addressed

Physical

• Modernisation of the museum’s facilities and displays will improve visitor

experience and ability to host groups.

• All refurbished buildings, displays and activities will be designed in line

with requirements in the Equality Act.

• Improved signage and landscaping will improve the museum’s

appearance to passers-by and signal that it is open.

• The museum’s website will provide clear access information for visitors.

• Projects and activities will be planned at relevant times for target

audiences to enable their access.

• Outreach sessions for some aspects of the project will take place away

from MAF to involve the widest possible audience.

• Online presence of the project through MAF’s website will provide a

remote access to inspiring content and resources.

• Physical access needs will be discussed with group leaders and

addressed prior to any museum visits.

• Access advisory visits from Winchester Access for All and the Enham

Trust will ensure the museum will addess wide ranging access

requirements.

• Café spotlight displays of museum content will bring the museum’s

stories into this area and make tangible connections for visitors with the

exhibition space.

Sensory

• A range of interpretative techniques will be adopted in the museum’s

exhibition to share the collection and communicate its stories, including audio visual presentations, hands on exhibits and object rich displays.

• Public events and workshops will be designed and developed in a

creative and participatory way which engages a range of senses

• The museum will champion an investigative approach, encouraging self-led learning, engaging all of the senses in discovering new ideas and

developing understanding.

• Active involvement in the development of targeted interactive resources

in the museum will take place with community and education partners.

Intellectual

• Museum redisplay will consolidate stories and remove clutter making the

museum’s key messages easier to access.

• Volunteers will create a warm and relevant welcome for visitors.

• Staff and volunteer training will equip museum teams to confidently

deliver services for and work directly with museum visitors.

• Project activity will use a number of routes into exploring the stories of Army flying to spark the interests of different audience groups.

23 See Appendix A Research and Consultation.

46

• The programmes for the wider public will be publicised in an appealing

and intellectually accessible way.

• Word of mouth marketing, outreach promotional events and personal recommendation will be used to raise awareness of museum.

• Programming will range in content to suit the needs and interests of

target audiences.

• Interpretative text will be written in a lively and accessible way.

• Schools workshops will link clearly to curriculum outcomes and STEM

learning.

• Development of fast paced workshop activities will keep a range of audiences engaged throughout.

• The most relevant and inspiring heritage stories will be selected to

ensure a deep engagement with target audiences.

• A range of learning styles and levels of interest will be catered for in workshops, project sessions and interpretation.

• Active involvement in the development of activities and interpretation will

take place with partners.

• Volunteers will be well supported by project team and through induction

and training to ensure they feel confident and engaged.

Attitudinal

• Community engagement work off site and the Pop up Museum

Roadshow will raise awareness of the museum and what it has to offer to non-visitors, building a new, wider audience.

• Museum marketing and promotion will actively demonstrate a wide

appeal, shifting perceptions that the museum has an exclusively masculine focus.

• Public programmes for schools, families and adults will create reasons for

audiences to visit for the first time and revisit the museum in the future.

• Project participants from non-visiting groups will have the opportunity to

build connections with the museum and develop new skills through the creative and participatory project work alongside professionals.

• The project team will actively promote inclusive practice in all of their

work.

• Signage, invitation and hosting of events and project sessions will champion warmth of welcome.

• Positive connections with the local area will be made through local

networks, interpretation and activities.

• Plenty of planning time will be built into activity development to ensure the full engagement of partners.

• Outputs of project participants will be valued by museum staff and their

work will be celebrated and promoted.

• Partnerships with trusted local networks and providers will offer a safe

and facilitated way in for new audiences and volunteers.

• Project themes will be explored using personal connections and relevancies as a starting point.

• Specific and relevantly pitched invitations to events and programmes will

form the backbone of the way people are made to feel welcome.

• An on-going training and induction programme for staff and volunteers will assist them to confidently explore the museum’s heritage and work

meaningfully with audiences.

Cultural

• Museum storytelling will focus on universal themes of courage

comradeship and innovation to offer relevance to the widest audience.

• Signage outside the museum will make an open welcome to audiences.

• A range of stories will be explored throughout the project reflecting a local, national and international context.

• Projects connecting local families and young people to the museum will

break down barriers between the museum and the local community.

47

• The contributions of participants will be celebrated during workshops and

project work.

• Exploration of the collection will be placed in the wider context of its place within history to enable a broad exploration of the subject matter.

• Partners will be involved in planning from the outset for their specific

groups to ensure needs are met.

• Publicity and marketing around the project will reflect a more local focus

and be tailored in some cases to the needs of specific groups.

Financial

• The museum will have a robust pricing structure which is competitive in

relation to other local attractions.

• Project work with partners has been sufficiently resourced to enable high quality experiences and outputs.

• Expenses for travel will be provided for volunteers if required.

• Free car parking will be provided for visitors. • Free holiday activities will be available for families as a part of museum

entry. • The museum is free for children under five. • There is free entry for military stakeholder groups. • School group bookings include free entry to the museum exhibits with

session charges. • In the Spotlight displays in the café will provide free taster access to

museum content.

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2. Making strategic decisions about engaging more people

2.1 Project description

The ambition of the British Army Flying: Discovering Stories of Courage, Comradeship and

Innovation Project is to create a viable museum that tells the unique stories of British Army

flying in a way that engages the next generation of audiences. The vision for the project is

to:

• Transform the display of the collections and the visitor experience providing an

updated, professional standard of interpretation that meets modern expectations of a

day trip destination and that the organisation is proud of marketing.

• Tell the story of British Army flying for all in a way that entertains, engages and

inspires, with stories of universal appeal and relevance.

• Reconnect to the Army Air Corps as its regimental museum through representing

modern stories of campaigns and reflecting the ongoing courage, comradeship and

innovation of the corps.

• Bring the Museum of Army Flying into the community by developing activities and

interpretation that draws local people in regularly and creates a familiar and popular

focus for communities.

• Enable an organisational transformation through staff training programmes and

growing the volunteer workforce to increase the museum’s capability and capacity.

The project will provide the catalyst to build the MAF’s reputation as an enjoyable and

relevant destination for visitors. It will update and future-proof the museum and make it

more financially sustainable long into the future.

2.2 Commitment to putting the Activity Plan into action

This is the beginning of a new chapter in the history of MAF as the museum undergoes a

major physical change and has its visitor experience transformed through new

interpretation, research and collection facilities and activity. The time is right, through the

project, to understand the heritage of Army flying better, share it with existing and new

audiences and build a foundation of resources, information and volunteers so that the

heritage can be utilised for ongoing learning and participation activity in a meaningful way.

The Museum of Army Flying Strategic Plan 2016 – 2021 clearly sets out the mission, vision

and values of the museum for the five year period. The Strategic Plan defines the museum’s

mission and what it does as:

49

We are the story of British Army Flying

The museum’s vision is:

To be a sustainable museum telling the story of British Army flying that entertains, engages and inspires and to be admired for first class conservation, interpretation, access, learning and research and the provision of a dignified memorial, all supported by highly motivated staff.

The vision has underpinned the development of both the capital works and the Activity

Planning process.

The museum’s Audience Development Plan 2015 – 2017 sets out the objectives for audience

development at the museum. These are:

• To positively represent the Army Air Corps and its history, and to deepen

the sense of ownership, relevance and pride in the Museum amongst Corps

members.

• To increase participation of visitors and to become a place people want to

return to regularly.

• To broaden our audience by attracting new types of visitors.

• To establish a reputation as a family-friendly heritage attraction.

• To establish a strong and loyal formal education audience.

• To make the Museum more accessible to those with sensory disabilities, learning

difficulties and mobility issues.

All of the audience development objectives have been acknowledged and incorporated in

the project and will be realised through a combination of capital works and activity.

The museum Board and staff are committed to making a success of the HLF Project and to

putting the Activity Plan into action. This commitment can be demonstrated in a number of

ways:

• Key messages – during the development phase the museum team have, to ensure

a cohesive and holistic approach to activity and interpretation, developed learning

outcomes for the project written as key messages. These key messages run through

and underpin all activity and interpretation as essential take home messages for

visitors. They are:

• Led by pioneers – progress in Army aviation has been led by individual

pioneers with vision and determination.

• Soldiers first – Army aviators are first and foremost soldiers.

• Technology at the heart – evolving technology lies at the heart of Army

Aviation.

• Roles across the world – Army aviation has fulfilled a range of roles across

the world.

• Amazing human stories – there are amazing human stories associated

with Army aviation.

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• Strategic fit – the project aligns closely with MAF’s Strategic Plan to 2021 outlined

above. The HLF project is an integral part of a long term planned development at

MAF. The museum has completed the first stage of plans to transform the museum

with the completion of the Memorial in the summer of 2017.

• Financial – MAF are making a significant organisational commitment to the project

and are committed to raising over £700,000 towards the cost of the project.

• Consultation and involving stakeholders – MAF has consulted widely over a

number of years to ensure that plans for the project are appealing, engaging and

meet the needs of target audiences. They are committed to continuing consultation

with audiences to continuously improve the project and visitor experience. The

project design allows for the active involvement of a number of stakeholder groups

in shaping and contributing to the museum’s heritage including serving and retired

AAC and military personnel, military families and access groups. The museum is also

committed to developing a range of partnerships with organisations like local

schools, Winchester Science Centre and the Test Valley Volunteer Centre to enhance

project outcomes.

MAF is committed to a strategic direction going forward which enables the successful

delivery of the HLF project.

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2.3 Audiences for the project

The HLF project will have a significant impact in terms of developing MAF’s audiences,

through newly relevant, refreshed and engaging displays, education programmes, improved

visitor experience, volunteer involvement and targeted work with those not currently

engaged with MAF’s heritage. The project will enrich the offer at the museum for every

visitor and take an approach that both creates deeper links with local people and

encourages larger numbers of visitors from a wider geographic reach:

The project will particularly target broadening and diversifying the following groups of

people:

Families

Intergenerational groups of parents, carers or grandparents and children from local towns and villages in the Test Valley and those living in local Army accommodation as well as families from further afield.

Primary Schools

and Youth Groups

Formal education groups from primary schools currently not visiting the museum and organised informal learning groups of young people.

Serving and Retired

AAC Personnel

Active AAC members of all ranks and retired personnel.

Adult Curious

Minds

Adult visitors seeking enjoyable social and leisure learning experiences on a day trip or with organised groups.

Aviation and

Military Enthusiasts

Self-motivated individuals with a specific active interest in aviation and military history.

REGIONAL

Increase profile and strength of offer to draw

visitors from up to 2 hours away extending the

geographical reach of MAF

LOCAL

Grow relevance and connections with local

people to enable MAF to become a community asset

52

A further detailed description of these audience groups can be found on the following pages.

Families

Families are a key audience for the museum to build for general day trips, at the

same time as offering an effective route into connecting more closely with the local

community. New interpretation and a lively programme of weekend and holiday

activities will encourage repeat visiting by family audiences through offering

something for all family members to enjoy and creating many reasons to come back

time and again. The museum will aim, through the project, to:

• Broaden its family audience by attracting both very local families and those

from further afield, establishing its reputation as a family friendly attraction

and destination for family day trips.

• Diversify its family audience by paying particular attention to local lower

income families, AAC and other service families to encourage their

engagement with the museum as part of a community offer for them in the

locality. The project will also work to translate families coming on site to the

café and play area, who currently don’t see the museum being for them, into

museum visitors too.

Primary Schools and Youth Groups

Primary school groups and groups of young people taking part in informal learning

activity have a great potential to be engaged with and developed through the

project, particularly with a focus on engaging them in practical, applied learning

activities at the museum. The museum will aim, through the project, to:

• Broaden its primary school and youth group audience by developing a

curriculum linked formal learning offer at the museum focusing on STEM

subjects, extending the reach of the museum to schools audiences and

refreshing the offer in line with recent changes in the primary school

curriculum. Resources developed in partnership with teachers at Vigo and

Stockbridge Schools and Winchester Science Centre will ensure a relevant,

high quality schools offer is developed, reaching new schools in the Test

Valley and the surrounding areas as a result. Young people of primary age

and above will be targeted through out of school learning opportunities and

tailored events for youth groups such as Beavers, Cubs and Scouts.

• Diversify its primary school and youth group audience by targeting schools

and groups who have never visited the museum before, particularly targeting

schools in areas of higher deprivation in local urban centres such as Andover

and from the surrounding counties. The museum will also proactively seek to

attract youth groups with a female focused remit such as Guides and

Brownies through their regional networks.

Serving and Retired AAC Personnel

53

Connections with serving and retired AAC personnel will be made stronger as a result

of the HLF work, building on the ways in which the museum can represent the AAC

story right up to the present day. The museum, through the project, will aim to:

• Broaden and strengthen its AAC audience as the project creates the capacity

to make stronger and more positive connections with this group. MAF has an

especially relevant subject matter to this group as it charts their heritage. The

project will increase the museum’s relevance for this audience by reflecting

shared stories, bringing the story of British Army flying up to date, growing

their enthusiasm and support for the museum. The project will aim to make

links with the very local AAC audience taking part in, and leading training at

the AAC aviation centre at Middle Wallop as well as those living further afield.

It will recognise that many people who are part of the Army Air Corp family

serve, or have served with other regiments.

Adult Curious Minds

Adults looking for a lively and interesting day out will be served more effectively

during their time visiting MAF as a result of the museum developments. This

audience group travel from towns and villages in the Test Valley and further afield.

The museum will aim, through the project to:

• Broaden and grow this audience group through enhanced facilities,

layered interpretation to suit different levels of interest, the promotion of

more universal stories and wider marketing potential. The project will

grow the museum’s profile and reputation as a good place for a day out

for this audience group, offering them a consistently high quality visitor

experience that will encourage word of mouth recommendations and

repeat visiting.

• Diversify this audience group through new interpretation and marketing,

changing the perception that the museum is largely of appeal to a male

audience only or those with a niche interest. This will result in attracting a

wider range of visitors, including more women, to visit.

Aviation and Military Enthusiasts

Aviation and Military Enthusiasts are a loyal and self-motivated group with a

specialist interest which will be served more fully as the museum develops its

collections access and interpretation. The museum will aim to:

• Broaden this audience group by meeting their needs more fully through

creating layered interpretation and increased access to collections to suit

those seeking in depth knowledge on specific subjects.

A focus on access will be embedded in all project work to ensure that visitors from all

target audience groups with disabilities are looked after properly and not discriminated

against. Access awareness and infrastructure to enable suitable access for all will run

throughout the project. Work with the Enham Trust’s residents’ panel and Winchester

54

Access for All will ensure visitors with disabilities have their perspectives reflected in

museum planning. Infrastructure and interpretation will be made more suitable, access

information will be clearly available on the museum website to help with planning a visit and

training for staff and volunteers will take place so everyone feels confident and equipped to

welcome and support visitors of all abilities. It is believed this approach will help to diversify

all audience groups and it is expected that the museum will receive a larger number of visits

from people who consider that they have a disability.

Volunteers will be drawn from all of the target audience groups to create a

volunteer workforce that is representative of the breadth of visitors coming to the museum.

The project will enable a shift in volunteering practice, moving it from the periphery to the

core of museum activity. There will be a step change in how volunteers support a breadth of

museum functions ranging from visitor services support and STEM workshop facilitation, to

technical and collections based activities, playing a larger role in people’s experience of the

museum. The development of the volunteer programme will look to support routes into

work for local unemployed people. By offering a greater range of activities to become

involved in and by proactively recruiting volunteers widely, the museum aims to grow its

volunteer workforce in both numbers and diversity24.

The HLF project will enable the museum to develop its staff and Director’s skills and

volunteer workforce to enhance each visitor’s experience, creating a high quality, relevant

museum visit offer. New interpretation and marketing will reflect the diversity of people

involved in the AAC both in the past and today. It will broaden and diversify the types of

people who can enjoy, identify with and benefit from the museum’s heritage through the

universal themes of courage, comradeship and innovation.

