The British Museum and Marsh Christian Trust Announce Winners of 2019 Volunteer Awards

The British Museum and the Marsh Christian Trust have announced the winners of 2019 volunteer awards celebrating the work and achievements of museum volunteers across the UK.

The British Museum and the Marsh Christian Trust have been working in partnership for the twelfth year of the 'Volunteers for Museum Learning' award which recognises the hugely important contribution that volunteers make to help museums engage with their visitors.

The 'Volunteers for Museum Learning' award forms part of a programme of awards presented by the Marsh Christian Trust in the fields of science, ecology, conservation, heritage, literature and volunteering. Each one of these awards recognises individuals and organisations who devote their lives to improving the world today and the world in the future. The Marsh Awards programme is managed in association with key partners including the Zoological Society of London, English Heritage, Barnardo's, the Refugee Council and the British Museum.

The aim of the 'Volunteers for Museum Learning' award is to recognise those volunteers who engage directly with museum visitors in any capacity. This could involve leading a school group, staffing an information desk, helping with family activities, running a guided tour or any number of other ways in which volunteers provide such excellent support to museum visitors.

There were a large number of applications from across the UK, some from groups of volunteers and some from individuals. The judges consisted of staff from the Marsh Trust, staff and volunteers from the British Museum and a representative from last year's winners, Temple Newsam, Leeds. The British Museum is delighted to host the awards each year, celebrating the valuable contribution volunteers make to the running of the Museum and its enjoyment by the public.

Due to the British Museum's involvement in the ceremony and judging, volunteers from the British Museum are ineligible for the awards.

Sir Richard Lambert, Chairman of the Trustees at the British Museum said "Museums across the UK rely on the contribution of volunteers to ensure their collections reach and inspire as many people as possible. The efforts of volunteers up and down the country in 2019 are an inspiration as we all continue to navigate the challenges presented to us all in 2020. The Marsh Volunteer Awards recognise the commitment and enthusiasm of volunteers in museums and we are very grateful to the Marsh Christian Trust for acknowledging this work."

The winners will each receive a cash prize of £500, donated by the Marsh Christian Trust. The one overall national winner who receives an additional £2,000.

The list of winners for the 2019 Volunteers for Museum Learning is:

Scotland

Rose Byers at Ellisland Museum and Farm, Dumfries.

North East

Breaking Chains, North Shields and Slavery Project Group,

Old Low Light Heritage Centre, Tyne and Wear.

North West

Juan Cunliffe at The Lion Saltworks, Cheshire.

Yorkshire

The Youth Collective at Leeds Art Gallery, Leeds.

Midlands

The Walled Garden Team, Wollaton Hall and Deer Park, Nottingham.

Wales

Kate Shepherd at Plas Newydd (National Trust), Anglesey.

East of England

Geoff Wicken at Watford Museum, Hertfordshire.

South West

Bill Read at Athelstan Museum, Wiltshire.

South East

Hollycombe Working Steam Museum Volunteers, Hollycombe Working Steam Museum, Hampshire.

London (Joint Winners)

The 'We Were There' team, Imperial War Museum, London.

Valence House Events Volunteers, Valence House, Dagenham.

Northern Ireland

Catalyst Arts Team, Catalyst Arts, Belfast.

National Winners

Rose Byers at Ellisland Museum and Farm, Dumfries.

Quotes from the winners:

Rose Byers, Ellisland Museum and Farm, Dumfries - National Winner and Regional Winner for Scotland said

"I am so happy to have won the regional award for Scotland. It is a huge honour and a lovely surprise! I really enjoyed organising trad music concerts at Ellisland, and helping with other musical events there. I absolutely love Ellisland - the atmosphere is amazing and it's so special to perform in the same spot where Robert Burns wrote his world-famous songs and tunes."

Ngaire Bushell (Producer), on behalf of the 'We Were There' team from IWM London - Joint regional winner for London said

"We are thrilled and delighted that the We Were There team is the joint-winner of the 2020 regional award for London. The whole team is delighted to have been recognised, and it has given us a real sense of joy and pride to be honoured in this way."

Angela (Angie) Thompson (Youth Engagement Officer), on behalf of the Leeds Art Gallery Youth Collective volunteers - Regional winners for Yorkshire said

"Thank you so much to the Marsh Awards and British Museum for this honour of winning the Yorkshire region for volunteering. We are truly grateful for this recognition which is a fantastic morale boost considering the turbulent times we are living in as we head into national lockdown. The Youth Collective volunteers are a fantastic group of young adults who always provide 100% dedication. I'm extremely proud of them and this award is a great achievement for the project, youth engagement and Leeds Art Gallery."

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