Hastings Museum & Art Gallery searches for enthusiastic volunteers to join their Community Panel

Hastings Museum and Hastings Borough Council are seeking people who are passionate about museums, local and global history, and the community to sit on its voluntary Community Panel. 

Members of the panel will have the exciting job of helping Hastings Museum and Art Gallery with events, exhibitions, programming, fundraising, and expanding its community offering to create a museum for the whole community. 

The panel will meet four times a year at the museum and will be made up of local people who live in Hastings or St Leonards and are dedicated to helping and supporting the award-winning community museum.

The museum is keen to recruit people who have experience of living in areas of high deprivation, who may also meet a number of other characteristics. These characteristics include people who have never visited the museum, or who feel like they do not belong in a cultural venue, those seeking sanctuary, who identify as having a disability, or are neurodivergent. These characteristics will help the museum to reach new audiences and ensure that everyone in the local community is represented.

No experience of sitting on a panel is needed, as support and training will be provided to panel members. Members will be reimbursed travel costs, and refreshments will be provided at meetings.

Cllr Julia Hilton, lead for regeneration, culture, tourism, and community wealth building, said, 

“I am excited that our forward thinking, award-winning local museum is creating such an important opportunity for different people from across our town to share their ideas and perspectives. Together we can all make the museum even more successful and inclusive.

“If you would like to have an informal chat about becoming a panel member, please email museum@hastings.gov.uk.”