24See also section 2.5 of the Activity Plan, Approaches to volunteering and training, and Appendix B2,

Training plan.

55

2.4 Project activity

Activity delivered through the British Army Flying: Discovering Stories of Courage,

Comradeship and Innovation Project will connect people with the MAF’s collections and

stories in new ways. Development and updating of the museum’s displays, the upgrading of

collections, archive and education room spaces, the creation of new public programmes,

targeted outreach work and enhanced volunteering activity will reach out to new audiences

and transform visitor experience at the museum.

Project activity has been shaped as a result of widespread consultation and will be

developed alongside partners to ensure the needs of target audiences are met and activity is

developed that is relevant and of appeal to these groups. The HLF project will create a step

change in the MAF’s activity, creating new capacity, a growth in visitors and a sustainable

route forward for the museum25. The four activity strands for the project are outlined here:

Each project activity strand is described further below.

25 See Appendix D1 Participation and Appendix F Emails and Letters of Support.

British Army Flying:

Discovering Stories of Courage,

Comradeship and Innovation

Making collections accessible

Community connections

Establishing STEM learning

Organisational capacity building

56

Making collections accessible

Making museum collections more accessible through updated and refreshed exhibition

displays, new interpretation and storytelling, collection care volunteering and internship

programmes. Placing museum collections at the heart of storytelling and enabling the public

to engage with them in relevant and inspiring ways.

• Museum redisplay and reinterpretation

A re-ordering and re-interpretation of the museum’s displays ensuring that

interpretation is dynamic, flexible and meets the needs of different users. A focus on

personal stories and accessible, layered interpretation that weaves text, graphics and

audio visual media will have a broad appeal to people with different learning styles

and interests26.

• Enham Trust and Winchester Access for All access advisory visits

Advisory visits from the Enham Trust’s Residents’ Panel and Winchester Access for All

to shape and critique the development of the museum spaces and displays from the

detailed design phase through to activity programme development. These ongoing

partnerships will support the museum team in championing infrastructure and

interpretation and activity that is accessible.

• Volunteer Explainers

A team of volunteer front of house interpreters will be available throughout the

museum exhibition spaces at busier times to offer extra information, support and

facilitation for visitors in the museum. Working on the museum floor, as well as

supporting events, learning, holiday activities and outreach, they will enhance visitor

welcome and enrich people’s experience of the displays through pointing out quirky

stories, facilitating lively discussion and being on call to answer questions27.

• AAC stories oral history project

An oral history project gathering stories from serving AAC staff, veterans and their

families for inclusion in the museum’s new displays. The oral histories will be

collected by a small team of volunteers who will be trained and have the support of a

professional oral historian. The oral histories will bring personal stories to the fore

and connect with serving and veteran soldiers and their families, making them feel a

part of, and valued by, the museum28.

• Curatorial internships

Two, twelve month long curatorial internships focusing on collections care activities

including object decant, repackaging, cataloguing and object installation and

presentation. These two internships will work closely with the Museum Curator and

Archivist and through their experience gain on the job skills and experience of

collections management and museum redisplay29.

• Visitor Experience internship

One, six month long visitor experience internship working alongside cross-

departmental museum teams to support visitor welcome, front of house activities,

26 See also Interpretation Plan. 27 See Appendix C6 Volunteer Explainer Role Description. 28 See Appendices B4 Oral History Project Plan, C8 Oral History Volunteer Role Description and C12 Oral Historian Freelancer Brief. 29 See Appendix B1 Internship Policy and C3 Curatorial Internship Role Description.

57

public programmes, events and exhibition maintenance. This intern will gain valuable

on the job and transferable skills in relation to museum front of house activity30.

• Collections care and maintenance volunteers

Trained volunteers supporting collections focused activities including decant and

repackaging, documentation, reorganisation of objects and archive material and

collections housekeeping activities in the galleries such as artefact cleaning and

environmental and pest monitoring31.

• Volunteer guides

Trained volunteer guides who lead themed tours of the museum for the public,

booked groups and audiences with a specialist interest. Guides will deliver a range of

tours in terms of content and length to suit differing audience needs and interests32.

• Guided tours

Guided tours for the public on a range of themes and in formats that include both

short spotlight tours and more specialist in depth tours. Tours will be available for

the public and for pre-booked groups.

• Education session review and revitalisation

A review and refining of current education sessions so that they are rooted in the

new displays and interpretation, place collections at their heart and champion the

significant stories of Army flying in every educational visit. Outreach sessions in local

schools will take place during the capital works phase of the project to test new

ideas with teachers and refine session content. The creation of downloadable

resources to support education visits will be available online for schools.

• Themed story maps

Themed trails for the museum will provide curated routes through the displays and

content to suit different levels of interest ranging from family groups to aviation

enthusiasts. Story maps will be tailored to include focuses on personal stories,

specialist aviation content and family friendly material. Story maps will offer different

ways for visitors to navigate the museum with the themes of courage, comradeship

and innovation at their core. Story maps will be available in large print format as well

as being available to download online prior to a visit.

Community connections

Wide ranging outreach and community promotion which actively raises the profile of the

museum, building greater links with new audiences for the first time and creating

programmes that encourage these audiences to visit time and again.

• Pop up Museum promotional roadshow

A Pop up Museum exhibit that tours to community events, actively raising the profile

of the museum and what it has to offer. A portable, eye-catching, fun and interactive

display that expresses what is exciting about the museum and acts as a compelling

audience development tool. The Pop up Museum includes modular showcases,

information banners, interactive games, props and a largescale themed photo cut

30 See Appendix B1 Internship Policy and C4 Visitor Experience Internship Role Description. 31 See Appendix C7 Collections Care and Maintenance Volunteer Role Description. 32 See Appendix C9 Tour Guide Volunteer Role Description.

58

out. The Pop up Museum promotional roadshow will target local community venues,

village, school and county fairs, Association of Army Families fairs, Winchester

Science Centre and other opportunities within Hampshire and the surrounding

counties to promote the museum as widely as possible33.

• Heritage marketing internship

One, six month long heritage marketing internship supporting the museum in

audience development and marketing activities in the lead up to the relaunch of the

museum. This intern will gain valuable on the job experience of a breadth of

museum marketing activities34.

• Café spotlight displays

In the spotlight themed displays in a case in the café will link the museum and its

stories to people visiting the café. Spotlight displays will bring the museum into this

area and lead to translating potential café visitors into visitors to the museum.

Spotlight displays will be flexible and will be developed in collaboration with

volunteers, school groups, young people and community groups, ensuring a range of

different perspectives are showcased. Themed table top interpretation focusing on

highlights in the collection and new discoveries will sit alongside the displays to catch

people’s attention.

• Family hands on base co-design project with Army Welfare Service

An interactive, hands on play based learning space in the museum exploring survival

and working in extreme environments and focusing on family visitors will be co-

designed in collaboration with the under 5s group from the Middle Wallop Army

Base. This group of very local families will help shape the type of games, props and

interactive elements available in the space and as a part of their involvement become

familiar with the museum and local ambassadors for what it can offer Army

families35.

• Eagles young people’s club

A monthly club using the museum’s stories and collections as the catalyst for

scientific and creative, hands on out of school activities for young people living on or

around the Middle Wallop base. A regular offer, developed in partnership with the

Army Welfare Service to draw local young people into the museum and support them

in achieving Arts Award accreditation.

• Hands on holiday sessions

Family focused storytelling, science shows and craft sessions focusing on the

museum displays and collections and available to visitors during the school holidays

to enrich their experience and deepen their engagement with the museum and its

stories.

• Adult workshops and outreach talks programme

A seasonal programme of expert led practical hands on demonstrations and

workshops and outreach talks which enable museum staff, AAC personnel and STEM

Ambassadors to share their particular expertise and perspectives for a specialist

33 See Appendix B3 Pop up Museum Outline. 34 See Appendix B1 Internship Policy and C5 Heritage Marketing Internship Role Description. 35 See Appendix B5 Hands On Base Outline.

59

audience. An extended public programme for adults, linking firmly with the

museum’s collections and heritage.

Establishing STEM learning

Working collaboratively with experts to build a reputation for hands on STEM learning at the

museum for formal learning and informal groups of young people, placing STEM topics at

the centre of the museum’s learning offer and through this strength of focus reach new

groups of school children and young people.

• Co-design of interactive STEM workshop for schools

Development of STEM focused interactive workshops created in collaboration with a

STEM specialist and with the targeted involvement of teachers from local non-user

schools to shape and pilot the offer and ensure it robustly meets the needs of

curriculum delivery. Local teachers from Vigo and Stockbridge schools will be actively

involved in the development process alongside the museum and specialist team, with

new sessions being trialled with their schools before being incorporated into the main

education offer at the museum. Mentoring support from Winchester Science Centre

during the development will ensure a high quality, highly investigative approach to

delivery36.

• Interactive STEM workshop for schools

Interactive STEM workshop for primary schools rooted in the story of Army flying and

the museum displays. An inspiring, hands on workshop where pupils can develop

scientific enquiry skills and gain knowledge on curriculum topics including forces,

friction, materials and their properties through practical investigation. Workshops will

at times include STEM Ambassador talks and demonstrations to enthuse young

people and bring practical application of STEM subjects in the real world to life

through professionals sharing personal experiences. Downloadable resources to

support sessions will be available online. Particular attention will be paid to

marketing to non-visiting and neighbouring county schools.

• STEM Ambassadors

A volunteer demonstration role for school groups, informal learning groups and

general museum visitors. STEM Ambassador recruitment and briefing will be

developed in partnership with Winchester Science Centre to ensure there is a good

uptake of Ambassadors and that the programme is sustainable. STEM Ambassadors

will share their personal perspectives, do simple demonstrations and through small

group interactions will show how STEM skills are applied in the working world37.

• STEM workshop sessions for out of school learning

STEM activity sessions will be developed for informal learning groups including

Scouts, guides and other groups of young people. Workshop sessions will enable

these groups of young people to get hands on and inspired and develop skills and

knowledge. The sessions will support badge work in Air Activity and Science for Cub,

Scout and Guide groups and CREST Award Bronze accreditation for other groups of

young people.

36 See Appendix C13 STEM Specialist Freelancer Brief. 37 See Appendix C10 STEM Ambassador Volunteer Role Description.

60

Organisational capacity building

A programme of active volunteer recruitment and growth will move this activity from the

periphery to the core of museum functions. Two new posts supporting delivery of

volunteering and engagement activity will create new capacity in the staff team. Active

participation of volunteers in the archive move, securing additional artefact storage and the

development of improved workshop space will provide better conditions for staff and

volunteers to carry out collections based activity, enabling a wider range of conservation

activities to take place and on site and new public access through behind the scenes tours.

Organisational transformation through an investment in training and capacity building

throughout all levels of the organisation will equip everyone involved, either professionally or

in a voluntary capacity to deliver an enhanced offer at the museum by the end of the

project38.

• Targeted volunteer recruitment programme

A targeted volunteer recruitment drive to grow the volunteer workforce and develop

flexible, accessible volunteering roles that attract a wide range of volunteers.

Targeted events, face to face promotion and inclusive recruitment working with Test

Valley Community Services will ensure a diverse volunteer workforce is developed

during the life of the project.

• Conservation training for volunteers

Internally led training for all collections focused volunteers in how to handle

collections, remedial conservation cleaning and basic housekeeping to support

repackaging and collections management activity. As a result of training, volunteers

will feel skilled in supporting stewardship of the museum collections through the

specialist insight and practical advice they have received. A cascade training system

will be developed to enable volunteers with more experience to support new

volunteers in gaining the skills to carry out basic collections focused tasks.

• Visitor welcome training for volunteers

A highly practical and skills focused programme for all staff and volunteers at the

museum in public facing roles. Focusing on inclusive welcome, access, SEN,

interpretation and sharing heritage stories. Training will be delivered through a

combination of external experts and the internal staff team.

• Aviation and heritage skills training for volunteers

Specialist training in aviation and heritage skills for collections focused volunteers,

led by Brooklands Museum team focusing on up to date practice in aviation

conservation skills.

• Guiding training for volunteers

Training for volunteer guides in presentation and guiding skills and adapting

storytelling to different audiences.

• Oral history training for volunteers

Volunteer training working alongside an oral history practitioner to support the

development of oral history interviewing and collection skills.

• Board development programme

38 See Section 2.5 Approaches to training and volunteering and Appendix B2 Training Plan.

61

An ongoing board development programme underpinned by a training day for board

members focusing on a core skills gap each year. An opportunity for board members

to hear from their peers, including a focus on areas such as inclusion, access,

volunteer development and the wider context and local heritage landscape. In

addition to this, there will be short briefings from senior museum staff and specialists

at board meetings on key areas of organisational delivery; attendance at seminars

run by relevant sector organisations such as AIM; conference attendance to give

insight into the current cultural heritage landscape; opportunity at board meetings

for members to feedback learning; and an annual cycle of review for the board.

• Staff training development programme

A structured training programme to support staff in the development of relevant

advanced skills to support them in confidently carrying out activities required for HLF

project delivery which will include embedding evaluation and monitoring practices at

the centre of the organisation’s culture of learning.

All of the activity in the HLF Project has been designed in a way which will ensure a

sustainable legacy from HLF investment through developing new interpretation, public

programmes, networks and resources which build the capacity of staff and volunteers and

celebrates the story of soldiers in the air with the public in the long term.

2.5 Approaches to volunteering and training

The development of volunteering opportunities, policy and practice are a central part of the

project and will support a broad range of activity. A range of flexible volunteer roles39 will be

established during the project and volunteers will receive appropriate training and support to

ensure they can confidently play a part. Volunteers will work alongside professionals to

share and celebrate the museum’s heritage. A fully supported approach to volunteering will

recognise individual’s skills and talents as well as recognising what they want to achieve

from their volunteering experience. This will ensure that every volunteer gets the support

they need to progress in their lives to the next step, whether this be more volunteering,

training or employment. Every volunteer will be recognised and valued for the important

part that they play in the project.

Volunteer involvement has been designed to offer a number of routes for engagement, and

is layered in a way which means people can be involved at a level which suits their needs

and interests. There will be flexible and supported opportunities to work in collections

management, oral history, volunteer explaining, guiding and STEM activity. Volunteers will

receive more formal training as part of the project alongside staff and Board members.

The new post of Volunteer Development Manager will ensure a consistent and fair approach

to volunteer recruitment and involvement. They will lead a creative and proactive

programme of volunteer recruitment working in partnership with a number of key

organisations including: Test Valley Volunteer Centre, Army Welfare Service, the Enham

39 See Appendices C6-10 for Volunteer Role Descriptions.

62

Trust and Winchester Access for All which will open up the volunteer opportunities at the

museum to a wider range of people.

During the development phase of the project a review was undertaken of the skills and

knowledge needed to deliver the HLF project. A skills audit was carried out for Directors,

staff and volunteers. The audit was completed by:

• 15 volunteers

• 21 staff

• 11 directors

The purpose of the audit was to assess the skills, knowledge and experience of existing

directors, staff and volunteers and identify areas for further training and development to

support the HLF delivery40. The audit also supported the need for new staff roles, identified

in the HLF bid, to deliver the project. The self-assessment skills audit was looked at in

conjunction with interviews with staff and volunteers about training needs, observation of

practice at the museum and knowledge and understanding of best practice in training and

skills development across the heritage sector. The results of this process are summarised

here:

• Directors – The Board of Directors is a board with broad and balanced skills. They

generally scored highly across all areas of the skills audit which included

understanding and experience of governance, vision and strategic planning,

leadership and team working and financial oversight. No individual is expected to

have all the skills required for good governance and there was no area which was

highlighted as an urgent area of concern where the museum was lacking in Director

skills to govern effectively. All areas had at least three Directors (and in most, more

than three) who had good or extensive experience in particular areas of expertise or

skill. However the areas where the governing body scored least well in were all

areas specific to the cultural or heritage sector. Areas which were relatively low

scoring included: understanding of current cultural/museum policy; experience of

working/volunteering in the heritage/culture/education sectors; links with local

community/museum audiences and lastly managing volunteers. Currently no Board

member has direct museum practitioner experience and this could be an area for

consideration in future Director recruitment. The areas identified for further board

development and training to give directors a broader understanding of issues

particularly relevant to the delivery of the HLF project and future sustainability are:

• Volunteer programmes best practice and development in the heritage sector.

