Few will have missed the alarming number of museums reported as being at risk of closure in the past year. The museum sector has long faced challenges, but recent headlines paint a picture that feels distinctly different from those we have grown used to seeing. Long before Heritage Thinking Differently was conceived, I founded a Facebook page in 2011 called Save Our Museums (UK). This was my response to a growing crisis: an increasing number of regional museums were facing cl

How well do we truly understand the emotional and psychological benefits of giving to charity? Welcome back to the Heritage Thinking Differently blog. This week, I want to share an insight that challenged my perspective on donor engagement. It stems from an episode of a podcast I recently listened to, which made me rethink how we approach our relationship with our audiences. The episode focused on the act of donating money, and I’ll include a link to it at the end of this blo

Heritage Thinking Differently to Offer Acclaimed Strategic Planning Programme A New Era for Strategic Planning in the Cultural Sector Welcome back to the Heritage Thinking Differently blog! I’m excited to share some fantastic news about an opportunity that will benefit cultural institutions across the sector. Many of you will be familiar with Nick Winterbotham, a highly respected figure in the museum world, renowned for his leadership, coaching, and consultancy work. Over the

As we dive into the festive season, it never ceases to amaze me how underutilised museum retail remains at this time of year. There’s a wealth of fantastic work in the sector, yet too many institutions fail to capitalise on the golden opportunity that Christmas presents. Imahe: Natural History Museum Shop at Christmas. Welcome back to the Heritage Thinking Differently blog. Today, I stumbled upon an excellent promotional video from the Coffin Works Museum . Now, coffins migh

Full disclosure: for the sake of transparency, I should mention that I sit on the Museum Development Midlands (MDM) Oversight Board and was previously a Strategic Advisory Board Member for Museum Development East Midlands. However, this is my personal blog, and I am not speaking on behalf of the rest of the Board. While I may not be entirely objective, I thought it would be useful to offer a peek behind the curtain and share some insights into the Board’s role and ambitions.

What do you do when your schools’ program is oversubscribed? During my tenure as Executive Director at Creswell Crags Museum & Archaeology Park, our schools' program was in such high demand that for every group we welcomed, another had to be turned away. The primary constraints were space and facilities, limited learning areas, insufficient toilet amenities, and restricted access to the caves within the historic gorge. Learning at Creswell Crags I reallocated funding to inves

I read a post on LinkedIn recently by We The Curious in Bristol about their decision to 'not be active' on X (Twitter). I've also been listening with interest to podcasts such as The News Agents, where journalists make a case for remaining on the platform despite their concerns about its culture. So, what are museums to do? I believe deeply in the concept of museums as safe spaces for difficult conversations. But what does 'safe' mean in the context of our social media platfo

On World Mental Health Day last week, I had the privilege of attending the Museum Development Midland’s ‘Sense of Place’ event at the Aurora Wellbeing Centre in Worksop, Nottinghamshire. If Aurora isn’t yet on your radar, I urge you to make it a priority. More than just a wellbeing centre, Aurora is a sanctuary for those facing cancer, and at its core sits a small but powerful Heritage Hub, a ‘museum’ space that seamlessly integrates with the centre’s wider therapeutic missio

Museum shop sunday Museum Shop Sunday returns on Sunday, 1st December. Will you be taking part? More importantly, how will you maximise this opportunity? Timed perfectly for pre-Christmas shopping, this event provides an excellent chance to boost sales, attract new audiences, and position your museum shop as a key destination during the festive season. With the right approach, Museum Shop Sunday can become more than just a one-day event, it can be the start of an annual tradi