The Cannock Chase Museum is a museum, and art gallery, an event space a cafe, and has been host to numerous events both bringing the community together and informing them and the thousands of school children that have visited on organised trips. Sadly somehow we have got to the point where something so valuable can be allowed to close. We visit on there final day.
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00:00Yes, we're down here in the Museum of County Chase, obviously you can see it behind me, we've got real sad signs.
00:06It's the last day today, the doors will close at 4pm and then potentially it will close forever.
00:12Staff members down here actually, they're quite sad, they're keeping the spirits high, trying to remain professional,
00:16but obviously they're extremely sad about the potential loss of the museum, about the loss of the museum at the end of the day.
00:22The staff members finish at 5pm and that's the last time they'll enter the building.
00:25We're going around talking to the visitors, finding out how it's going to affect them, what their true losses are,
00:32and so far everyone's been extremely bittersweet about it, they appreciate the work that the staff members have done, that the museum's done,
00:39but at the same time they also are really sad about the loss of such an influential historic museum in the area.
00:46So then we're two visitors, James and Etty. Etty, you having a good time?
00:49Yes I am!
00:51Obviously it's a really sad day, you know, are you from around the area are you?
00:56Yeah, yeah.
00:57Have you been here before?
00:58I live about 5 minutes away, but it's the first time coming actually, so it was closing down and I thought,
01:02don't really want to miss out on something that we might never get to see again, all the information that's in here.
01:06Absolutely.
01:07Yeah, it's really good.
01:08Nice to think, it's a true local museum, it's a true local museum, one of the things people are losing is that real local knowledge.
01:16Yeah, definitely, and I think it's important to be aware of everything that's happened before you lived here, you know, hundreds of years ago or anywhere.
01:25Yeah.
01:26So the first time you've been down here, what's your opinion of yourself?
01:29What's your opinion of yourself?
01:30Obviously, by any way, you will be able to miss out.
01:32No, no, it's really good.
01:33Everything's nice, nicely lighted out and interesting and there's lots of, you know, facts and stuff.
01:38I didn't know.
01:39So, yes, it's nice to come and have a look and learn some new things about the local area, definitely.
01:43Absolutely, yeah, I mean, like, you're only learning about it now, I mean, like, this is something that kids usually learn about as part of, like, school trips and whatnot.
01:50Exactly, yeah, yeah.
01:51Do you reckon they're the ones we're going to miss out the most is obviously the children, because we'll be able to bring Getty here to learn about.
01:57I know, yeah.
01:58I know, yeah.
01:59Yeah, definitely.
02:00I think it's a shame in, like, places like this often when we're not school clubs and stuff.
02:03Yeah, yeah, yeah.
02:04And, yeah, like I say, it's important to understand the history of the local area, definitely, and all the wildlife.
02:10It's fantastic over the chase.
02:11It's just, you know, wind and it's wildlife.
02:13It's great.
02:14I guess we're here a bit of a lot.
02:15You've just come from the cafe.
02:17I mean, I mean, how do you feel about the closure today?
02:20Incredibly sad.
02:22And not only for us, because everyone has lost their job, of course.
02:26And the same as theatre.
02:27But also just for the people.
02:29Absolutely.
02:30The people, you know, we've been well supported over the years in various events and things like that.
02:36And also the thing that people don't necessarily notice when they come here is during the week, Monday to Friday when the school's on.
02:42We have school trips.
02:43You know, we can have 700 to nearly 1,000 kids through the door doing their workshops and things like that.
02:50And everyone seems to forget about that.
02:52So it's a catastrophe, really.
02:54And why on earth, and I will say this, it's all of our opinion, the IHL, which is the company that run us on behalf of the council, they're a gym company.
03:11Gyms, swimming pools, et cetera, et cetera.
03:14What the hell do they know about a theatre in New England?
03:18They certainly don't have a business plan for us.
03:21And it's a bit shocking as well that certainly here, I won't speak to Prince Wales, but just totally discouraged from actually trying to make money.