• Equality, diversity and inclusion in a heritage context.

• Understanding the legal requirements of governance.

• Good governance practice and participation for Boards.

• Voice of the visitor – using audience feedback in organisational review and

improvement.

40 See Appendix B2 Training Plan.

63

In addition the project will act as a catalyst to develop an annual cycle of planning and

review to include an opportunity for the Board to review its performance.

• Staff – The museum has a motivated team of staff with highly developed personal

skills. Staff self- assessed as having good or extensive skills or expertise in their

particular areas of operation. The HLF project will develop the museum in new areas,

drawing in new audiences and volunteers. The museum only has a small professional

staff team and there are a number of areas identified where there are gaps in staff

capacity for supporting development or where skills could be improved to ensure the

best possible outcomes for the HLF project. These include:

• Evaluation and monitoring practice.

• Exhibition scriptwriting and management of interpretation design and build

projects.

• Oral history policy and practice.

• Volunteer policy, practice and active recruitment.

• Access and inclusion agendas, disability awareness and welcoming diverse

audiences.

• Safeguarding.

• Volunteers – The museum has an enthusiastic and dedicated group of volunteers

with well-developed personal skills. Many of the volunteers also bring military and/or

aviation experience to the museum. One of the aims of the project is to grow and

diversify the existing group of volunteers and a number of areas for development for

both current and new volunteers have been identified:

• Basic remedial conservation cleaning.

• Object handling, decant, packing and basic collections management

procedures.

• Oral history interviewing and transcribing.

• Disability awareness and welcoming diverse audiences.

• Guiding and presentation skills.

Further details of training can be found in the Activity Plan Action Plan and the Training

Plan41.

41 See Appendix B2 Training Plan.

64

2.6 Achieving HLF outcomes

The Project will meet a range of HLF outcomes, ensuring audiences are engaged in a

variety of ways and benefit from engagement with heritage in a way that has a lasting

impact. The table below outlines the main ways the HLF outcomes are being met through

the Activity Plan. Other outcomes and how they are met are addressed through wider project

documentation.

HLF Outcome

How the outcome will be met through the project

Heritage will be better managed

• Collection management records will be improved with the support

of trained volunteers and interns.

• Improvements in collection management systems and storage which will make the collection easier to access both for staff and

researchers.

• Two staff members will be appointed to run heritage and volunteer activity and associated programmes.

• There will be a professionalised approach to volunteer

management.

• Volunteers will share in the development and delivery of a new

heritage offer. • Staff and volunteer training will ensure the collections continue to

be managed to professional standards.

Heritage will be in a better condition

• New environmental storage will improve the physical condition of

collections.

• Remedial conservation and repackaging will improve the physical condition of collections.

• The project will build a trained volunteer workforce to support

sustainable collections care.

Heritage will be better interpreted and explained

• Work with access audiences, specialists and families during the development of the interpretation will inform its

development and ensure it is inclusive to a wide range of

visitors.

• New, layered interpretation will bring the history of Army flying

to life, bringing the story to life and making it more relevant to

a wider range of people.

• The story of Army flying will brought up to date, reflecting modern campaigns and conflicts enabling visitors to

understand the complete history of soldiers in the air.

• Engaging and accessible themed story maps will enable

visitors to follow curated routes through the exhibition which

reflect their own interests.

• Volunteer explainers on the museum floor during busier

periods will enhance the visitor experience through face to

face interpretation and anecdotal storytelling bringing the

collections to life.

• Guided tours, led by trained volunteers, will enable visitors to

engage more deeply with the museum’s collections and

stories.

• Café spotlight displays will offer taster insights to café users

with the museum’s stories.

65

Heritage will be identified/ recorded

• Oral history interviews with AAC and military personnel and their

families will shed new light on the story of Army flying and help

the museum bring displays and information up to date.

People will have developed skills

• Two curatorial interns will gain on the job skills and experience of

collections management and museum redisplay.

• A visitor experience intern will gain valuable on the job experience of museum front of house activity particularly gaining

skills in the areas of visitor welcome, public programmes, events

and exhibition maintenance.

• A heritage marketing intern will gain valuable on the job experience of museum marketing activity especially focused on

the relaunch of the museum.

• Staff will receive training and develop skills through collaboration with project consultants and professionals in: visitor welcome,

access awareness, safeguarding, oral history policy and practice,

collections management, evaluation and monitoring, volunteering policy and practice and interpretation.

• Board members will receive training and develop skills and

knowledge in: inclusion, access, volunteer development, wider heritage landscape and responding to audience feedback.

• Volunteers will have received training and the opportunity to

practice in collections management and conservation, oral history interviewing, guiding and visitor welcome.

• Two teachers will have developed knowledge and understanding

around using museum collections for learning, learning outside

the classroom and hands on STEM learning through collaboration with museum staff and STEM professionals.

People will have learnt about heritage

• New interpretation and the creation of a lively public heritage

engagement programme will make a diverse offer with a wide appeal encouraging people to learn about heritage.

• An inspiring workshop and outreach talks programme will give

adult audiences the chance to learn about the history of Army

flying in greater depth.

• A high quality and varied workshop offer for schools will enable pupils to use the museum and collections for curriculum related

learning.

• Guided tours will give audiences the opportunity to learn about the collections in more detail.

• Volunteer explainers, working on the museum floor, will help

engage audiences with the collection and be on hand to answer visitor’s question in an approachable and informal way.

People will have

changed their

attitudes

and/or

behaviour

• Promotion of new interpretation and its focus on more universal

stories will challenge people’s perceptions of who the museum is

for.

• New interpretation, animation of the galleries, the hands on base for families and engaging activity programmes will make family

visitors and young people feel the museum has something to offer them.

• The Pop up Museum will raise awareness of MAF and shift

perceptions of who it might be for.

66

• Bringing displays up to date and reflecting the experience and

voices of AAC and military personnel will help the museum reconnect more fully with a key stakeholder group.

People will have had an enjoyable experience

• New animated galleries and a hands on base for families will

provide a multi-sensory experience, allowing audiences to engage

and enjoy the museum in a way which meets their needs.

• The project will champion a warm and inclusive welcome to everyone visiting.

• Volunteers and interns will feel supported in their experience and

enjoy their time at the museum.

• The hands on base will enable family audiences to have playful

and enjoyable learning experiences.

• Holiday activity sessions and informal learning opportunities for young people will be hands on, experiential, creative and fun.

People will have volunteered time

• A number of flexible volunteering roles will be recruited for and

provide a mix of interesting opportunities for local people to take part in.

• Collaboration with partners will grow the channels for

communicating and promoting MAF’s volunteering offer.

• Volunteering support and training will ensure individual needs are met and volunteers feel equipped to carry out their roles

confidently.

• People will become actively involved and feel their contributions

are valued.

Communities will have had more people and a wider range of people engaged and actively involved in heritage

• Heritage programming and new messaging in interpretation will

encourage a wide range of audiences to engage with the museum for the first time.

• Active outreach through creative recruitment days will encourage

a diverse range of people to become volunteers.

• Work with local primary schools, the Army Welfare Service and

Army Families Federation will draw new family audiences to the museum.

• Wider promotion of workshops for schools, particularly focused

on STEM learning, will attract a broader range of schools to visit.

• Project work and programmes developed alongside and promoted through a wide range of organisations like the Guides, Scouts and

Army Welfare Service will draw in new audiences of young people.

• The Pop up Museum, combined with a PR campaign when the

museum reopens, will raise awareness of the museum as a visitor

destination and draw in new audiences. • Work with the Enham Trust and Winchester Access for All,

alongside training for staff and clear information on the website will sure an inclusive and accessible offer at the museum which is clearly signalled to visitors.

Organisation will be more resilient

• The completion of the new archive and stores along with

associated collections management and conservation work will make the museum more resilient in its role as custodian of the

collections.

• A comprehensive updating of displays will enable the museum to more efficiently manage a high quality visitor experience.

• Staff, Board and volunteer training will help develop the

organisation’s capacity.

67

• New public programmes will provide content to build a repeat

visiting audience base.

• Professionalised volunteer recruitment, management and training will lead to an empowered and motivated volunteer team which

will be sustainable into the future.

• The project will enable a step change in the museum’s activity as

a visitor destination and draw in an increased visitor orientated income.

• The project will enable the building of strong partnerships with

the local community and education partners to help sustain activity into the future.

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2.7 Managing project activities

Responsibility for the delivery of the Activity Plan will be led by the CEO and be delivered by

staff teams working across museum departments42. The project management specifically for

the Activity Plan is outlined in the chart below:

The CEO is responsible for the overall direction and management of the project and will

liaise directly with the Project Board, who will receive monthly reports on project progress.

The Project Board acts as the governing body for the project and comprises members with

relevant professional expertise and experience who will support and guide the strategic

direction of the project. A Project Board Member who is a Trustee will take on the role of

Activity Plan Champion.

An Evaluation Framework43 has been developed as part of the Round 2 bid. An external

evaluator44 will be appointed to measure the success of the project with the support of the

project team and will report directly to the CEO.

The project delivery team for the Activity Plan includes staff led by the museum’s Curator

and Head of Commercial Operations. The teams will work closely together to ensure

opportunities for active engagement are embedded in the project. An outline of staff

42 See Business Plan for full Project Management Structure. 43 See Section 2.9 of the Activity Plan. 44 See Appendix C11 Evaluator Freelance Brief.

Project Board

CEO and Project Director

(Chris Munns)

Curator

(Susan Lindsay)

Learning and Communities

Officer

(Joanna Wenman)

Project Partners

Outreach and Engagement Officer

(FT 3 years)

Project Partners

Volunteer Development

Manager

(PT 2 years)

Volunteers

Archivist

(Marjolijn Verbrugge)

Curatorial Interns

(2 x 1 year)

Head of Commercial Operations

(Lucy Johnson)

Visitor Experience Intern

(1 x 6 months)

Heritage Marketing Intern

(1 x 6 months)

Front of House Team

Marketing Officer

(Joe Feretra)

Project Evaluator

69

members responsible for the day to day delivery of project activity and their responsibilities

are outlined below:

• Chief Executive Officer – Responsible for overall project direction, management of

project evaluation and delivery of Activity Plan.

• Curator – Managing staff working on learning, outreach, collections management

and volunteering activity in the project. Lead on the museum redisplay.

• Head of Commercial Operations – Management of Visitor Experience and

Heritage Marketing Interns. Lead on development of adult workshops programme

and marketing of new programmes to target audiences. Support in the development

of staff and volunteer training programmes and project evaluation.

• Archivist – Support of collections management activity, oral history collection and

management of curatorial internships.

• Learning and Communities Officer – Lead on the revitalisation of the schools

offer and development of new STEM learning activities. Management of regular

holiday activities programme and informal activity at the museum for young people.

• Outreach and Engagement Officer45 – Lead on outreach and community

engagement work on and offsite to build new audiences including collaborative

projects and museum roadshow. Support in the coordination of the training

programme for staff and volunteers and new education and activity programmes on

site. A newly recruited post, full time for three years.

• Volunteer Development Manager46 – Lead on establishing an infrastructure for

volunteering and new volunteer management and recruitment systems. Responsible

for activity that grows the volunteer workforce at the museum. A newly recruited

part time post, for two years.

• Volunteers47 – Working alongside the project team to support visitor experience

and collections management activity. Core volunteers in the project will carry out a

range of roles spanning on the floor explainers, collections care and maintenance,

oral history and tour guiding. In addition to this, volunteer STEM Ambassadors will

provide subject specialist engagement support activity. Whilst the Volunteer Manager

will be the overall lead for the volunteer team, relevant staff members delivering

activity will have a day to day role in managing their work.

• Internships48 – Four internships will support the project team in relation to

curatorial, visitor experience and heritage marketing activity, learning transferable

skills through a supported on the job training experience.

• Freelance Oral Historian and STEM Specialist – Two freelance practitioners49

will be commissioned to support particular aspects of the Activity Plan, bringing

specialisms in Oral History and STEM educational practice to the team.

The HLF project has a collaborative, open approach at its roots. Staff working across

departmental boundaries and taking the time to work meaningfully alongside community

45 See Appendix C2 Outreach and Engagement Officer Job Description. 46 See Appendix C1 Volunteer Manager Job Description. 47 See Appendices C6, C7, C8, C9 and C10 Volunteer Role Descriptions. 48 See Appendices C3, C4 and C5 Internship Role Descriptions. 49 See Appendices C12 and 13 Freelancer Briefs.

70

and education partners from a range of backgrounds enables the most inclusive offer for

target audiences and a sustainable approach for engagement activity once the project ends.

2.8 Plans for handling potential difficulties in engaging people

The project has consulted widely through the development phase identifying a range of

potential difficulties which may stop people engaging with the heritage and the project

overall. Action has been taken in the project design overall and in the Activity Plan to

mitigate these difficulties for people. The project has ambitious plans to reach new

audiences especially local and Army families, make stronger links with serving and retired

AAC and military personnel, establish STEM learning for formal and informal audiences and

to develop a bigger volunteer workforce. As these areas are critical to the success of the

project, and in some ways its long term sustainability, particular care has gone into thinking

about how to deal with potential difficulties of engaging people with the heritage in these

areas:

Potential difficulty

Overcoming potential difficulty

Person responsible

Inability to recruit and

retain diverse

volunteer workforce

• Appoint an experienced volunteer manager to set

up a professional infrastructure for volunteer policy and practice to ensure a fair and consistent

experience for volunteers.

• Work with the Test Valley Volunteer Centre as an expert and trusted local umbrella organisation.

• Set up buddying systems and opportunities for new

volunteers to meet and get to know existing volunteers.

• Creatively and proactively recruit volunteers

through outreach visits to community organisations,

partner organisations, taster days and open, group recruitment days to attract people who may not

think volunteering is for them or for whom a normal recruitment process might be intimidating.

• Actively use the Pop up Museum as an opportunity

to raise the profile of museum volunteering.

• Develop flexible engaging volunteer roles which are

specific about tasks, duties and time commitment with an expectation that volunteers can commit to

time limited opportunities and that there will be a turn-over in volunteers.

Volunteer Development

Manager

Local and Army

families not

interested in engaging

with project activity

• Work closely with the Army Welfare Service as a

route to connecting with family groups and young people on the Middle Wallop base.

• Proactively invite family groups to take part in

activity through outreach work and particularly by

linking with the Army Family Federation.

• Develop the hands on base for families through project work with local families to ensure it meets

their needs and they feel a sense of ownership over it.

Learning and Communities

Officer

Outreach and

Engagement Officer

71

• Make clear to families attending events the range

of opportunities that are available to take part in, particularly volunteering.

• Ensure project activity to engage families is high

quality helping families feel they are a valued

audience.

• Ensure families feel welcome at the museum through training for staff and volunteers in visitor

welcome.

AAC and

military

personnel don’t

connect with the museum

• Engage AAC and military personnel through targeted projects like Oral History collection and

calls to up-date the collection.

• Ensure new interpretation brings people stories to the fore and brings displays up to date to reflect

Army flying post Second World War.

Curator

STEM programme

for schools and informal

learning

groups fails to attract

audiences

• Develop the STEM programme in partnership with

teachers from local schools to ensure it meets their needs and is closely linked to the curriculum.

• Regularly market the new STEM sessions direct to

schools through named teachers or science subject leads.

