Museum Committee minutes

Decided · A decision has been taken.

The Museum Committee met on 24 November 2025. p1

The committee unanimously resolved to accept the Museum Update Report, presented by Katherine Buckland, the Museum & Collections Manager, and to recommend it for approval by Cabinet. p4p5

The committee also unanimously resolved to accept the Collections Report, presented by Katherine Buckland, and to recommend it for approval by Cabinet. p7p8

Oriana Calman, the NPO (National Portfolio Organisation) Programme Lead, gave an update on NPO-funded activities, including a market event at the museum that attracted over 1,000 visitors. p6

Richard Street, from the Museum Association, gave an update noting that the Hastings and St Leonards Museum Association has become a Charitable Incorporated Organisation. p10

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• p1Museum Committee — minutes of the meeting on 24/11/2025
• p44. Museum Update Report Katherine Buckland, Museum & Collections Manager, introduced the report and gave a summary of activities. · Visitor Numbers & Income: Visitor numbers for Quarter 3 are already ahead of the same period last year, with over a month remaining. Shop income stands at £16,721. There are 12 weddings and 13 venue hires booked for this financial year. · Accreditation: The museum has successfully regained Arts Council accreditation. This confirms compliance with standards for collections care, access, and public engagement, and ensures eligibility for key funding streams. · Schools Programme: Strong progress continues under the Museums and Schools programme. Recent partnerships include Hollington, Churchwood, and Pebsham Primary Schools, with pupils receiving Arts Award Discovery certificates. Collaboration with artist Laura Ribbons supports the Plants Make Places exhibition. New links have been established with Great Dixter for future workshops. · Exhibitions: Plants Make Places runs until 1 February and remains highly popular. Upcoming: Beside the Sea by JJ Waller (Feb–Apr 2026), featuring vibrant Sussex seaside photography. Current displays include Axel Scheffler’s Welcome illustrations and a ceramics gallery intervention by artists Kim L Pace and Jane Miller. · Events: Recent highlights include the Garden Festival in September. Upcoming events include a panel discussion linked to Plants Make Places and the Refugee Buddy Project Christmas Market in December. · Volunteers: Volunteers contributed 107.5 hours this quarter, providing essential support to museum operations. Questions and Comments on Museum Report Visitor Figures: A question was raised about the variation in visitor numbers between quarters. Katherine explained that weather impacts attendance and that major signature events were concentrated in Quarter 2 this year, contributing to higher figures.
• p5Positive Feedback: Councillor Barnet commended the museum’s recent events and overall progress, noting the achievement of engaging all three Hollington primary schools. Thanks were expressed to Katherine for her outstanding contribution to Hastings and best wishes for the future. Exhibition Engagement: A suggestion was made to provide opportunities for visitors to leave comments directly on exhibition walls, particularly for the upcoming Beside the Sea exhibition, to encourage interaction and sharing of local memories. Katherine agreed to explore this approach. Closing Remarks: The Chair and committee members echoed appreciation for Katherine’s work and endorsed the thanks expressed. RESOLVED (unanimously) To accept this report and recommend approval by Cabinet
• p65. NPO Update Oriana Calman, NPO Programme Lead, introduced the item and gave an update which focused on achievements made through NPO (National Portfolio Organisation) funding. NPO Programme Update Introduction: The new postholder has been in role for one month and is meeting partners, colleagues, and community members to gain a full understanding of the NPO programme. Risk Register: An NPO risk register has been added to the agenda and will form part of regular reporting to the Arts Council at each meeting. Quarterly Highlight: The recent market event at the museum, supported by NPO, attracted over 1,000 visitors. Free transport provided for 160 attendees contributed to its success. The team aims to embed this approach in future programming. Current Activities: Continued collaboration with core project groups. Trainees from the Refugee Buddy Project have enhanced interpretation in the Upper Durbar Hall, adding bilingual (English and Arabic) content and new objects reflecting place-making in Hastings. The Queer History Collective is progressing research for its upcoming exhibition, with further details to follow. The Home Education Group is developing an intervention for the Natural History Gallery focused on climate change, scheduled for launch in the new year. Questions and Comments on NPO Update Transport Initiative: A member welcomed the success of providing free transport for the recent museum market event, noting its importance for residents in more deprived areas who face challenges accessing the museum. Clarification on Activity Description: A question was raised regarding the term “Activating under-engaged communities” in the report. It was explained that this refers to efforts to connect with and represent communities that the museum has not traditionally engaged with, both through collaborative work and ensuring their representation within the museum.
