Last autumn the Society's Newsletter highlighted the threat to adequate public accessibility
at the Curtis Museum and the Allen Gallery. Most particularly, we reported fully
on the excellently-attended Public Assembly held on 28 September 2010. This had
been summoned by an emergency action group, ‘Save the Alton Museums’ (SAM), in which
your Society was fully represented from the outset. The meeting mandated a Steering
Group to campaign further against proposals from the Hampshire County Council that
involved ‘deletion’ of all its funded posts on the Curtis and Allen sites and indicated
severe limitations upon opening times. Sadly, though the various objections aired
at the Assembly and listed in our Newsletter were vigorously reiterated by SAM and
by your Society’s committee over the following month or so, the relevant Executive
Member of the HCC was not deflected from confirming in mid-November her decision
to endorse the proposed staffing cuts.
However, by the time of this setback, the scale of local protest had also encouraged
potential involvement from the Hampshire Museums and Galleries Trust (HMGT: further
information available via www.hantsmustrust.org.uk). This is a not-for-profit self-funding
charitable body, on which the HCC itself is represented. Since the early 1990s,
the Trust has been active in broadening support for museums across the county, most
notably in Basingstoke and Andover. It has developed a strong track record in winning
external financing and sponsorship, and has given special prominence to its so-called
EDGE project (well featured on the website) aimed at engaging the interest of young
people aged from 14 to 24 in museums, galleries, and ‘discovery centres’.
Concerning the Alton situation, the HCC went on to respond very positively to various
initiatives suggested by the HMGT. These were also considered by the SAM grouping,
as led first by Luath Grant-Ferguson and then by Ian Sutherland during the period
up to Christmas. Against that background, the Trust’s ideas have been discussed
over the last two months or so within a broader body which recently developed into
the Alton Museums Partnership (AMP) Steering Group. It has included, alongside the
HMGT and the HCC, not only participants from SAM and the Alton Society but also representatives
of the Museum Friends, the Alton Community Association, and the Town and District
Councils
A second Public Assembly was held on 19 January, under the auspices of SAM and the
chairmanship of David Willoughby as Town Mayor, to report and discuss the progress
made to date. There an audience of some 200 heard from Nicole Penn-Symons, the current
convener of SAM;from John Tickle, the HCC’s Assistant Director of Culture (accompanied
by Chris Palmer as Head of Collections); and Ian Smith, the HMGT’s Director of Development.
The speakers outlined a scheme in which the County would continue making expert
curatorial input through its central museum services, as well as owning and maintaining
the relevant buildings. The Trust, for its part, would manage operations at Alton
and deploy appropriate professional staffing on a basis that, with volunteer support,
should secure the continuance of good public access (broadly matching present levels)
at both the Allen and the Curtis sites. The HMGT’s formal involvement was planned
to start in April (with the AMP group being officially reconstituted as a management
body at that point), and a process of transition was due to be completed by the beginning
of July. It was intended that these arrangements would cover the next three years
at least. During that period the Trust would not only use its experience in funding
and sponsorship with a view to securing the museums’ future for the even longer term
but also undertake a general review of the their functions, displays, and overall
layout. One possibility was, for example, that the Curtis site might develop as
a focal point of outreach to young people via the EDGE initiative, while the Allen
Gallery could well become the base for a redeveloped presentation of ‘the story of
Alton’.
After questions and discussion, the Assembly voted nem con its endorsement, in broad
terms, of the scheme as outlined by the speakers. The meeting also passed a further
resolution to the effect that, as and when the SAM steerers might think it timely
to dissolve the action group, any surplus of campaigning funds should then be transferred
to the Friends of the Curtis Museum and the Allen Gallery.
Since the point at which the HMGT offered to step in and the HCC agreed to pursue
a solution in collaboration with the Trust, the committee of your Society has supported
these efforts towards generating a new ‘partnership’ model capable of sustaining
regular public access to Alton’s museums. That said, all of us realize how much
remains still to be settled and achieved. For example, the nature and extent of
the practical support that might come over the longer term from the Town and District
Councils needs further consideration, as does the potential contribution from other
local organizations. Nor will the Trust’s aspirations be properly fulfilled without
the aid of individual volunteers from the town community. Thus, when the call goes
out, your committee would encourage Altonians to think about offering time and effort
to that end. Meanwhile, and with a view to promoting this spirit of civic ‘involvement’,
AMP would welcome any further questions or suggestions about its continuing work
on the development of the new scheme. These can be directed via Steve Parkinson,
who as Town Clerk (best contacted by email on info@alton.gov.uk) has agreed to forward
them to the particular person or persons best-fitted to provide a response in each
case.
Brian Alexander & Mike Biddiss