• Promote all the museum education sessions

through outreach sessions in schools.

• Promote to school groups by taking the Pop up Museum out to the Winchester Science Centre,

community and relevant school events.

• Actively market the sessions to informal learning

groups by promoting through their established networks and working in partnership to ensure

offer meets their needs.

Learning and Communities

Officer

Outreach and

Engagement Officer

Low impact

of promotional

and

awareness raising

activity on visitor

numbers

• Work with partners and community organisations to maximise promotion and reach existing audiences

for partner and stakeholder organisations.

• Run regular outreach promotional activity utilising the Pop up Museum to maximise impact of

awareness raising opportunities.

• Target marketing in areas within a two hour drive

time of the museum.

• Utilise social media to widen awareness to remote audiences.

• Develop a communication strategy which utilises

key and highlight moments in capital and project activity to raise profile in local and national press

and to act as a focus for outreach promotional

activity.

Head of

Commercial Operations

72

2.9 Evaluation and measures of success

The project will take a robust approach to evaluation from the outset, with the success of

new interpretation, general visitor experience, learning, volunteer development and training

and activity programmes being evaluated against the project outcomes. The Chief Executive

Officer and Head of Commercial Operations will take an overview of the evaluation strategy

ensuring that evaluation of activity and events and targeted project work is integrated with

broader visitor evaluation and monitoring. The Learning and Communities Officer, Outreach

and Engagement Officer and Volunteer Development Manager will take a lead on collecting

evaluation data for specific streams of activity supported by the project team and

volunteers. Evaluation of the project will take place from the start of the capital phase,

integrating evaluation and monitoring techniques into overall visitor data collection for the

museum.

The Head of Commercial Operations working closely with the Learning and Communities

Officer and Outreach and Engagement Officer will initiate a simple and effective model for

consistent and regular collection of quantitative data for activity with target audiences, as

well as setting up simple feedback mechanisms to collect qualitative data from visitors and

project participants. Time for collecting qualitative feedback will be built into session

delivery. An external evaluator50 will be commissioned to help set up appropriate methods

for gathering qualitative data and will work with the project team at key points during

project delivery to draw together data collected through the project documentation, carry

out evaluation impact interviews with key stakeholders and facilitate annual shared

reflection days for the museum team. The external evaluator will then produce a final report

on the project drawing together conclusions from their findings and assessing the impact of

the project.

The project evaluation will support the project team in answering the following questions:

• Has the museum attracted new audiences to the museum and are museum

visitors coming from further afield?

• Does the new interpretation scheme help visitors deepen their understanding

of the museum’s heritage?

• What has been the experience of visitors, project participants and partners?

• Has the volunteer base grown and diversified through the project and what

has the experience of volunteers been?

• What impact has heritage training had on volunteers, staff and Board

members?

• Has the school and informal learning group programme grown and has STEM

based learning been successful with these groups?

• Has the museum established successful relationships with AAC and military

personnel and their families?

50 See Appendix C11 Evaluator Freelance Brief.

73

The project team will gather a range of evaluation insight throughout the project from

partners, participants and audiences using a variety of techniques including:

• Keeping accurate visitor, volunteer and participant attendance records.

• Using the Activity Plan action plan for planning of activity and evaluation.

• Collecting visitor research through feedback forms and surveys.

• Collecting pupil and teacher feedback forms.

• Having regular informal discussions with participants, volunteers and

partners.

• Regularly observing workshops and events.

• Using the visitor feedback comments cards.

• Using Visitor Verdict.

• Monitoring comments on TripAdvisor.

The project team will discuss evaluation findings on a regular basis to draw out models of

good practice and ensure any strengths, weaknesses and unexpected opportunities are

identified and built on to the best advantage of the project during each year of its delivery.

The evaluation will inform the project as it is delivered as well as in the sustainability of

programmes in the longer term. The external evaluator will provide insight and distil

learning from the project as a whole. They will be directly responsible to the Project Board

and will be responsible for producing an end of project report compliant with HLF

requirements.

Data collected by the museum team, and drawn together by the external evaluator, will

measure how successfully the project has met the HLF outcomes, both in terms of

quantitative outputs, in terms of numbers of resources, events, visitors and participants

and qualitative indicators, which will explore the project benefits for people, the

organisation and wider community. This combination of quantitative and qualitative

collection of information will establish the degree to which the original project aims have

been met. HLF Outcomes and measures of success for evaluation are outlined in the

following pages:

74

Measures of success for evaluation

HLF Outcome

Quantitative Outputs

Qualitative Indicators

HERITAGE • Demographic of participants and visitors reflect target

audiences.

• Interpretation throughout the museum will be refreshed and revitalised.

• The archive and collection are successfully installed in new

storage spaces.

• 34,500 general visitors visit the museum in the first twelve months after the museum reopening.

• 30 oral history interviews will have been completed capturing

stories from AAC and military personnel and their families.

• 270 volunteer days will have been completed on collections

care and maintenance.

• 100 volunteer led guided tours of the museum, attended by 1,200 people, will have taken place.

• 8,000 uses of the themed story maps over two years.

• 25% of non-museum visiting café users will be engaged in

café spotlight displays and interpretation.

• Visitor feedback shows high levels of enjoyment,

understanding and inspiration.

• Visitors cite high levels of positive feedback about their interactions with staff and volunteers.

• Visitors gain a greater understanding of the history of

Army Flying.

• Volunteers indicate high levels of satisfaction at their involvement, feel supported and their contributions

valued.

• Oral history participants indicate high levels of

satisfaction at their involvement, feel supported and their contributions valued.

• The management and condition of collections is

improved. • Visitors with additional needs rate MAF highly for

accessibility and access awareness.

PEOPLE • Demographic of visitors, participants and volunteers reflects

target audience groups.

• 74 people will have received heritage training.

• 68 volunteers will have volunteered their time over the life of the project.

• 2 full time, year-long Curatorial internships will have taken

place.

• 1 full time, 6 month long Visitor Experience internship will have taken place.

• 1 full time, 6 month long Heritage Marketing internship will

have taken place.

• 4 guide training sessions will have taken place for 10

volunteers.

• 120 days of volunteer oral history recording will have taken place.

• Staff and interns indicate they have learnt new skills

and acquired knowledge.

• Interns feel supported and their contributions valued.

• Visitor feedback shows high levels of enjoyment, understanding and inspiration.

• Visitors cite high levels of positive feedback about their

interactions with staff and volunteers.

• Visitors gain a greater understanding of the history of Army Flying

• Volunteers indicate high levels of satisfaction at their

involvement, feel supported and their contributions

valued.

• Volunteers indicate they have learnt new skills or acquired knowledge.

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• 260 days of volunteer explainers volunteering will have taken

place over 2 years.

• 3,100 pupils will be engaged in revitalised education sessions through outreach and on-site sessions.

• 525 children will have taken part in fun, out of school STEM

workshop sessions over two years.

• 130 fun, hands on sessions will have run during school holidays attended by 3,900.

• 26 STEM Ambassador sessions will have been run.

• 350 people will have attended adult workshops and outreach

talks programme.

• 48 Board participations in training over 3 years.

• 12 Front of House staff will have received visitor welcome and access awareness training.

• 8 staff will have the opportunity for 2 specialist training

sessions over the life of the project.

• Teachers and tutors indicate the formal education

opportunities deliver on curriculum outputs.

• Teachers indicate they will bring groups to visit.

• Informal learning groups high levels of enjoyment, understanding and inspiration.

• Informal learning group leaders indicate they will bring

groups to visit again.

COMMUNITIES • There will be over 103,000 participations during the project.

• Demographic reflects a rise in visits from target audiences.

• There will be 6 advisory visits from the Enham Trust and

Winchester Access for All over two years.

• Over 13,000 people will have been engaged through activity

and events.

• 2 primary schools will be active partners in the project.

• 800 pupils will have attended STEM workshops for schools over 2 years.

• A hands on base for families will be established.

• 15 local people will be involved in designing the hands on

base for families.

• 20 regular sessions will be attended by 25 local young people.

• The Army Welfare Service will be an active partner in the

project.

• 8 outreach, taster volunteer recruitment events attended by 160 people.

• Pop up Museum will reach 2,850 people through 24 events.

• Participants indicate they have learnt new skills or

acquired knowledge.

• Participants gain a greater understanding of the history

of Army Flying.

• Participants feel their ideas and contributions have been valued by the museum.

• Visitor feedback shows high levels of enjoyment,

understanding and inspiration.

• Visitor audience data indicates people have visited the museum as a result of outreach contact.

• Visitors gain a greater understanding of the history of

Army flying.

• Teachers and tutors indicate the formal education opportunities deliver on curriculum outputs.

• Teachers indicate they will bring groups to visit.

• Partnerships established through the project continue

after its end.

• Visitors with additional needs rate MAF highly for

accessibility and access awareness

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2.10 Sharing lessons

The lessons learned during the HLF Project will be shared via a number of routes, both

during the project and after the project’s end. In particular, learning in relation to

community engagement, volunteering development and partnership working will be central

to ensuring the sustainability of the project. This will ensure project learning can be

transferred to working practices within the museum long into the future. Ways in which

project sharing will take place include:

• Internal meetings – sharing at internal meetings with the Project Board, museum

team and volunteers will ensure everyone has an understanding of project activity

and achievements, leading to practice improvement across the organisation.

• Project training – staff and volunteer training will enable conservation, evaluation

and audience engagement skills to be shared with a range of staff and volunteers.

• Sharing and advocacy through partners – community, education and strategic

partners involved in the project will be able to act as advocates for the work taking

place.

• Volunteers and Board Members – volunteers and Board Members will act as

ambassadors for the project, spreading the word of the work taking place locally

through their own contacts.

• Hampshire Top Attractions meetings – project activity will be promoted through

the Hampshire Top Attractions network meetings and website.

• Military Museum Network – communications through the Military Museum

Network will highlight best practice and share project learning with other similar

attractions.

• LAINet – best practice in interpretation and learning developed through the project

will be profiled at Hampshire Solent Access Learning and Interpretation Network.

• Winchester Science Centre STEM Ambassador meetings – attendance at

STEM Ambassador meetings will create the opportunity to share project learning and

promote STEM Ambassador volunteering opportunities at the museum.

• Social media and website content – new content focusing on the new visitor

offer and the many perspectives of the museum’s story will provide rich, changing

information to engage virtual audiences and promote project activity.

• Feature articles in local press – coverage of the project in local press at a

number of points within the project will highlight the work to a wide and varied

audience.

• Project evaluation – the project evaluation will draw out learning from the project

which can be shared internally to inform developing practice whilst the project is

taking place as well as drawing out learning from the project which can be shared at

the project’s end.

• HLF case study – by producing a case study of the project other HLF projects and

potential HLF applicants can gain insight into the work that has taken place.

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2.11 Long term benefits and sustainability

The Project will have a number of lasting, sustainable benefits which can be categorised in

the following ways:

Tangible benefits

The main purposes of the project are to revitalise the museum and place British Army flying

back at the heart of the museum by transforming the display of the collections and the

visitor experience; telling the story of British Army flying for all in a way that entertains,

engages and inspires, reconnecting the AAC with its regimental museum, developing new

audiences and connecting with the local community. In 2021, at the end of the HLF funding

period the project will have created a number of tangible benefits which will continue to be

available. These include:

• New interpretation – the project will introduce new interpretation alongside a

programme of refreshment and refurbishment of existing displays, improved

lighting, graphics and the introduction of cutting-edge audio visual techniques.

The interpretation will bring people stories to the fore and through layered

information and a variety of delivery methods will dynamically bring the stories of

the collections to life. A range of interpretative media will ensure the new

museum displays cater for a range of learning styles and meet the needs of

different audience groups.

• New artefact storage facilities – new storage facilities and workrooms

including wet and dry workshop spaces will create improved functionality and

provide fit for purpose areas for proactive collections management.

• Hands on family base – working in partnership with families from the Middle

Wallop base a revamped and refurbished hands on base for families will be

established as an integral part of the museum galleries. The base will be a

permanent feature of the museum and will immerse families in a relevant theme

connected to wider museum displays where they have the opportunity to explore

in a playful and fun way.

• STEM workshops – working in partnership with local schools the museum will

develop an active, hands on workshop with scientific enquiry and methodology at

its heart. The workshops will benefit primary schools but will also be adapted to

work for other informal learning groups. There will be a range of resources

acquired to service the sessions, including handling material and scientific

equipment, which will be available for a variety of audiences to use into the

future.

• Training and skills – by the project end 74 people will have taken part in

training and this will have included staff, Board members and volunteers. There

will also have been four in depth training opportunities for interns helping them

develop valuable on the job sector relevant training.

• Themed story maps – three interest led, curated story maps will be created for

different audience groups to aid navigation of the gallery. These will be available

in gallery and on line and the template nature of the design will enable them to

updated or changed to meet the needs of audiences into the future.

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• Pop up Museum – the Pop up Museum will be a permanent tool for the

museum for community engagement and audience development. It will be a

portable, eye-catching, fun and interactive display that expresses what is

compelling about the MAF. It will include banners, objects, handling collections

and interactive games and displays. The Pop up Museum will act as a

promotional resource to raise awareness of public programmes at the museum

and drive up museum visits with target audiences, offer a taster of what can be

experienced during a museum visit and work as a volunteer recruitment tool too.

• Oral history interviews and equipment – the project will train volunteers to

collect 30 oral history interviews during the life of the project which will make a

significant addition to the museum collection and help bring the AAC story up to

date. The interviews will be held in perpetuity at the museum and will be utilised

in museum displays. The project will also train staff in oral history policy and

practice and a group or volunteers in oral history collection. This means, with the

recording collection acquired during the project, oral history interviewing can

become a permanent part of growing the collection and keeping it up to date and

relevant.

• Education room refurbishment – the project will update and improve the

current education space, creating an inspiring environment for learning and other

flexible uses.

• New archive store and search room – the museum will have a new fit for

purpose archive and research space allowing the collections to be maintained in

better condition into the future.

Organisational benefits

The project will leave a number of long lasting organisational benefits for the museum:

• Outreach and Engagement Officer new staff post – this new staff post will

bring fresh skills, knowledge and capacity to the professional team at the

museum. Existing staff members, through work alongside the new staff member,

will increase their knowledge base. The post will build new partnerships and

establish a sustainable model of community collaboration and engagement which

can continue beyond the life of the project. Forward financial planning will

explore how this post can be maintained after the project’s end and it is

anticipated that sufficient income will be generated to enable this.

• Volunteer Development Manager new staff post – the project will have a

strong volunteering element. This will post will allow the museum to build on

existing practice in this area by offering diverse volunteering opportunities and

setting up a strong, practice and training infrastructure to support the volunteer

experience. The post holder will work closely to up skill existing museum staff

during the life of the project. It is likely that this post will end with the project

and that volunteer management, with the much improved infrastructure and

practice in place, will revert to the Curator. The Volunteer Development Manager

will also have recruited and trained one volunteer or more to act in a supporting

role to the Curator as Volunteer, Volunteer Co-ordinator or Volunteer Team

Leader.

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• Evaluation and monitoring – the project will allow the museum to pilot a

broad range of activity and to evaluate and monitor its success. This will help it

to establish a sustainable and appropriate programme for audiences into the

future.

• Partnership working – elements of the project will be developed through

working with a number of well-established partner organisations including the

Army Welfare Service, the Enham Trust, Winchester Access for All, Stockbridge

Primary School, Vigo Primary School and Winchester Science Centre. The project

will aim to establish long term, sustainable partnerships consolidating their

involvement with the museum for the long term.

• Collections care – the new archive and storage spaces will improve

management of the collections ensuring they are saved for future generations to

enjoy and can be used more fully by both staff and members of the public in the

present.

• Training plan – a comprehensive training plan covering staff, Board members

and volunteers will lead to a confident and skilled workforce which will make the

museum more resilient moving forward.

