Project Co-ordinator, Sensing Our Past

Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton

By Bronwen Gwillim

Exciting new heritage project

Art for Life, the art project at Musgrove Park Hospital, is looking to recruit a freelance Co-ordinator to develop and manage its exciting new heritage project which seeks to involve patients, staff and the wider community in telling their stories and recording the history of the hospital.  The project, called Sensing Our Past, is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and will be delivered in partnership with Somerset Heritage and Libraries Service and Reminiscence Learning. 

Opportunity for Heritage Specialist

The Co-ordinator will be a heritage specialist whose role will be to provide leadership for the whole project – we expect them to bring their own vision to the project, to help develop it and take it forward in the most appropriate way. They will be responsive to opportunities as they arise as well as providing sound management for the project; they will add extra value to the existing team who are not heritage experts.

Key Tasks

Managed by the Art for Life Co-ordinator and based within their offices at Musgrove Park Hospital, the contract holder will be required to work for 90 days over a period of 2 years at a rate of £180 per day and start work in September or October 2011.

The Co-ordinator will be required to undertake the following tasks:

• Ensuring all the processes are in place for the development of the hospital archive - and implementing them (e.g. getting necessary permissions from people, correct cataloguing, photographic documentation, etc)
• Overseeing the successful delivery of reminiscence training, reminiscence sessions, and Open Days
• Developing and managing a programme of activities on the wards with patients and others in and outside the hospital.
• Appointment, supervision and management of various freelance staff and volunteers
• Liaison with hospital staff and external partners, particularly Somerset Heritage and Libraries Service
• Producing marketing and publicity, including regular web updates and creating the content for publicity material (on- and off- line),
• Appointment and management of designers to produce and install a permanent exhibition within the hospital
• Researching and collating information particularly to create a timeline as part of the ‘Eisenhower Tree’ public art commission
• Advocating for the project at local events; following up all enquiries; documenting the project.
• Purchasing, maintaining a pool of audio visual equipment
• Undertaking fundraising 

Person Specification

The project is looking to recruit someone with the following experience:

•  working on heritage and/or archive and/or reminiscence projects
•  working with multiple partners
•  working with and managing volunteers
•  working with elderly people and an awareness of dementia
•  awareness of the issues associated with working in a hospital environment
•  contracting and managing freelance staff
•  fundraising and managing budgets
•  setting up and managing events
•  communicating with a wide range of people from the general public to senior hospital staff; from the local press to patients
•  developing exhibitions and contracting exhibition designers

How to apply

If you are interested in this freelance contract please email the following information to artforlife@tst.nhs.uk by 5pm Monday 15th August 2011.

• A recent CV
• A covering letter highlighting why you want the role, and the relevant experience and skills you would bring to the tasks outlined in the person specification
• Contact details for 2 professional referees

Interviews will be held in early September and we would be looking for someone to start as soon as possible in September or October 2011.

Further Information

Further information about the project can be found by dowloading the porject brief below or by contacting Bronwen Gwillim the Art for Life Co-ordinator

01823 342488

email bronwen.gwillim@tst.nhs.uk