Preston Park Museum & Grounds has been awarded £237,000 of National Heritage Lottery Funding as part of the Dynamic Collections Project. Thanks to National Lottery players, we are able reshape and improve the management of Preston Park Museum’s collection, whilst also evolving to meet the changing needs of the communities around us, and to reflect more people’s history and experiences.
The two-year project will help bring hundreds of unseen local objects on display in an interactive and visible store. Preston Park Museum currently has over 100,000 objects in its collection, with less than ten percent on display for public viewing. Working hard behind the scenes to uncover and bring to life the stories of the people and objects from across the Tees Valley, is over 35 volunteers.
For the past six months, they have been working alongside museum staff to catalogue, research and pack hundreds of objects – ready for the move to the new store. This will be built as part of a bold transformation of Preston Park Museum & Grounds, which includes a new two-story, modern extension to the existing museum, which is set to open to the public in summer 2025.
We caught up with two of our amazing volunteers, Bethany and Rebecca to find out how the project is going.
Why did you decide to volunteer on the project?
Rebecca: I study history and I’m a collections assistant with the National Trust, so expanding my knowledge regarding caring for collection items is extremely important to me. I thought this would be a great opportunity to help support Preston Park Museum to organise their amazing archives and to gain more experience. Helping to better protect the collection and to thoroughly catalogue objects is something we can all feel proud of.
What do you enjoy most about your role?
Bethany: I really enjoy working in a team and discussing the history of items as well as their condition and purpose. The Project is a very positive place to volunteer, and everyone is encouraged to get involved. I also like that the object labels are colour coded as a person who loves organisation!
What object have you found most interesting?
Bethany: There is a large map of the North East, which uses older English and previous place names. I found it interesting to look at where the boundaries used to fall and how different it was when comparing it to a modern-day map
What are you excited about and hoping to learn by volunteering at Preston Park Museum?
Bethany: I am excited to learn about objects that have been hidden away and to get them in a condition where they can be displayed and reused again. I’m also hoping to learn more about local history as that is a keen interest of mine.
What are your interests and hobbies?
I have two little boys who keep me very busy! They are at such a fun age; they are my little best friends! When I’m not at work or studying, I read a lot of thriller books. I also like old video games, I’m passionate about music and I love going on all kinds of adventures with my boys, especially walks in nature or at the beach!