• Reflection – the evaluation of the project will be shared locally and through the

museum’s networks in the heritage sector to ensure lessons learnt from the

project and best practice developed are embedded in other similar projects.

Community benefits

As well as the tangible, physical assets that will be left as a project legacy there will be

wider community benefits that can be identified.

• Community ownership – the project will involve local people in creating the

hands on base and school workshops. The museum will be more proactive in

reaching out to the local community, working with the Army Welfare Service to

offer opportunities for young people and Army families to become actively

involved in the museum. The Pop up Museum will be key in engaging local

audiences and making them feel a connection with the museum. In addition,

there will be regular volunteering opportunities in collections management, on

the floor explaining, guiding, oral history collection and supporting education and

activity events. This will build an increasing sense of community ownership.

• Connecting with the AAC and military personnel – the new interpretation

which brings the AAC story up to date and more clearly reflects the experiences

of service personnel should lead to a greater connection with both serving and

retired military personnel. The Oral History Project will actively involve the AAC in

telling their own story and the museum making this publicly available will show

that it values the contributions. The project through interpretation, activity and

the new Memorial will champion the contribution of the AAC through telling

stories of innovation, courage and comradeship.

• Active partnership development – active partnership development with local

schools and community organisations will create a dialogue with the local

community, developing a relevant offer and ensuring audience needs are met.

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This will facilitate a better appreciation, participation, ownership and interest by

the local community.

• Audience development – the improved visitor experience, new interpretation

scheme and focus on universal themes of innovation, courage and comradeship,

the Pop up Museum alongside activities and events and increased marketing

should increase local and national knowledge of the museum and attract new

visitors.

• Public programmes – adult events and family holiday activities will reach out

and make new connection points for audience engagement.

• Volunteer and participant training – volunteers and participants in the

project will be given the opportunity to develop a variety of skills particularly

around hosting and guiding which will be transferable beyond the project.

• Volunteer base – the strong focus on volunteering in the project will create a

cohesive, interested, empowered and motivated group of volunteers who will

continue their involvement with the museum beyond the life of the project.

• Increasing access – the project will ensure access to the museum by creating

a range of activities and events and layered interpretation, welcoming a wide

range of audiences, recognising and targeting their differing needs. It will also

physically open up the museum in an accessible and engaging way. The new

archive space will make the collection more accessible for both museum staff and

researchers.

The tangible, community and organisational benefits will help create a robust visitor

experience, rooted in the local community but reaching out to wider audiences supported by

partner organisations and a strong volunteer base. Further details on financial project

sustainability can be found in the Business Plan submitted with the application.

2.12 Organisational development

The HLF project will revitalise the MAF, transforming how it operates organisationally and

what it can offer to visitors in parallel. It will enable the museum to play its role more fully

as both a heritage attraction and a community resource. The project will deliver significant

organisational development in the following areas:

• Engaging the next generation of audiences – meeting the modern expectations

of museum visitors and creating a museum to be proud of which champions a

warmth of welcome and is financially sustainable.

• Placing the museum within the heart of the community it serves – actively

building live, long term partnerships with local stakeholders.

• Transforming the volunteer workforce – providing the extra capacity to build

and extend the museum’s volunteer team, creating a growing volunteer community

who feel equipped, inspired and confident to deliver their roles.

• Developing a highly skilled staff and Board – creating a workforce that is

dynamic, highly skilled and well placed to deliver a museum with a growing future.

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The successful achievement of this organisational development will enable not only local

people, but regional and national audiences to connect with the museum in new ways,

feeling inspired by the stories it can share.

2.13 Summary budget

A summary budget is detailed here.

Project Element Costs £

Subtotal

£

Volunteer time

£ 1 MAKING COLLECTIONS ACCESSIBLE

1.1 Museum reinterpretation (scriptwriting) 7,000

1.2 Enham Trust and Winchester Access for All access

advisory visits 2,060

1.3 Volunteer explainers see 4.3 13,000

1.4 AAC Stories oral history project 10,590 18,000

1.5 Curatorial internships x 2 for one year 31,600

1.6 Visitor experience internship 7,900

1.7 Collections care and maintenance volunteers see 4.2 13,500

1.8 Volunteer guides see 4.5 7,500

1.9 Guided tours 0

1.10 Education session review and revitalisation 6,300

1.11 Themed story maps 9,000

1. MAKING COLLECTIONS ACCESSIBLE TOTAL 74,450 52,000

2 COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS

2.1 Pop up Museum promotional roadshow 11,200

2.2 Heritage marketing internship 7,900

2.3 Café spotlight displays 3,500

2.4 Family hands on base co-design project with Army

Welfare Service 30,265

2.5 Eagles young people's club 4,000

2.6 Hands on holiday sessions 10,400

2.7 Adult workshops and outreach talks programme 4,100

2. COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS TOTAL 71,365 0

3 ESTABLISH STEM LEARNING

3.1 Co-design of interactive STEM workshops for schools 11,570

3.2 Interactive STEM workshops for schools 800 3.900

3.3 STEM Ambassadors 400

3.4 STEM workshops for out of school learning 525

3. ESTABLISH STEM LEARNING TOTAL 13,295 3,900

4 ORGANISATION CAPACITY BUILDING

4.1 Targeted volunteer recruitment programme 2,500

4.2 Conservation training for staff and volunteers 2,000 1,200

4.3 Visitor welcome training for staff and volunteers 3,000 4,000

4.4 Aviation and heritage skills training for volunteers 3,700 900

4.5 Guiding training for volunteers 1,500 1,000

4.6 Oral history training for volunteers see 1.4 600

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4.7 Board development programme 3,450 2,400

4.8 Staff training development programme 3,200

4. ORGANISATION CAPACITY BUILDING TOTAL 19,350 10,100

5 STAFFING

5.1 Volunteer Development Manager 24,640

5.2 Outreach and Engagement Officer 80,640

5.3 Office equipment 2,000

5. STAFFING TOTAL 107,280

PROJECT TOTAL excl VAT 285,740 66,000

VAT 8,730

PROJECT TOTAL incl VAT 294,470

All costs shown here are exclusive of contingency.

For clarity the budget has also been broken down under the HLF cost headings.

Activity Cost HLF Heading Description Costs

Staff costs

Volunteer Development Manager 0.5 x 2 years @£22,000 pro rata pa plus 12% on costs 24,640

Outreach and Engagement Officer FT x 3 years @ £24,000 pa plus 12% on costs 80,640

Subtotal 105,280

Training for staff

Staff development and training including oral

history, visitor welcome, collections management, safeguarding etc 5,040

Subtotal 5,040

Paid training placements

Curatorial interns - 2 x 12 month internships @ living wage plus 12% on costs and training

allowance 31,600

Visitor Experience intern - 1 x 6 month internship @ living wage plus 12% on costs

and training allowance 7,900

Heritage Marketing intern - 1 x 6 month internship @ living wage plus 12% on costs

and training allowance 7,900

Subtotal 47,400

Training for volunteers

Visitor welcome and guiding training 3,500

Conservation and collections care and management training incl equipment and

materials (includes Aviation and Heritage Skills

training programme in partnership with Brooklands Museum) 5,200

Board development programme 2,850

Subtotal 11,550

Travel for staff

Staff travel for community engagement, outreach and training sessions 1,900

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Subtotal 1,900

Travel and expenses for volunteers

Travel and expenses for oral history project

and STEM ambassador expenses 1,660

Subtotal 1,660

Equipment and materials

IT and equipment for new staff and interns 2,000

Development of Pop up Museum 10,000

Equipment and materials for revitalisation of

education programme 3,000

Recording and editing equipment for oral history project 1,500

Themed story maps and trails 3,000

Café spotlight displays 3,500

Resources for Eagles club and holiday activities

and resources 18,400

Family hands on base interactives, display and co-design project 25,000

Equipment and resources for new STEM education activities 6,325

Display and promotional materials 2,200

Subtotal 74,925

Other

OHS Membership; supply teacher cover for STEM development 1,845

Subtotal 1,845

Professional fees related to the above

Professional support, training and mentoring

for AAC oral history project 8,000

Scriptwriting and interactives specialist advice 7,000

Specialist professional support for development

of new learning sessions, activities and materials 3,000

Design for story maps 6,000

STEM professional support and mentoring 5,250

Specialist access support 1,890

Family hands on base design 5,000

Subtotal 36,140

Total 285,740

VAT 8,730

TOTAL incl VAT 294,470

A more detailed breakdown of the budget and volunteer non cash contributions can be

found at Appendix E. For details of related capital expenditure and contingency see the

overall project budget.

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3. Activity Action Plan

85

MAKING COLLECTIONS ACCESSIBLE

Activity: detailed description

Audience Benefits for people

Outcome Resources Costs in project budget

Timetable Targets and measures of success

Method(s) of evaluation

1.1 Visitors to museum redisplay and reinterpretation Dynamic, flexible and updated museum displays with a focus on personal stories and a range of interpretation that weaves text, graphics and audio visual elements.

Families Primary schools and youth groups Serving and retired AAC personnel Adult curious minds Aviation and military

enthusiasts

Visitors will be able to discover and learn more about the story of British Army Flying Visitors will be able to connect to the stories in the displays through the stories of people’s courage, comradeship and innovation that they share Different methods of interpretation including

audio visual elements will appeal to different learning styles Visitors will feel inspired and had a fulfilling day trip Visitors will be able to interact and actively participate during their time at the museum Stories will reflect modern campaigns and reflect the modern AAC and its story

Heritage will be better interpreted and explained People will have learnt about heritage People will have changed their attitudes and/or behaviour People will have had an enjoyable

experience Communities will have had more and a wider range of people engaged and actively involved in heritage Organisation will be more resilient

All museum staff Scriptwriting and mentoring support for Curator

£7,000 Scriptwriting and mentoring support for Curator Main costs are in the capital budget

April 2019- June 2021

Targets 70,725 (19/20 and 20/21) Measures of success Demographics of visitors reflect target audiences Visitor feedback shows high levels of enjoyment, understanding and inspiration Visitors cite high levels of positive feedback about

their interactions with staff and volunteers Visitors gain a greater understanding of the history of Army Flying Visitors with additional needs rate MAF highly for accessibility and access awareness Visitor audience data indicates people have visited the museum as a result of outreach contact

Attendance records Visitor survey Visitor feedback comments cards Visitor Verdict TripAdvisor

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Activity: detailed description

Audience Benefits for people

Outcome Resources Costs in project budget

Timetable Targets and measures of success

Method(s) of evaluation

1.2 Enham Trust and Winchester Access for All access advisory visits Advisory visits from the Enham Trust’s access group and Winchester Access for All to support the detailed design of museum displays and activity programmes to support the museum in ensuring it champions accessible and inclusive interpretation,

facilities and infrastructure.

Families Primary schools and youth groups Serving and retired AAC personnel Adult curious minds Aviation and military enthusiasts

Access advisory visits will ensure the museum makes design decisions that make it an inclusive visitor experience People advising on the museum’s design development will feel welcome and that the museum is relevant to them People advising on the museum’s design will feel that their suggestions result in tangible improvements for access

Visitors to the museum will be able to have an accessible experience Visitors to the museum with access requirements will feel that their needs are met The museum will be able to clearly signpost on its website a range of ways that access requirements are catered for to support pre-visit planning

Heritage will be better interpreted and explained People will have learnt about heritage People will have had an enjoyable experience Communities will have had more people and a wider range of people engaged and actively involved in heritage

Project team time Curator’s time Hospitality for Enham Trust visits Winchester Access for All access reports

£ 60 Hospitality for Enham Trust visits £2,000 Winchester Access for All access reports

Ongoing during the design development phase and through Activity Plan delivery from May 2018 to March 2020

Targets 3 advisory visits Enham Trust Resident’s Panel x 6 people = 18 participations

3 advisory visits Winchester Access for All

x 3 people = 9 participations

Total participations = 27 Measures of success Participants feel their their ideas and contributions have been valued by the museum Visitors with additional

needs rate MAF highly for accessibility and access awareness

Visitor survey Visitor feedback comments cards Visitor Verdict TripAdvisor Informal feedback from participants and partners

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Activity: detailed description

Audience Benefits for people

Outcome Resources Costs in project budget

Timetable Targets and measures of success

Method(s) of evaluation

1.3 Volunteer explainers A team of volunteer front of house interpreters available on the museum floor at busier times including weekends and school holidays championing a warmth of welcome and facilitating visitors in enriched engagement with the museum and its displays.

Families Primary schools and youth groups Serving and retired AAC personnel Adult curious minds Aviation and military enthusiasts

Visitors engaging with volunteer explainers will feel warmly welcomed and have their visit to the museum enriched Visitors engaging with volunteer explainers will gain a deeper understanding of the museum’s collections and stories Volunteer facilitation will make the museum floor feel lively and animated Visitors will discover things they wouldn’t have

been aware of without additional face to face communication Volunteers will feel their involvement makes a difference to how people experience the museum Volunteers will feel empowered and develop their communication and public engagement skills

Heritage will be better interpreted and explained People will have developed skills People will have learnt about heritage People will have changed their attitudes and/or behaviour People will have had an enjoyable experience

People will have volunteered time Communities will have had more and a wider range of people engaged and actively involved in heritage Organisation will be more resilient

Volunteer Development Manager time Archivist time Volunteer time See 4.3 for volunteer training

No cash cost Volunteer non-cash contribution

Ongoing from re-opening in April 2019

Targets 1 volunteer x 52 days (2 weekdays per week in holidays over 2 years) = 52 volunteer participations

1 volunteer x 208

weekend days over 2 years = 208 volunteer participations

Total volunteer participations = 260

Measures of success Visitor feedback shows high levels of enjoyment, understanding and inspiration

Visitors cite high levels of positive feedback about their interactions with staff and volunteers

Visitors gain a greater understanding of the history of Army Flying

Visitors with additional needs rate MAF highly for accessibility and access awareness

Volunteers indicate high levels of satisfaction at their involvement, feel supported and their contributions valued

Visitor survey Visitor feedback comments cards Visitor Verdict TripAdvisor Informal feedback from volunteers Observation of events

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Activity: detailed description

Audience Benefits for people

Outcome Resources Costs in project budget

Timetable Targets and measures of success

Method(s) of evaluation

1.4 AAC stories oral history project Oral history collecting project with a professional oral historian and trained volunteers gathering stories from serving AAC staff, veterans and their families for inclusion in the new displays bringing personal stories and contemporary perspectives to the fore.

Families Primary schools and youth groups Serving and retired AAC personnel Adult curious minds Aviation and military enthusiasts

People who contribute oral histories will feel a closer connection to the museum

People who contribute oral histories will feel that the museum values their

stories and experiences

Visitors to the museum, with Army Flying connections, will feel their story is more accurately reflected

Visitors to the museum will gain a better understanding of the story of British Army

flying through personal testimonies interwoven into the displays

Visitors to the museum will feel more emotionally connected to its story through the human stories of courage comradeship and innovation being shared

Volunteers collecting oral

histories will develop new heritage skills and gain an insight into aviation heritage from personal testimonies

Heritage will be better interpreted and explained Heritage will be identified/recorded People will have developed skills People will have learnt about heritage People will have changed their attitudes and/or behaviour

People will have had an enjoyable experience People will have volunteered time Communities will have had more people and a wider range of people engaged and actively involved in heritage Organisation will be more resilient

Archivist time Volunteer Development Manager Curatorial intern time OHS training for staff Travel for volunteers Recording equipment and editing software

OHS membership x 3 years Oral Historian time for interviews, training and mentoring support Volunteer time

£340 OHS training for staff £600 Travel for volunteers £1,500 Recording equipment £150 OHS membership x 3 years £8,000 Oral Historian time for

interviews, training and mentoring support £18,000 Volunteer non-cash contribution

Collected from May 2018

Targets 30 x oral history interviews = 30 participations

6 volunteers x 2 sessions x 10 interviews = 120 volunteer participations

Total participations = 150

Measures of success Oral history participants indicate high levels of satisfaction at their involvement, feel supported and their contributions valued.

