Writing at the end of February, it has been a whirlwind of a week. On Monday I was delighted to meet King Charles when he visited Tower Brewery in Burton upon Trent. It was a wonderful opportunity to explain a little about the history of our industry and its importance for the UK – you can read the full story on the front page.
Following this several of the Trustees attended and spoke to the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Steering Group away day. This is a group of industry senior corporate affairs executives and representatives of trade bodies. There was genuine excitement and real engagement when we shared our ambitious plans for the development of a national hub for brewery and pub heritage.
As part of our plans to engage with the wider industry we have also met with a number of our corporate members and had the opportunity to show them the vision for Bass House, situated on the High Street. This work will continue to grow in importance as the year continues.
Our efforts to manage the Collection and the Archive continues at pace with a number of loaned items returned to their owners. The Mansfield Collection is a fascinating record of the day to day workings of a busy brewery, and you can read how our work has enabled the whole Collection to be reunited where it can be viewed.
Our plans to add expertise to the Trust board continues and I am very pleased that Stephanie Sykes-Dugmore, Head of Collections of Silverstone Museum and Helen Taylor, Museum Manager at West Midlands Police Museum will be attending our March board meeting with a view to joining the board as full members. They both bring substantial collections and heritage experience that will be invaluable.
At the heart of all our work is a passion to tell the story of the economic, social and political impact our industry has had over the centuries.