03:31We all, you know, we all believe in service, but someone's got to pay for it.
03:35And if we can't charge anything, then how do we keep the lights on?
03:41There you go.
03:42Yeah.
03:43You touched on the fact that it's a tragedy.
03:44I mean, like, you can see how much of a tragedy it's just by the people coming in.
03:46Yeah.
03:47You know, you can see the looks on the face.
03:49Obviously, they're happy to be here, but...
03:51It's one of the things, one of the things for local people that come, you know, if you've been to the museum once, okay, you've seen, but then if you come into the events, they're always going to be different.
04:00Yeah.
04:01And, yeah, people are just shocked.
04:04They've been in...
04:05We've had people in coming from all over the country who grew up around here.
04:10I mean, I had a lady in yesterday and she said she came on a school trip donkey years ago.
04:19She brought her kids today because she's never forgotten that trip and just wanted to come and show them before it went.
04:26I mean, that's the people who are really going to lose out, isn't it?
04:29I mean, that's the children.
04:30Totally.
04:31The kids.
04:32Totally.
04:33And also, you know, we get the old boys coming, you know, the minors.
04:35Yeah.
04:36You know, if they can find their face on the walls, my God.
04:40They've seen it.
04:41Yeah, we've seen it.
04:42We're having tears.
04:43We're having tears.
04:44And over the summer, we get visitors from New Zealand, Australia, come in, tracing their family tree.
04:54There you go.
04:55And this is obviously part of their family tree, isn't it?
04:58Yeah.
04:59They're all for mining history.
05:00They wanted to come and have a look.
05:01There's nothing to see in terms of mining anymore.
05:03So where do you go?
05:04The museum that talks about mining.
05:06So.
05:07So here in Dory, Sam and Grace, obviously, it's a very sad day, isn't it?
05:11Yeah.
05:12It's quite emotional.
05:13I mean, what's your thoughts on the closure?
05:16Do you want to start?
05:17I think, well, I'm quite new to the area, being from Australia.
05:20But these kids love coming here.
05:22And it's just really sad.
05:25So much history for the area and so much valuable time here.
05:30And it was just a great day out for the kids as well.
05:32Being free, but even if it was, to have a pound or two or something when you come in,
05:37I think people would pay it.
05:38Because it is just great for the local community.
05:41So it is just sad.
05:43Absolutely.
05:44Obviously, the kids are emotional.
05:46These are really the people who are going to lose out.
05:48That's right.
05:49They're not going to be able to learn the heritage quite like what this place has done, isn't it?
05:54No.
05:55Have you been to some of the events here over the years, Dory?
06:01No, I'm not coming to.
06:02Some of the craft events and stuff like that.
06:07No, but I went to my school to have a field to appear once.
06:11Oh, you came in school?
06:12Yeah.
06:13Did you as well?
06:16Twice.
06:17Twice?
06:18You've been here twice.
06:19You're the most regular one then, isn't it?
06:21What was your favourite part of the museum walking around?
06:23What's your favourite part so far?
06:24What do you reckon?
06:25I'm the Miner's Bits.
06:26The Miner's Bits.
06:27Yeah.
06:28There's a lot of history in mine in this part of the place.
06:30Did you learn about that in school?
06:32No.
06:33Yeah.
06:34Yeah.
06:35I mean, it is a real shame.
06:36What's your favourite part?
06:42Hard to choose, isn't it?
06:43Everything.
06:44Everything.
06:45We used to always look at the gallery too, didn't we?
06:47We'd choose our favourite three things.
06:49Because it would always be different.
06:50Local artists and stuff.
06:51So that was nice.
06:52We'd always do that.
06:53Yeah.
06:54It's nice that you got to learn a little bit about the actual, like, the field as well.
06:57Like the animals, the wildlife around the deer, that sort of thing.
07:01Yeah.
07:02It was very well put to the museum.
07:03So it is.
07:04And the theatre as well.
07:05Absolutely.
07:06Yeah.