Oral history participants cite high levels of positive

feedback about their interactions with staff and volunteers

Visitors gain a greater understanding of the history of Army Flying

Interns and volunteers indicate they have learnt new skills or acquired knowledge

Volunteers indicate high levels of satisfaction at their involvement , feel supported and their contributions valued

Visitor survey Visitor feedback comments cards Visitor Verdict TripAdvisor Feedback from volunteers, intern and oral history participants Oral history quality sampling

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Activity: detailed description

Audience Benefits for people

Outcome Resources Costs in project budget

Timetable Targets and measures of success

Method(s) of evaluation

1.5 Curatorial internships Two curatorial internships working alongside the museum team to develop on the job heritage work experience with a focus on collections care activities including object decant, repackaging, cataloguing, object installation and presentation which will enhance the museum’s collections management and the

delivery of new interpretation.

Families Primary schools and youth groups Serving and retired AAC personnel Adult curious minds Aviation and military enthusiasts

Interns will develop valuable on the job collections and curatorial experience Interns will feel part of a friendly team Interns will see the impact of the contributions that they make and the impact they have had Visitors to the museum will have an improved experience as a result of the contributions to improved collections

management and displays that the interns have made Archive researchers will have an improved experience as a result of the contributions to improved collections management that the interns have made

Heritage will be better managed Heritage will be in better condition Heritage will be identified/recorded People will have developed skills People will have had an enjoyable experience Organisation will be more resilient

Curator time Archivist time Curatorial intern salary plus on costs x 2 for one year Training for interns x 2 years

£ 30,600 Curatorial intern salary plus on costs x 2 £1,000 Training for interns x 2 years

Intern 1: June 2018- June 2019 Intern 2: April 2019 – April 2020

Targets 2 full time internships x 240 days (1 year) = 480 participations Measures of success The management and condition of collections is improved Interns indicate they have learnt new skills and acquired knowledge Interns feel supported and their contributions valued Visitors gain a greater

understanding of the history of Army Flying Visitors cite high levels of positive feedback about their interaction with staff and volunteers

Visitor feedback comments cards Visitor Verdict Feedback from interns

90

Activity: detailed description

Audience Benefits for people

Outcome Resources Costs in project budget

Timetable Targets and measures of success

Method(s) of evaluation

1.6 Visitor experience internship Visitor experience internship working alongside cross-departmental museum teams to gain on the job heritage focused work experience and support activities in relation to visitor welcome, front of house operations, public programmes, events and exhibition maintenance.

Families Primary schools and youth groups Serving and retired AAC personnel Adult curious minds Aviation and military enthusiasts

Intern will develop valuable on the job front of house, heritage programming and visitor focused experience Intern will feel part of a friendly team Intern will see the evidence of the contributions that they make and the impact they have had Visitors to the museum will have an improved experience as a result of the contributions to

improved visitor experience that the intern has made

Heritage will be better interpreted and explained People will have developed skills People will have had an enjoyable experience Communities will have had more people and a wider range of people engaged and actively involved in heritage

Head of Commercial Operations time Site Manager time Learning and Communities Officer time Outreach and Engagement Officer time Visitor Experience intern salary

plus on costs x 6 months Training for intern x 6 months

£ 7,650 Visitor Experience intern salary plus on costs x 6 months £250 Training for intern x 6 months

March 2019- August 2019

Targets 1 intern x 120 days (6 months) = 120 participations Measures of success Interns indicate they have learnt new skills and acquired knowledge Interns feel supported and their contributions valued Visitors gain a greater understanding of the history of Army Flying Visitors cite high levels of

positive feedback about their interaction with staff and volunteers

Visitor feedback comments cards Visitor Verdict Feedback from interns

91

Activity: detailed description

Audience Benefits for people

Outcome Resources Costs in project budget

Timetable Targets and measures of success

Method(s) of evaluation

1.7 Collections care and maintenance volunteers A team of trained volunteers supporting collections focused activities including decant, repackaging, documentation, reorganisation of objects and archive material and collections housekeeping activities in the galleries to deliver high standards of collections management and

display presentation for the public.

Volunteers Families Primary schools and youth groups Serving and retired AAC personnel Adult curious minds Aviation and military enthusiasts

Volunteers will develop new skills through practical and supported experiences carrying out collections care and maintenance activities Volunteers will feel the museum appreciates the contributions they have made Volunteers will gain the chance to make new friends and have a social experience Visitors will have a greater access to

collections as a result of the work that the volunteers have supported

Heritage will be better managed Heritage will be in better condition Heritage will be identified/recorded People will have developed skills People will have had an enjoyable experience People will have volunteered time

Communities will have had more people and a wider range of people engaged and actively involved in heritage Organisation will be more resilient

Curator time Archivist time Volunteer Development Manager Curatorial intern time Equipment and materials for conservation care Volunteer training

Volunteer time

See capital budget for equipment and materials for conservation care See 4.2 for Volunteer training Volunteer non-cash contribution

Ongoing from July 2018

Targets 3 volunteers x 30 weeks (10 week volunteering blocks) x 3 years = 270 volunteer participations Measures of success The management and condition of collections is improved Volunteers indicate they have learnt new skills and acquired knowledge Volunteers indicate high levels of satisfaction at their involvement , feel supported and their

contributions valued Visitors gain a greater understanding of the history of Army Flying Visitors cite high levels of positive feedback about their interaction with staff and volunteers

Visitor feedback comments cards Feedback from volunteers Observation, checking and supervision of volunteer work

92

Activity: detailed description

Audience Benefits for people

Outcome Resources Costs in project budget

Timetable Targets and measures of success

Method(s) of evaluation

1.8 Volunteer guides A team of trained volunteer guides who lead themed guided tours of the museum for the public and pre-booked groups with tours ranging in length, theme and level of content to suit a range of audiences and levels of interest.

Volunteers Families Serving and retired AAC personnel Adult curious minds Aviation and military enthusiasts

Visitors engaging with volunteer guides will feel warmly welcomed and have their visit to the museum enriched Visitors engaging with volunteer guides will gain a deeper understanding of the museum’s collections and stories Visitors will discover things they wouldn’t have been aware of without additional face to face communication Volunteer guides will feel

a part of a positive and supportive team Volunteer guides will feel supported in developing new skills in public presentation and aviation heritage Volunteers will develop new knowledge in aviation history and the museum’s collections Volunteers will feel satisfaction at the enjoyment visitors express at tours

Heritage will be better interpreted and explained People will have developed skills People will have learnt about heritage People will have changed their attitudes and/or behaviour People will have had an enjoyable experience

People will have volunteered time Communities will have had more and a wider range of people engaged and actively involved in heritage Organisation will be more resilient

Head of Commercial Operations Volunteer Development Manager time Curator time Archivist time Curatorial intern time Visitor Experience intern time

Volunteer guide training Volunteer time

See 4.5 for Volunteer guide training Volunteer non-cash contribution

Ongoing from April 2019

Targets 10 volunteers x 10 tours = 100 volunteer participations Measures of success Visitor feedback shows high levels of enjoyment, understanding and inspiration

Visitors cite high levels of positive feedback about their interactions with staff and volunteers

Visitors gain a greater understanding of the history of Army Flying

Visitors with additional needs rate MAF highly for accessibility and access awareness

Volunteers indicate high levels of satisfaction at their involvement, feel supported and their contributions valued

Visitor survey Visitor feedback comments cards Visitor Verdict TripAdvisor Feedback from volunteers Observation of tours

93

Activity: detailed description

Audience Benefits for people

Outcome Resources Costs in project budget

Timetable Targets and measures of success

Method(s) of evaluation

1.9 Guided tours Guided tours for the public and pre-booked groups on a range of themes and in a range of formats ranging from short spotlight tours for people with a general interest to more in depth tours for people with niche and specialist interests.

Families Serving and retired AAC personnel Adult curious minds Aviation and military enthusiasts

Visitors who go on tours will have a lively and engaging experience Visitors will feel information shared by volunteers in the tours is at the right level for them and appeals to their interests Visitors will have developed new knowledge and understanding about the story of British Army flying and the collections in the museum

Visitors will at times have special access to collections stores Visitors engaging with volunteer guides will feel warmly welcomed and have their visit to the museum enriched Visitors will discover things they wouldn’t have been aware of without additional face to face communication

Heritage will be better interpreted and explained People will have developed skills People will have learnt about heritage People will have changed their attitudes and/or behaviour People will have had an enjoyable experience

See 1.8 No cash cost Ongoing from April 2019

Targets 100 tours x 12 people = 1,200 participations Measures of success Visitor feedback shows high levels of enjoyment, understanding and inspiration

Visitors cite high levels of positive feedback about their interactions with staff and volunteers

Visitors gain a greater understanding of the history of Army Flying

Visitors with additional

needs rate MAF highly for accessibility and access awareness

Visitor survey Visitor feedback comments cards Visitor Verdict TripAdvisor Observation of tours

94

Activity: detailed description

Audience Benefits for people

Outcome Resources Costs in project budget

Timetable Targets and measures of success

Method(s) of evaluation

1.10 Education session review and revitalisation A review and refining of the current education sessions through outreach sessions in local schools that tests content, makes new links with non-visiting schools and creates downloadable resources to support visits to ensure schools sessions are relevant to teachers and meet their needs in terms of curriculum

delivery and are rooted in the new displays and interpretation.

Primary schools and youth groups

Schools involved in outreach sessions will feel they have a stronger connection to the museum and that it is a relevant place for curriculum learning Pupils taking place in revitalised sessions will develop new knowledge and understanding that is relevant to their learning Pupils will be able to actively participate in sessions and lead their learning

Sessions will be strongly linked to curriculum outputs and museum collections, making a highly relevant and appealing school trip Teachers will feel their pupils have had a valuable learning experience

People will have learnt about heritage People will have had an enjoyable time Communities will have had more people and a wider range of people engaged and actively involved in heritage Organisation will be more resilient

Learning and Communities Officer time Travel for staff for outreach sessions Equipment and materials for session delivery Resource design including digital material

£300 Travel for staff for outreach sessions £3,000 Equipment and materials for session delivery £3,000 Resource design including digital material

Outreach sessions with schools to revitalise content autumn 2018 – spring 2019 Delivery of revitalised programme ongoing from April 2019

Targets 12 outreach sessions with schools to revitalise content x 25 pupils = 300 participations

60 sessions delivery of new programme (April

2019-2020) x 20 pupils = 1,200 participations

80 sessions delivery of new programme (April 2020 – April 2021) x 20 pupils = 1,600 participations

Total participations = 3,100

Measures of success Teachers and pupils indicate the formal education opportunities deliver on curriculum outputs Teachers indicate they will bring groups to visit Pupil feedback shows high levels of enjoyment,

understanding and inspiration Teachers cite high levels of positive feedback about their interactions with staff

Pupil and teacher feedback forms

95

Activity: detailed description

Audience Benefits for people

Outcome Resources Costs in project budget

Timetable Targets and measures of success

Method(s) of evaluation

1.11 Themed story maps Themed trails through the museum in the form of downloadable and printed story maps which provide curated routes through the new displays, support navigation and provide content to suit different audiences’ interests ranging from family focused material, specialist aviation content and a focus on personal stories of

courage, comradeship and innovation.

Families Serving and retired AAC personnel Adult curious minds Aviation and military enthusiasts

Visitors will feel they can navigate their way around the museum easily Visitors will feel their museum visiting experience is enriched by their use of a story map Visitors will learn more about particular aspects of the story of British Army flying that are of interest to them Visitors will feel they are given a choice in how they experience the

museum and that their interests are catered for Visitors will discover new stories and engage more deeply with less obvious aspects of the new museum displays

Heritage will be better interpreted and explained People will have learnt about heritage People will have changed their attitudes and/or behaviour People will have had an enjoyable experience Communities will have had more and

a wider range of people engaged and actively involved in heritage

Curator time Head of Commercial Operations time Curatorial Intern time Archivist time Learning and Communities Officer time Design and illustration

Print

£6,000 Design and illustration £3,000 Print

Development autumn 2018 – spring 2019 Ongoing use from April 2019

Targets 8,000 usages over 2 years Measures of success Demographics of visitors reflect target audiences Visitor feedback shows high levels of enjoyment, understanding and inspiration Visitors gain a greater understanding of the history of Army Flying Visitors with additional needs rate MAF highly for

accessibility and access awareness

Print and download records Visitor survey Visitor feedback comments cards Visitor verdict TripAdvisor

96

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS

Activity: detailed description

Audience Benefits for people

Outcome Resources Costs in project budget

Timetable Targets and measures of success

Method(s) of evaluation

2.1 Pop up Museum promotional roadshow An inspiring, portable, interactive Pop up Museum exhibit that includes modular showcases, information banners, interactive games and props that can be used as a tool for promotion and tours community events to

actively raise the profile of the museum and draws new visitors to the refreshed museum offer.

Families Primary schools and youth groups Serving and retired AAC personnel Adult curious minds Aviation and military

enthusiasts

People will be made aware of the museum and what it has to offer for the first time Potential visitors will have the opportunity to engage with museum staff in a dialogue and build relationships with the museum team Potential visitors will be inspired through the information and hands on

activities available and as a result make a visit to the museum People from a regional reach will have the opportunity to learn about the museum People will have had fun engaging with the Pop up Museum

People will have changed their attitudes and/or behaviour People will have had an enjoyable experience Communities will have had more people and a wider range of people engaged and actively involved in

heritage

Outreach and Engagement Officer time Head of Commercial Operations time Mobile display case Interactive Pop up

banners Handling objects Branded gazebo Promotional material giveaways Design Travel for staff for outreach

£1,000 Mobile display case £3,000 Interactive £500 Pop up banners £1,000 Handling objects £500

Branded gazebo £1,000 Promotional material giveaways £3,000 Design £1,200 Travel for staff for outreach

Ongoing from February 2019

Targets 9 largescale events x 250 people = 2,250 participations

15 small scale events x 40 people = 600 participations

Total participations 2,850 Measures of success Demographics of visitors reflect target audiences Visitor feedback shows

high levels of enjoyment, understanding and inspiration Visitors cite high levels of positive feedback about their interactions with staff and volunteers Visitors gain a greater understanding of the history of Army Flying Visitor audience data indicates people have visited the museum as a result of outreach contact

Attendance records Visitor survey Visitor feedback comments cards Visitor Verdict TripAdvisor

97

Activity: detailed description

Audience Benefits for people

Outcome Resources Costs in project budget

Timetable Targets and measures of success

Method(s) of evaluation

2.2 Heritage marketing internship Heritage marketing internship to work alongside the museum team to gain valuable on the job heritage marketing experience with a focus on audience development and marketing in the lead up to the re-launch of the museum and playing an important role in supporting drawing new visitors to the museum’s

refreshed offer.

Families Primary schools and youth groups Serving and retired AAC personnel Adult curious minds Aviation and military enthusiasts

Intern will develop valuable on the job marketing and audience development experience Intern will feel part of a friendly team Intern will see the impact of the contributions that they make and the impact they have had New visitors will be drawn to the museum as a result of the contributions that the intern has made

Heritage will be better interpreted and explained People will have developed skills People will have changed their attitudes and/or behaviour People will have had an enjoyable experience Communities will have had more people and a wider

range of people engaged and actively involved in heritage

Head of Commercial Operations time Marketing Officer time Heritage Marketing intern salary plus on costs x 6 months Training for intern x 6 months

£7,650 Heritage Marketing intern salary plus on costs x 6 months £250 Training for intern x 6 months

December 2018- May 2019

Targets 1 intern x 120 days (6 months) = 120 participations Measures of success Interns indicate they have learnt new skills and acquired knowledge Interns feel supported and their contributions valued Demographics of visitors reflect target audiences Visitor feedback shows high levels of enjoyment,

understanding and inspiration Visitors gain a greater understanding of the history of Army Flying Visitors cite high levels of positive feedback about their interaction with staff and volunteers

Attendance records Visitor survey Visitor feedback comments cards Visitor Verdict TripAdvisor Intern feedback

98

Activity: detailed description

Audience Benefits for people

Outcome Resources Costs in project budget

Timetable Targets and measures of success

Method(s) of evaluation

2.3 Café spotlight displays Changing themed displays of museum collections and community content in the museum café created by collaborations between museum staff, volunteers, school and community groups; foregrounding the museum’s stories for café visitors, sparking their interest and encouraging them to visit the museum.

