4 - Dudley museums service double-awards win

 

Dudley museums service came away with two honours.  Wordsley’s Red House Glass Cone won an award for its exhibitions, while operations manager John Billingham was singled out for an individual award in the Renaissance West Midlands Awards which recognises excellence in museums and galleries.  

 

Organisers received over 50 entries, in six categories. John Billingham, operations manager for the cone and Dudley Museum won the ‘outstanding individual award’ which recognises an individual’s contribution to their organisation or the wider sector.

 

John is pivotal to the delivery of exhibitions, working with a small core of museum staff to put up quality exhibitions across the two sites to very tight timescales.

 

The Red House Glass Cone, managed by Sarah Hall won ‘best exhibition on a small budget’ for its Romans exhibition. The exhibition features artefacts, interpretive panels, character cut-outs, an archeological dig for schools, a comprehensive education programme and Roman-themed activities as part of the popular JAM club during school holidays.

 

The awards saw more than 30 of the region’s museums, galleries and heritage organisations come together, to recognise and celebrate excellence and innovation throughout the Midlands.

 

“I am exceptionally proud of John, the cone and the museums service as a whole. John goes above and beyond, his dedication and professionalism make sure that exhibitions open on time and run smoothly.

 

“The Romans exhibition at the cone is just another excellent example of what our highly qualified museum’s team can do on a modest budget. I hope that these accolades will see even more local residents visiting the sites.”

 

This is yet another in a series of awards for Dudley museums service. Last year, Graham Worton, keeper of geology at Dudley Museum won the outstanding customer service award at the National Enjoy England Awards for Excellence.