07:07If there was a chance of it coming back, I mean, would you be all for the chance of it
07:10coming back into the future?
07:11What do you think?
07:12Yeah.
07:13If there was a chance of it coming back, you'd be there.
07:14Yeah.
07:15What do you think?
07:16Would you come back if you came back?
07:17Yeah.
07:18We always.
07:19We're here.
07:20We're here.
07:21We're here.
07:22I think everyone's hoping they come today.
07:23Oh, mate.
07:24I think you'd used to work in the locals.
07:25Yeah.
07:26Well, I've worked all around the pits I.
07:27Yeah.
07:28In different colleries, I know.
07:29So, um...
07:30You said that you know most of the people in the park.
07:32All these lads there, and I know all the rescuers lads there.
07:34Yes.
07:35Great.
07:36Yeah.
07:37Do you know you could pull out a few names.
07:38Bill Minebridge, he was the superintendent and these lads are ex-South Wild Miners who
07:45have been transferred and their collieries are closed and they come and work to be like
07:50you know.
07:51So you obviously know how important it is for people to learn the history of coal mining
07:56in the area because they're being part of the industry.
07:59Well yeah, it's all gone unless you're the last bit of it, this will be good soon.
08:02That's the thing, where are the kids going to learn about their heritage from?
08:06I don't know about their heritage from Jenny, in one way it's a good thing because there's
08:13nobody dying in the Dutch from Jenny King, you know, and on the other way it's the heritage
08:18of Jenny.
08:19On the other side obviously though, it's a real shame that we're losing though isn't it?
08:23It is not, it is because I could have just kept this as a bit of someone but that's it.
08:28Yeah, all these lads are long gone.
08:31Yeah.
08:32That's the thing, I mean we'll lose heritage like this, I mean where will people be able
08:37to find these photos after this?
08:39Because you know.
08:40When they shoot, with these transit vans, they've got 2,000 miles on the flock.
08:47And that was about 28 years old, although yeah well it's 67.
08:53Don't make an eye contact, learning about that.
08:54Yeah, so we're here with Lee and Rachel, longest term, longest serving members of staff aren't
08:59you both?
09:00Yeah, obviously Lee's the manager aren't you?
09:01So much of a sad day has it been so far, you know.
09:04Yeah, it's sad but also it's kind of nice in a way that so many people have come to say
09:11goodbye.
09:12People have come and, you know, made the effort to speak to us and had that last look round.
09:16So yeah, it's really sad but it's also great to know that you've still got that support
09:21right till the end.
09:22Sort of bittersweet isn't it?
09:23Yeah.
09:24We've had lots of families come in and say that they've brought their children for years
09:28now and they've come to all of our events, they've come to all of our school holiday workshops
09:33and their kids are about to have grown up with us and they just wanted to sort of say
09:37goodbye and thank us and that's been the lovely part of it.
09:40Absolutely, yeah.
09:41I mean like we've seen so far, we're getting late into the day and people are still filtering
09:46into having a look around.
09:47I mean, one of the guys is from Australia who's brought his kids down to have a look around.
09:51Gosh, just in time.
09:52No, but the words that we've heard, everybody's saying how much of a shame it is, you know,
09:58some people who have never been here before have come the first time and have pretty much
10:01demanded that it stays open because they're going to return again.
10:03It's got to be sort of nice hearing people say so many nice things about the place even
10:07though it's closing.
10:08I think it just validates everything we've ever done, doesn't it?
10:12That people think that way and that they have appreciated what we've done and they've
10:17understood that we did it for them.
10:19Absolutely, yeah.
10:20You had a little book in there that I know you've sort of pointed us towards.
10:23I mean, one of the comments in there is really nice.
10:25Is there any sort of comments that stood out in there?
10:28Just what I said about the families who said, you know, we've always enjoyed coming here.
10:32We've loved seeing the exhibitions because obviously we've supported a lot of artists over the years.
10:37A lot of artists for the first time would exhibit with us and we've launched lots of careers.