Families Primary schools and youth groups Serving and retired AAC personnel Adult curious minds Aviation and military enthusiasts

Café visitors will gain a new understanding of what the museum contains and the stories it shares Café visitors will learn something new about the history of Army aviation Café visitors will feel inspired to make a visit to the museum Spotlight displays will create an attractive addition to the café environment

Partners who have collaborated on creating displays will feel proud of their work

Heritage will be better interpreted and explained People will have learnt about heritage People will have changed their attitudes and/or behaviour

Curator time Curatorial intern time Outreach and Engagement Officer time Learning and Communities Officer time Archivist time Display case Display materials x 3

years

£1,500 Display case £2,000 Display materials x 3 years

Ongoing from April 2019

Targets 9,704 (2 years of 25% of café only visitors) Measures of success Demographics of visitors reflect target audiences Visitor feedback shows high levels of enjoyment, understanding and inspiration Visitors gain a greater understanding of the history of Army Flying Visitor audience data indicates people have

visited the museum as a result of contact with café displays

Attendance records Visitor survey Visitor feedback comments cards Visitor Verdict TripAdvisor

99

Activity: detailed description

Audience Benefits for people

Outcome Resources Costs in project budget

Timetable Targets and measures of success

Method(s) of evaluation

2.4 Family hands on base co-design project with Army Welfare Service A partnership project with local families on the Middle Wallop base working with the Army Welfare Service and their under-fives group. To build new local relationships and create a new interactive play space focusing on survival in extreme environments which is shaped by the needs and interests of this

local group of families. To include largescale play items, set dressing, games and props which create an immersive play experience which is attractive to visit time and time again for both the families involved and other museum visitors.

Families Primary schools and youth groups Serving and retired AAC personnel

Families involved in the co-design of the hands on base will feel that the needs of families are of importance to the museum and that their contributions have made a tangible difference Families will build relationships with museum staff and feel more closely connected to the museum Families taking part in the project will have an enjoyable time working with the museum team

Families taking part in the project will gain a deeper understanding of the museum and its stories and how they are relevant to them Families who use the hands on base will enjoy their experience and want to return Families who use the hands on base will understand more about the story of Army flying through their experience

Heritage will be better interpreted and explained People will have learnt about heritage People will have changed their attitudes and/or behaviour People will have had an enjoyable experience Communities will have had more

people and a wider range of people engaged and actively involved in heritage The organisation will be more resilient

Outreach and Engagement Officer time Learning and Communities Officer time Curator time Project team time Army Welfare Service Community Development Worker time

Design fee Interactives and soft play Graphics and interpretation Case Co-design project hospitality Co-design project materials

£5,000 Design fee £13,375 Interactives and soft play £8,425 Graphics and interpretation £3,000 Case £375 Co-design project hospitality £200 Co-

design project materials

July 2018 Targets 5 sessions x 15 people = 75 participations

See also 1.1 Visitors to the museum redisplay Measures of success

Demographics of participants and visitors reflects target audience groups

Participants indicate they have learnt new skills or acquired knowledge

Participants and visitors gain a greater understanding of the history of Army Flying

Participants feel their ideas and contributions are valued by the museum

Participant and visitor feedback shows high levels of enjoyment, understanding and inspiration

Participants cite high levels of positive feedback about their interactions with staff

Partnerships established through the project continue after its end

Attendance records Visitor survey Visitor feedback comments cards Visitor Verdict TripAdvisor Participant and partner feedback Observation of use of the space

100

Activity: detailed description

Audience Benefits for people

Outcome Resources Costs in project budget

Timetable Targets and measures of success

Method(s) of evaluation

2.5 Eagles young people’s club Monthly club for local young people developed in partnership with the Middle Wallop AAC base Army Welfare Service youth group using the museum’s stories and collections as a catalyst for creative, hands on out of school activities reaching a new audience of young people.

Primary schools and youth groups Serving and retired AAC personnel

Local young people will have the chance to connect with the museum for the first time Activities will be fun for young people to take part in and enrich their understanding of the museum and its relevance to their own lives Young people will learn more about the stories of Army flying through hands on practical engagement activities

Young people will enjoy themselves and the out of school learning they experience will build their confidence and skills Young people’s sessions will make a strong connection between the museum and the Army base

Heritage will be better interpreted and explained People will have learnt about heritage People will have changed their attitudes and/or behaviour People will have had an enjoyable experience Communities will have had more

people and a wider range of people engaged and actively involved in heritage The organisation will be more resilient

Outreach and Engagement Officer time Learning and Communities Officer time Army Welfare Service Community Development Worker time Volunteer time Session materials

£4,000 session materials

Monthly from autumn 2019

Targets 20 sessions x 25 young people = 500 participations Measures of success Demographics of participants reflects target audience groups

Participants indicate they have learnt new skills or acquired knowledge

Participants gain a greater understanding of the history of Army Flying

Participants feel their ideas and contributions

are valued by the museum

Participant feedback shows high levels of enjoyment, understanding and inspiration

Participants cite high levels of positive feedback about their interactions with staff

Partnerships established through the project continue after its end

Attendance records Participant and partner feedback Observation of sessions

101

Activity: detailed description

Audience Benefits for people

Outcome Resources Costs in project budget

Timetable Targets and measures of success

Method(s) of evaluation

2.6 Hands on holiday sessions Regular sessions on weekdays in the school holidays that includes storytelling, science shows and crafts activities to engage with family visitors, highlighting aspects of courage, comradeship and innovation present in the story of Army flying and connecting family visitors more deeply to the museum’s collections.

Families Serving and retired AAC personnel

Families who take part in activities will have had an active and enjoyable experience that has enriched their visit to the museum Families will have a deeper understanding of the museum and its collections as a result of the activities they have taken part in Families will feel welcome and that the museum has something to offer them Families will be inspired

by the activities they take part in Activities will support families in more confidently accessing a wider range of the museum collections and displays

Heritage will be better interpreted and explained People will have learnt about heritage People will have changed their attitudes and/or behaviour People will have had an enjoyable experience Communities will have had more and

a wider range of people engaged and actively involved in heritage

Learning and Communities Officer time Outreach and Engagement Officer time Volunteer time Session materials

£10,400 session materials

Ongoing in school holidays from summer 2019

Targets 130 sessions (all weekdays in school holidays) x 30 people = 3,900 participations Measures of success Demographics of visitors reflect target audiences Visitor feedback shows high levels of enjoyment, understanding and inspiration Visitors cite high levels of positive feedback about their interactions with staff and volunteers

Visitors gain a greater understanding of the history of Army Flying Visitors with additional needs rate MAF highly for accessibility and access awareness

Attendance records Visitor survey Visitor feedback comments cards Visitor Verdict TripAdvisor Observation of sessions Informal feedback from participants

102

Activity: detailed description

Audience Benefits for people

Outcome Resources Costs in project budget

Timetable Targets and measures of success

Method(s) of evaluation

2.7 Adult workshops and outreach talks programme Seasonal programme of on and offsite expert led practical talks, demonstrations and workshop sessions which involve museum staff, AAC personnel, HAF engineers and STEM Ambassadors in sharing their particular expertise and perspectives with an adult audience in an engaging way that

strongly links to the museum’s collections and displays.

Serving and retired AAC personnel Adult curious minds Aviation and military enthusiasts

People taking part in activities will feel they have had special access to expert perspectives People with specialist interest will have had the chance to gain new in depth knowledge People will have been inspired by their experience and will return on other occasions to the museum Experts supporting the delivery of the programme will feel they

have had a platform for their ideas and that their contributions are valued by the museum team Programmes will connect to modern stories of Army flying and reach out to AAC personnel by appealing to their interests and covering contemporary topics

Heritage will be better interpreted and explained People will have learnt about heritage People will have changed their attitudes and/or behaviour People will have had an enjoyable experience Communities will have had more and

a wider range of people engaged and actively involved in heritage

Marketing Officer time Outreach and Engagement Officer time Staff time to present talks Volunteer time Travel for staff Materials for workshops

£100 travel for staff £4,000 materials for workshops

Four times a year from autumn 2018

Targets 4 events a year x 3 years x 25 people = 300 participations Measures of success Demographics of visitors reflect target audiences Visitor feedback shows high levels of enjoyment, understanding and inspiration Visitors cite high levels of positive feedback about their interactions with staff and volunteers

Visitors gain a greater understanding of the history of Army Flying Visitor audience data indicates people have visited the museum as a result of outreach contact

Attendance records Visitor survey Visitor feedback comments cards Visitor Verdict TripAdvisor Observation of sessions Informal feedback from participants

103

ESTABLISHING STEM LEARNING

Activity: detailed description

Audience Benefits for people

Outcome Resources Costs in project budget

Timetable Targets and measures of success

Method(s) of evaluation

3.1 Co-design of interactive STEM workshops for schools A collaborative project with the museum, two local currently non-visiting primary schools, a STEM specialist and Winchester Science Centre to develop a new practical and investigative primary school session rooted

in the museum’s displays and supporting STEM curriculum learning including collaborative development of content and piloting with partner schools to ensure the development of a high quality schools STEM offer that is attractive to a wide range of primary schools.

Primary schools and youth groups

Through the project two non-visiting schools will build a positive and mutually beneficial relationship with the museum Teachers will feel their involvement in the co-design of STEM sessions supports their classroom teaching and continuing professional development Teachers will see the

contributions they have made, be proud of the end product and act as ambassadors for the sessions with other teachers Pupils taking part in the pilot sessions will feel they are a part of an exciting initiative and have an enjoyable time

People will have developed skills People will have learnt about heritage People will have had an enjoyable experience Communities will have had more and a wider range of people engaged and

actively involved in heritage Organisation will be more resilient

Learning and Communities Officer time Teacher time Winchester Science Centre time Travel for teachers Equipment and materials for

session delivery Hospitality for co-design sessions Supply cover for teachers STEM professional support and mentoring x 15 days

£60 Travel for teachers £5,000 Equipment and materials for session delivery £60 Hospitality for co-design sessions

£1,200 Supply cover for teachers £5,250 STEM professional support and mentoring x 15 days (12 days STEM freelancer and 3 days Winchester Science Centre team)

September 2018 – March 2019

Targets 2 teachers x 3 development sessions = 6 participations

4 pilot sessions x 25 pupils = 100 participations

Total participations = 106

Measures of success Teachers indicate they have learnt new skills or acquired knowledge

Teachers feel their ideas

and contributions are valued by the museum

Participants cite high levels of positive feedback about their interactions with staff

Partnerships established through the project continue after its end

Teachers indicate they will bring groups to visit

Teachers indicate the formal education opportunities deliver on curriculum outputs

Teacher and partner feedback

104

Activity: detailed description

Audience Benefits for people

Outcome Resources Costs in project budget

Timetable Targets and measures of success

Method(s) of evaluation

3.2 Interactive STEM workshops for schools Interactive, investigative STEM workshop and downloadable support resources for primary schools rooted in the story of Army flying and the museum’s collections and promoting the development of scientific enquiry skills and curriculum topics including forces, friction and materials and their properties.

Primary schools and youth groups

Pupils taking part in sessions will be inspired and deeply engage with the museum and its collections Pupils will develop practical skills through hands on learning focusing on scientific investigation and experimentation Pupils will have a deeper understanding of STEM subjects which will support their learning back in school

Teachers will feel the session delivers effectively an aspect of their curriculum teaching Pupils and teachers will have taken part in a unique activity at the museum that wouldn’t have been possible to do in the classroom

Heritage will be better interpreted and explained People will have learnt about heritage People will have had an enjoyable experience Communities will have had more and a wider range of people engaged and actively involved in heritage

Learning and Communities Officer time Outreach and Engagement Officer time Session materials

£800 session materials

Ongoing from April 2019

Targets 20 sessions per year x 2 years x 20 pupils = 800 participations Measures of success Pupil feedback shows high levels of enjoyment, understanding and inspiration Pupils and teachers cite high levels of positive feedback about their interactions with staff and volunteers Pupils gain a greater understanding of the

history of Army Flying Teachers indicate they will bring groups to visit

Teachers indicate the formal education opportunities deliver on curriculum outputs Visitor audience data indicates people have

visited as a result of outreach contact

Attendance records Pupil and teacher feedback

105

Activity: detailed description

Audience Benefits for people

Outcome Resources Costs in project budget

Timetable Targets and measures of success

Method(s) of evaluation

3.3 STEM Ambassadors Volunteer demonstrators recruited in partnership with Winchester Science Centre who share their experience of applying STEM in the working world with schools, groups of young people and general museum visitors through short talks, demonstrations and hands on sessions to enrich people’s

understanding of STEM subjects relevant to the museum’s stories and collections.

Families Primary schools and youth groups Serving and retired AAC personnel Adult curious minds Aviation and military enthusiasts

Volunteer STEM Ambassadors will be able to share their experiences of applying STEM in the workplace STEM Ambassadors will enjoy sharing their experiences in a practical and hands on way STEM Ambassadors will enjoy being involved with the museum Visitors and groups who engage with the STEM Ambassadors will feel inspired by what they

learn from them Visitors and groups will have a deeper understanding of the role of STEM in the story of the museum as a result of their engagement with a STEM Ambassador STEM Ambassadors will enrich a general museum visit for people through practical activities and demonstrations that bring aviation heritage to life and relevant today

Heritage will be better interpreted and explained People will have learnt about heritage People will have had an enjoyable experience People will have volunteered time Communities will have had more and a wider range of people engaged and

actively involved in heritage

Learning and Communities Officer time Volunteer Development Manager time Travel for STEM Ambassadors

£400 travel for STEM Ambassadors

Development of partnership with Winchester Science Centre STEM Ambassador team autumn 2018- spring 2019 Ongoing STEM Ambassador involvement from April 2019

Targets 26 sessions x 1 STEM Ambassador = 26volunteer participations Measures of success Visitor feedback shows high levels of enjoyment, understanding and inspiration

Visitors cite high levels of positive feedback about their interactions with staff and volunteers

Visitors gain a greater understanding of the history of Army Flying

Volunteers indicate high levels of satisfaction at their involvement, feel supported and their contributions valued

Visitor survey Visitor feedback comments cards Visitor Verdict TripAdvisor Informal feedback from volunteers Observation of events

106

Activity: detailed description

Audience Benefits for people

Outcome Resources Costs in project budget

Timetable Targets and measures of success

Method(s) of evaluation

3.4 STEM workshops for out of school learning Activity sessions of informal out of school learning groups including Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and guides and other groups of young people which include hands on, practical STEM focused activities and support participants in getting badges or accreditation for their work through the Crest Award

programme.