• p76. Collections Report Katherine Buckland, Museum & Collections Manager, introduced the report providing an update on the museum’s collections work. Collections Update Staff Changes: Holly Holdcroft, Collections Access Officer, is leaving the museum this week. Her contributions to improving collections access and pest management were acknowledged. Environmental Monitoring: A new monitoring system has been installed to track temperature and humidity in storage and display areas, improving efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Upper Durbar Hall: Auditing of displayed items continues. The museum has been approached by a gallery in Madrid regarding a potential loan of a second painting for an upcoming exhibition. Collections Online: The museum’s collections database will be available online via the website by the end of the day, enabling public access to all catalogued items. Acquisitions: Several works related to Sydney Little have been acquired, including photographs and a dissertation on the development of Hastings seafront. Disposals: Items proposed for disposal include farm equipment, millstones, and a taxidermy sheep. The disposals process follows the museum’s Collections Development Policy, offering items first to accredited museums, then non-accredited museums, educational institutions, and businesses before final disposal. Community Panel Feedback: The panel requested short descriptions of items on disposal lists to avoid “rubber-stamping” decisions without understanding what objects are. Selling Items: Members queried whether some items could be sold (e.g., via platforms like eBay) to raise funds. Katherine explained that selling is not standard practice for accredited museums and would only occur as a last resort. Man Trap Explanation: A man trap was described as a historical device used by landowners to deter poachers, consisting of metal jaws that would clamp onto a person’s leg. Sustainability: Questions were raised about where items ultimately go.
• p8Katherine confirmed most are transferred to other museums or institutions, and occasionally to craftspeople (e.g., blacksmiths) if appropriate. Taxidermy Concerns: Members stressed caution in disposing of taxidermy due to its historical and academic significance. Katherine noted conservation concerns (pest risk) but confirmed the process is rigorous and designed to prevent unnecessary disposal. Tracking Disposals: A suggestion was made to maintain and publish a register of where disposed items end up. Katherine agreed to explore this. Policy Circulation: Members requested circulation of the disposals policy to avoid repeated lengthy discussions. Katherine will share links to the national Spectrum procedures and the museum’s Collections Development Framework. Recruitment: Recruitment for the Collections Access post will proceed once written confirmation of NPO funding for 2026–27 is received, allowing the role to be advertised with a longer contract term. RESOLVED (unanimously) To accept this report and recommend approval by Cabinet
• p108. Museum Association Update Richard Street provided an update on recent and upcoming activities of the Museum Association. Museum Association Update Recent Events: Brede Steam Giants visit was well attended and a talk from the organisation is planned for the new year. Kevin Boorman delivered an engaging talk on Railways 200 , marking the 200th anniversary of passenger railways. Charitable Status: Hastings and St Leonards Museum Association is now a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) as of last Friday. Thanks were recorded to Steve Mannering (HVA) and Bill for their significant contributions. Next step: Members will vote to wind up the existing association and transfer assets to the CIO at the AGM on 14 December, followed by a talk on historic maps of Hastings and St Leonards (and mince pies). Future Governance: Questions were raised about the impact of potential local government reorganisation post-2027. No formal communication has been received. Councillors noted that government approval for reorganisation is still pending and options remain under review. The Arts Council’s commissioned Options Appraisal on museum governance will be discussed at a separate meeting in December. Membership: Life memberships will transfer to the new CIO. Members were reminded to notify the association in the event of bereavement to avoid unnecessary correspondence. Upcoming Events: Steve announced a slideshow on Robert Tressell’s life and Hastings in his era, scheduled for early February (115th anniversary of Tressell’s death). Additional events are listed on the Association’s website. Appreciation expressed for Katherine’s contributions during her temporary tenure. o Councillor highlighted positive representation of Hastings in museum displays and requested relocation of certain items for better visibility.