10:43Artistic careers, yeah.
10:44We have, yeah.
10:45So when the doors do finally close, what's the main thing that people are going to be missing when this closes?
10:55Is it the education that it brings, the heritage, the culture?
10:58I think people will miss having that place to go that speaks their story.
11:03So local people, this is, we tell their story.
11:06We tell the story of Cannock Chase and why it is what it is.
11:10And I think that will be a great loss that people will not be able to access that anymore.
11:17And Rachel's run our education service for getting on for 20 years.
11:22I'm sure the schools will feel the same.
11:25Yeah, we've had a lot of emails from schools.
11:28Some come every year to us.
11:31They bring different ear groups and they do different tours.
11:34So we do World War II, we do Habitat, we do coal mining, we do lots of different tours.
11:39And they're really upset.
11:41There was a piece in local news for the local schools in particular.
11:44petitioned to keep the museum open.
11:47There are some schools that come three times a year
11:49because they bring different year groups to different tours.
11:53I mean, the running education part of it,
11:55I think education is one of the major things that this place brings.
11:58Is the education and heritage showing people who have grown up around here,
12:01especially the younger children who wouldn't necessarily know about it generally,
12:05letting them know their heritage from the area.
12:07Yeah.
12:08Yeah.
12:09It's just fantastic.
12:10It's just fantastic.
12:11The schools come in here as well.
12:14I mean, I came here when I was a kid in school.
12:16It was almost like sort of like a local national curriculum.
12:19Every school came here.
12:20It's kind of been nice to have said over the years.
12:22So many school kids.
12:23There's probably some people bringing their kids and they can't.
12:26Yeah.
12:27We have adults who come and say,
12:29I came here like yourself when I was a child
12:32and now I'm coming back as an adult because I came on a school trip.
12:35I always remember when my daughter first came on a school trip here.
12:38I was really, I don't know,
12:40it was kind of the pinnacle of everything that my own child has now come on a school trip here.
12:44Now she's in high school.
12:45So she's got, she's come through a couple of times on visits.
12:48So yeah.
12:49And it wasn't just local school children as well.
12:51We've had children from outside the area come and learn about what Cannot Chase had to offer.
12:56We had children that came from as far as Birmingham, Stoke-on-Trent, Wolverhampton.
13:01We even had groups come from Wales and Manchester.
13:04Yeah.
13:05So if you can pick out, just lastly,
13:08if you can pick out one sort of standout thing that you remember through the years.
13:12I mean, that's really difficult because we've been here for so long.
13:16But for me, it's new events.
13:19My personal favourite event is VU Day.
13:22We've been doing that since 2016,
13:25an annual event, and it's always very well received.
13:28And everybody comes dressed in period costume.
13:31Everybody joins in.
13:32You have children dressed as evacuees.
13:34It's just a really fun and happy event.
13:38And we are still running it this year in conjunction with the Lady of Lord's Church in Hensford.
13:45Can't do it here, so we're doing it there.
13:48And the church have been really supportive and taken over the event for us.
13:52And we'll all be there volunteering to run the event.
13:56So, yeah, in costume, obviously.
13:59I think one of the things that's been my highlight, I suppose,
14:03I've been going through my files over the last few days,
14:05clearing out 29 years' worth of files.
14:08And I think one of the things that I've loved the most is working on exhibitions and working with artists.
14:14Like Rachel said, we've worked with so many local artists.
14:17Artists will come to us and say, oh, I've got this idea, and we'll develop the idea with them.
14:23And we'll work up an exhibition.
14:26And then when you see that exhibition on them, you see the artist's face, when they see their work on the wall.
14:32It's absolutely brilliant.
14:33And some of them have really gone on to do really great things and actually exhibit in much bigger places than this.
14:41But this is where they started.
14:43It brings so much to the community, doesn't it?
14:45Yeah.
14:46But now, listen, thank you very much for your time and thank you for your service over the years as well.
14:49Thank you and thanks for coming on our last day.