Primary schools and youth groups

Young people visiting the museum will feel welcome and that the museum has lots of appealing things for them Young people will understand the story of British Army flying through practical and experiential opportunities Young people will be able to use the museum’s collections and displays to learn new skills, develop knowledge and gain accreditation through badges or Crest

awards Group leaders will have had a positive experience and will recommend the museum to others

Heritage will be better interpreted and explained People will have learnt about heritage People will have changed their attitudes and/or behaviour People will have had an enjoyable experience Communities will have had more and

a wider range of people engaged and actively involved in heritage

Learning and Communities Officer time Outreach and Engagement Officer time Volunteer time Session materials

£525 session materials

Ongoing from April 2019

Targets 35 sessions x 15 young people = 525 participations Measures of success Participants feedback shows high levels of enjoyment, understanding and inspiration Participants cite high levels of positive feedback about their interactions with staff and volunteers Participants indicate they

have learnt new skills or acquired knowledge Participants gain a greater understanding of the history of Army Flying Leaders indicate they will bring groups to visit Visitor audience data indicates people have visited as a result of outreach contact

Attendance records Participant feedback Observation of sessions

107

ORGANISATIONAL CAPACITY BUILDING

Activity: detailed description

Audience Benefits for people

Outcome Resources Costs in project budget

Timetable Targets and measures of success

Method(s) of evaluation

4.1 Targeted volunteer recruitment A wide reaching targeted volunteer recruitment drive promoting the volunteering offer off site to potential new volunteers as a route for growing the volunteer workforce at the museum and developing flexible, accessible volunteer

roles that attract a wide range of volunteers.

Families Serving and retired AAC personnel Adult curious minds Aviation and military enthusiasts

Potential volunteers will be made aware that the museum has a volunteering programme that they could contribute too Potential volunteers will understand what a volunteering experience at the museum could be and get the opportunity to meet members of the museum team

Potential volunteers will get a flavour of the stories the museum shares and the types of roles they could become involved with Potential volunteers will understand the benefits of volunteering at the museum

Heritage will be better managed People will have changed their attitudes and/or behaviour People will have had an enjoyable experience Communities will have had more people and a wider

range of people engaged and actively involved in heritage Organisation will be more resilient

Volunteer Development Manager time Outreach and Engagement Officer time Travel for staff Display and promotional material

£300 Travel for staff £2,200 Display and promotional material

Planning of recruitment programme and activities winter 2018 Ongoing, quarterly, outreach taster and recruitment events from January 2019

Targets 8 outreach taster and recruitment events x 20 people = 160 participations Measures of success Demographic of participants reflects target audiences Participants cite high levels of positive feedback about their interactions with staff

and volunteers

Attendance records and number of volunteers recruited Participant feedback Observation of sessions

108

Activity: detailed description

Audience Benefits for people

Outcome Resources Costs in project budget

Timetable Targets and measures of success

Method(s) of evaluation

4.2 Conservation training for staff and volunteers Internally led training for volunteers focusing on collections handling, conservation cleaning and museum housekeeping to deliver the skills for volunteers to confidently support repackaging, decant and ongoing collections management activity.

Volunteers Staff will feel confident in their skills and able to cascade training down to volunteers Volunteers will gain new skills in collections care and maintenance that they can practically apply during their volunteering at the museum Volunteers will enjoy the engagement that they have with the museum team Volunteers will feel a part of the museum’s

volunteer workforce Volunteers will feel confident in carrying out collections based tasks

Heritage will be better managed Heritage will be in a better condition People will have developed skills People will have had an enjoyable experience People will have volunteered time Communities will have had more people and a wider

range of people engaged and actively involved in heritage Organisation will be more resilient

CEO time Volunteer Development Manager time Curator time Archivist time Curatorial intern time Conservation update training for staff Remedial and

basic conservation training for volunteers Volunteer time

£500 Conservation update training for staff £1,500 Remedial and basic conservation training for volunteers Volunteer non-cash contribution

Ongoing from spring 2018

Targets 2 training sessions a year x 2 years x 6 volunteers = 24 volunteer participations Measures of success Demographic of volunteers reflects target audiences The management and condition of collections is improved Volunteers and staff indicate they have learnt new skills and acquired knowledge

Volunteers indicate high levels of satisfaction at their involvement, feel supported and their contributions valued

Volunteer feedback Observation of sessions and quality checks

109

Activity: detailed description

Audience Benefits for people

Outcome Resources Costs in project budget

Timetable Targets and measures of success

Method(s) of evaluation

4.3 Visitor welcome training for staff and volunteers Practical and skills focused programme of training for staff and volunteers in public facing roles delivered by external trainers and the museum team with a focus on inclusive welcome, access, SEN, interpretation and sharing heritage stories in an engaging way.

Volunteers Staff

Volunteers will gain new skills and knowledge in inclusivity, welcome and public engagement that they can practically apply during their volunteering at the museum Volunteers will enjoy the engagement that they have with the museum team Volunteers will feel a part of the museum’s volunteer workforce Volunteers will feel confident in carrying out

a public facing role at the museum Staff will develop new skills and knowledge in relation to public engagement and inclusion which they can use in their work Staff will build positive relationships with volunteers

Heritage will be better interpreted and explained People will have developed skills People will have had an enjoyable experience People will have volunteered time Communities will have had more people and a wider range of people engaged and

actively involved in heritage Organisation will be more resilient

CEO time Head of Commercial Operations time Volunteer time Front of house staff time Visitor welcome training for staff Visitor welcome and

explainer training for volunteers

£1,000 Visitor welcome training for staff £2,000 Visitor welcome and explainer training for volunteers Volunteer non-cash contribution

Ongoing from spring 2019

Targets 2 training sessions a year x 20 volunteers = 80 volunteer participations

2 training sessions a year x 12 front of house staff = 24 participations

Total participations = 104 Measures of success Demographic of volunteers reflects target audiences Volunteers and staff indicate they have learnt new skills and acquired knowledge

Volunteers indicate high levels of satisfaction at their involvement, feel supported and their contributions valued Visitors cite high levels of positive feedback about their interactions with staff and volunteers

Volunteer feedback Observation of sessions Visitor surveys

110

Activity: detailed description

Audience Benefits for people

Outcome Resources Costs in project budget

Timetable Targets and measures of success

Method(s) of evaluation

4.4 Aviation and heritage skills training for volunteers Specialist training in aviation and heritage skills delivered by the Brooklands Museum team to support volunteers in collections focused roles to confidently carry out the tasks they are involved in at the museum focusing on up to date practice in aviation conservation skills.

Volunteers Volunteers will gain new skills in collections care and maintenance that they can practically apply during their volunteering at the museum Volunteers will enjoy the engagement that they have with professionals in the wider heritage sector Volunteers will have the opportunity to have accredited training Volunteers will feel confident in carrying out

collections based tasks

Heritage will be better managed Heritage will be in a better condition People will have developed skills People will have had an enjoyable experience People will have volunteered time Communities will have had more people and a wider

range of people engaged and actively involved in heritage Organisation will be more resilient

Volunteer Development Manager time Curator time Training fees Volunteer time

£3,700 Training fees Volunteer time non-cash contribution

Summer 2019 onwards

Targets 18 volunteer training days Measures of success Demographic of volunteers reflects target audiences The management and condition of collections is improved Volunteers and staff indicate they have learnt new skills and acquired knowledge Volunteers indicate high

levels of satisfaction at their involvement, feel supported and their contributions valued

Attendance records Volunteer feedback Observation of sessions and quality checks

111

Activity: detailed description

Audience Benefits for people

Outcome Resources Costs in project budget

Timetable Targets and measures of success

Method(s) of evaluation

4.5 Guiding training for volunteers Practical group volunteer training programme in guiding skills, presentation and adapting storytelling to different audiences to equip volunteer guides with the skills to confidently carry out high quality guided tours of the museum for the public in a range of formats and on a range of themes.

Volunteers Volunteers will gain new skills in guiding groups and communicating engaging heritage content that they can practically apply during their volunteering at the museum Volunteers will enjoy the engagement that they have with the museum team Volunteers will feel a part of the museum’s volunteer workforce Volunteers will feel

confident in carrying out guided tours with the public Volunteers will gain new knowledge about the museum and its collections that they can share with members of the public

Heritage will be better interpreted and explained People will have developed skills People will have had an enjoyable experience People will have volunteered time Communities will have had more people and a wider range of people engaged and

actively involved in heritage Organisation will be more resilient

Volunteer Development Manager time Curator time Trainer fees and materials Volunteer time

£1,500 Trainer fees and materials Volunteer time non-cash contribution

Spring 2019 Targets 4 sessions x 10 guides = 40 volunteer participations Measures of success Demographic of volunteers reflects target audiences Volunteers and staff indicate they have learnt new skills and acquired knowledge Volunteers indicate high levels of satisfaction at their involvement, feel supported and their

contributions valued Visitors cite high levels of positive feedback about their interactions with staff and volunteers

Volunteer feedback Observation of tours Visitor surveys

112

Activity: detailed description

Audience Benefits for people

Outcome Resources Costs in project budget

Timetable Targets and measures of success

Method(s) of evaluation

4.6 Oral history training for volunteers Group volunteer training programme led by a professional oral historian to equip volunteers with an understanding of and practical skills in relation to oral history interviewing and collection skills enabling volunteers to play a central part in collecting oral histories from serving and retired AAC personnel and their

families for inclusion in the museum’s new displays.

Volunteers Volunteers will gain new skills in oral history they can practically apply during their volunteering at the museum Volunteers will enjoy the engagement that they have with the museum team and the professional oral historian Volunteers will feel a part of the museum’s volunteer workforce Volunteers will feel confident in carrying out oral history interviews

and collection

People will have developed skills People will have had an enjoyable experience People will have volunteered time Communities will have had more people and a wider range of people engaged and actively involved in heritage Organisation will be

more resilient

Volunteer Development Manager time Archivist time Oral historian time and equipment Volunteer time

See 1.4 for Oral historian time and equipment Volunteer non-cash contribution time

Summer 2018 Targets 6 volunteers x 2 sessions = 12 volunteer participations Measures of success Demographic of volunteers reflects target audiences Volunteers and staff indicate they have learnt new skills and acquired knowledge Volunteers indicate high levels of satisfaction at their involvement, feel supported and their

contributions valued Visitors cite high levels of positive feedback about their interactions with staff and volunteers

Number and quality check of oral history recordings Participant and volunteer feedback Feedback from Oral Historian

113

Activity: detailed description

Audience Benefits for people

Outcome Resources Costs in project budget

Timetable Targets and measures of success

Method(s) of evaluation

4.7 Board development programme An ongoing Board development programme underpinned by an annual Board training day each year focusing on a core skills gap such as inclusive practice, volunteer development and the wider heritage context and coupled with individual opportunities for Board members to

develop new skills and understanding through museum staff presentations, attendance at seminars and conferences and an annual cycle of review.

Board members

Board members will feel up to date on current museum best practice Board members will develop new knowledge that will enable them to support the HLF project delivery effectively Board members will feel a part of a mutually supportive network Board members will be up to date with the museum’s work through the HLF project

Board members will have the opportunity to network with heritage professionals Board members will gain new skills that enable them to drive change within the museum

People will have developed skills People will have had an enjoyable experience People will have volunteered time Organisation will be more resilient

CEO time Seminar attendance and annual trainer fee Travel Expenses Board member time

£2,850 Seminar attendance and annual trainer fee £300 Travel £300 Expenses Board member non-cash contribution time

Ongoing from June 2018

Targets 3 annual training days x 14 Board members = 42 participations

1 Board member x 6 conferences or seminars = 6 participations

Total participations = 48 Measures of success Volunteers and staff indicate they have learnt new skills and acquired knowledge Volunteers indicate high levels of satisfaction at their involvement, feel

supported and their contributions valued

Attendance records Volunteer feedback

114

Activity: detailed description

Audience Benefits for people

Outcome Resources Costs in project budget

Timetable Targets and measures of success

Method(s) of evaluation

4.8 Staff training development programme A structured staff training programme to support the museum team in the development of relevant advanced skills to support them in confidently carrying out activities required for HLF project activity and including embedding evaluation and monitoring processes at the heart of the organisation.

Staff Staff will feel up to date on current museum best practice Staff will develop new knowledge that will enable them to support the HLF project delivery effectively Staff will be able to network with other heritage professionals Staff will feel that their professional development is being supported by the museum and follows areas that interest and

are relevant to them Staff will gain new skills that enable them to drive change within the museum

Heritage will be better managed Heritage will be in a better condition Heritage will be better interpreted and explained People will have developed skills People will have had an enjoyable experience Organisation will be more resilient

CEO time Staff time Training expenses

£3,200 Training expenses

Ongoing from autumn 2018

Targets 2 specialist training opportunities x 8 staff members = 16 participations Measures of success Staff indicate they have learnt new skills and acquired knowledge

Attendance records Performance review

115

STAFFING AND EVALUATION

Activity: detailed description

Audience Benefits for people

Outcome Resources Costs in project budget

Timetable Targets and measures of success

Method(s) of evaluation

Outreach and Engagement Officer Leading on the development and delivery of community engagement projects outlined in the activity plan, building a network of sustainable partnerships and working closely with the Learning and Communities Officer

on the development of a cohesive formal and informal learning offer.

Families Serving and retired AAC personnel Adult curious minds Aviation and military enthusiasts Volunteers

Participants involved in community engagement work will feel that the needs of families are of importance to the museum and that their contributions have made a tangible difference Participants and partners relationships with museum staff and feel more closely connected to the museum

People taking part in the project will have an enjoyable time working with the museum team People taking part in the project will gain a deeper understanding of the museum and its stories and how they are relevant to them Participants will enjoy their experience and want to return to the museum

Heritage will be better managed Heritage will be better interpreted and explained People will have developed skills People will have changed their attitudes and/or behaviour

People will have had an enjoyable experience Communities will have had more people and a wider range of people engaged and actively involved in heritage Organisation will be more resilient

Outreach and Engagement Officer salary Activity Plan budget for outreach and engagement work

£80,640 Outreach and Engagement Officer salary over 3 years

Full time for 3 years from June 2018

See previous sections of Action Plan where posts are referenced

Staff performance management review

116

Activity: detailed description

Audience Benefits for people

Outcome Resources Costs in project budget

Timetable Targets and measures of success

Method(s) of evaluation

Volunteer Development Manager Reviewing existing practice, establishing new volunteer infrastructure, developing a new proactive volunteer recruitment model an working closely with the museum team to ensure a cohesive approach to volunteering across the organisation.

Families Serving and retired AAC personnel Adult curious minds Aviation and military enthusiasts Volunteers

Policies and practices in volunteering at the museum will be updated A broader and more diverse range of volunteers will be recruited Potential volunteers will be made aware that the museum has a volunteering programme that they could contribute too Potential volunteers will understand what a volunteering experience

at the museum could be and get the opportunity to meet members of the museum team Potential volunteers will get a flavour of the stories the museum shares and the types of roles they could become involved with Potential volunteers will understand the benefits of volunteering at the museum

Heritage will be better managed Heritage will be better interpreted and explained People will have developed skills People will have changed their attitudes and/or behaviour People will have had an enjoyable experience

Communities will have had more people and a wider range of people engaged and actively involved in heritage Organisation will be more resilient

Volunteer manager salary Volunteer recruitment programme budget

£24,640 Volunteer Development Manager salary £2,500 targeted volunteer recruitment programme

Part time for 2 years from November 2018

See previous sections of Action Plan where posts are referenced

Staff performance management review

117

Activity: detailed description

Audience Benefits for people

Outcome Resources Costs in project budget

Timetable Targets and measures of success

Method(s) of evaluation

Project Evaluator Research and documentation of project to highlight project impact

Museum Staff Heritage sector professionals Project partners Project volunteers Funders

Documentation of project impact for internal and external advocacy Mechanism for sharing project lessons Guidance on future phases of work

Heritage will be better managed Heritage will be better interpreted and explained People will have developed skills People will have changed their attitudes and/or behaviour People will have had an enjoyable experience

Communities will have had more people and a wider range of people engaged and actively involved in heritage Organisation will be more resilient

Freelance Evaluator fee Staff and volunteer time Evaluation materials

£5,000 Evaluator fee

September 2018 – August 2021

Meets evaluation brief Findings satisfy museum and funders needs Report delivered and presented to museum staff and volunteer team

As outlined in evaluation plan