Angle caught up with chairman Paul Bruce and some of his committee members to find out more about the Friends of Ipswich Museums.
Hello, Paul. What do the Friends do?
“Our main job is helping to maintain and enhance the museums services. In most cases we do this by providing funds to help them to buy items for the collections. Before gaining external funding, the Council has to prove that 10% of the funds have been promised locally. The Friends provide most of this local funding. Over the past few years, we have provided £170,000, which the Museum Service has boosted by external funding into more than £1 million of purchases.”
What have you helped to buy?
“Important local paintings - the Mason Family Portrait by John Constable, Holywells Park by Thomas Gainsborough and Trimming by Anthony Green - and objects of local interest, such as the Boss Hall Jewellery, the Broke Cup, the Rattlesden Figurine, Lowestoft porcelain, a Roman Minerva figure and a Viking pendant.”
How do you raise funds?
“We bring money in from membership subscriptions, guided tours, events and donations.”
What do members get from being Friends?
“They enjoy a number of activities and outings and have the chance to chat to like-minded people and generally have a good time. We run days out and short breaks to other museums, lectures and talks by specialists, behind the scenes visits. We publish regular newsletters and what’s on leaflets and there are lots of opportunities to volunteer and become guides.
Do you run tours of the Mansion?
“Yes, indeed. There are free mini-tours of the Mansion on Wednesday afternoons between March and October. Full tours of the Mansion for groups are very popular and should be booked in advance. They cost around £30, depending on how many people are in the group.”
What do you feel about the merger between Ipswich and Colchester museums?
We think it’s a good idea and will raise the profile of both towns’ heritage and give us better access to more funding. We were pleased to have been consulted from day one.
How many members do you have?
“We have nearly 350 members at the moment and every time we hold an event we have more enquiries so we are a thriving group. Some of those are family members so we probably total around 600. We also have corporate membership, with companies getting involved, helping the arts and museums in Ipswich and hosting their own events at the Museum and Christchurch Mansion.”
It sounds good. How do we join?
“Please contact - The Chairman, Friends of Ipswich Museums, Christchurch Mansion, Ipswich IP4 2BE or pick up a membership form at the Mansion. Individual membership costs just £12 a year, family membership is £15 and corporate membership is £100.”