Young Friends Tunbridge Wells Report: February 20, 2024
After an initial stopover in Manchester, where she presented the WFFM's current Young Friends project to the BAFM regional delegates, Jean Knight (South East) and Margaret Stebbing (North West), our Young Friends Coordinator Naïma Sagna travelled to Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent.
This Town, renowned for its Chalybeate Spring, discovered by the nobleman Dudley Lord North in 1606, is where the new UK Young Friends Ambassador works: Heather Stracey. Six months ago, the BAFM presented Heather with the 2023 Young Museum Professional Award of the Year. Her application, which had been strongly encouraged by the Chairwoman of The Friends at The Amelia Scott, Anne Stobo, stood out thanks to her plan to use her bursary to promote the costume collection. Heather has now been invited to join the BAFM team to represent Young Friends around the UK.
At the age of 29, Heather has already had a very successful career. After obtaining her Bachelor of Arts (Hons) and Master's by Research in History, she first worked in London at the National Archives. In 2019, a professional opportunity at The Amelia Scott (The Amelia) brought her closer to the area where she grew up: Heather has treasured childhood memories of what was formerley Tunbridge Wells Museum and Art Gallery, which pays tribute to Amelia Scott (1860-1952), one of the first women to be elected as a local Councillor and a campaigner for women’s suffrage.
For over five years, Heather has been involved in the re-invention of this iconic venue in Tunbridge Wells, as the new building opened in April 2022. In the same year, her position was upgraded to Senior Collection Officer.
The Amelia, which houses over 60,000 objects and works of art in its collections, is not just a museum: the new and improved spaces also include a Library, Tourist Information, Adult Education (for learning opportunities), front-line council services, and study rooms.
Accompanied by Heather, Naïma was able to explore the many facets of this unique venue located in the heart of the Town, a stone's throw from the Town Hall, and of course visit the permanent collections which represent the local history, its key figures and specialities, such as Tunbridge Ware. For several months now, Heather has been coordinating the preparations for the Carve & Craft Weekend: Inspired by Tunbridge Ware, which will be held from the 23rd to 24th of March, to celebrate local crafts, alongside a team of six volunteers, for a programme of talks, tours, workshops, and children’s activities.
The visit also provided an opportunity to explore The Amelia’s store rooms and to meet a large part of Heather's team, starting with Dr Ian Beavis, Research Curator, renowned for his immense knowledge of the history of Tunbridge Wells, as well as Miriam Rodriguez, Learning & Engagement Assistant, and Christine Beckton, Education Officer.
One of the special features of the organisation? A team of around thirty volunteers is involved in day-to-day tasks - digitisation, cataloguing, etc. - which testifies to the vitality of the collaborations that bring this place to life.
