AIM BULLETIN OCTOBER 2007

2007 – AIM’s 30th Anniversary

The AIM Bulletin is the main communication channel for the UKs 1000+ independent museums and heritage organisations - half the total provision for the British Isles - which have been in the forefront of the museum movement for nearly 30 years.

IN THIS ISSUE –

•TopLots – the exciting new project auctioning heritage experiences and behind-the-scenes activities via eBay – goes live on the web in October. AIM is playing a major part in the initiative. TopLots is the brainchild of AIM 2008 Conference sponsor Development Partners (DP) – an entirely new fundraising and marketing concept to promote museums and historic sites through the internet. In a pilot scheme in October each of over 100 lots submitted by heritage organisations from throughout the UK will be live on Ebay for 10 days, attracting bids – and funds – for participating museums. AIM is acting as the host charity, receiving funds from successful sales and passing them to each participating organisation. Further information: www.toplots.co.uk. Page 1/2

•First-round bids for AIM’s new Conservation Grant Scheme are now in. The second round closes on 31 March 2008. The new scheme, supported by The Pilgrim Trust, has already attracted widespread interest among AIM members. Launched at the 2007 AIM Annual Conference in June, it aims to help smaller museums restore and conserve significant objects in their collections. The AIM scheme has been made possible by a generous £300,000 grant spread over three years from The Pilgrim Trust, which has a special interest in conservation. The scheme will be administered in a similar way to AIM’s other successful recent initiative, its Sustainability Scheme supported by the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation. AIM members with fewer than 60,000 visitors or a turnover of less than £300,000 per year will benefit. Maximum grant is £10,000, but most will be around £5,000. Page 2

•AIM’s FOCUS paper on venue and location hire has been updated by original author, Jane Weeks and Karen Armstrong, head of operations at Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust. It focuses on two important areas of income generation for museums, who are increasingly maximising the use and value of the space they occupy. Practical advice to help their success in the field is included, along with a useful websites and further information section. The paper is now available to be downloaded from AIM’s website, www.aim-museums.co.uk, under an MLA/Renaissance and AIM joint scheme. Page 2

•An extremely tiny member of AIM open on Sunday afternoons and bank holidays has been left £1.5 million by an elderly lady who lived in the village all her life. Bishopsteignton Museum of Rural Life in Devon was staggered to discover that Molly Coombe, 77, had left virtually her entire estate to the museum. The “extremely quiet” lady had once donated her father’s First World War medals and memorabilia to the museum. Trust chairman Roger Avery said the museum was considering how to spend the money and expansion is size and scope, incorporating a research centre and educational facility are among the options. Page 3

•The Lake Windermere Boats are among historic treasures saved for the nation in 2006/07 through the Acceptance in Lieu (AiL) scheme, administered by MLA (Museums, Libraries & Archives Council) on behalf of the Government. The boats range from the UK’s oldest sailing yacht, built in 1780, to a rare Rolls Royce airship engine-powered speedboat built in 1922. The boats are in the collection of the former Windermere Steamboat Museum, currently being regenerated in a complex heritage and training project by the Lakeland Arts Trust. The project includes conservation of boats for use and display, and the establishment of a specialist workshop as a national centre of excellence in wooden boatbuilding. Page 5

•The rules relating to VAT cultural exemption have changed, making it unlawful for charities to remunerate a board member of chief executive to avoid cultural exemption, which in some cases can be beneficial to the organisation. Adrian Babbidge, writing in his Bottom Line column, says museums which continue this course following the rule change in March this year by HM Revenue & Customs, will be breaking the law. Page 7

•AIM members are encouraged to take part in the Treasury consultation on Gift Aid to ensure that independent museums’ views are taken into consideration. The consultation has arisen following the cut in income tax in the 2007 budget which means the rate at which Gift Aid repayments to charities are made will fall from 28p in the £ to 25p in the £. The Government remains committed to finding ways to increase the take-up of Gift Aid, and is therefore looking for new and innovative ideas on how to improve the scheme. Page 16



Also in this issue –

•Art Fund Prize opens for 2008
•Museum creates new beer with its own hops
•Double theft hits Ragged School Museum
•Strategic issues in industrial heritage
•AIM Training Grants help expand minds
•HLF’s new 12-year strategy
•Facilitating CRB checkAIM Sustainability Scheme case studies
•Shire Publications sold to Osprey
•Interested in starting up an independent museum?
•MuseumProfile: The Heritage Motor Centre, Gaydon, Warwickshire


Plus –

Information on AIM’s latest events, the Bob Harding Training Grants, FOCUS information papers, and the two-page AIM Directory – 30+ providers of products and services for the museum sector.