ARE you proud of Bridport’s heritage? If so, an interesting new opportunity has arisen.

Bridport Museum Trust is seeking new trustees to join its board at an exciting time in its development.

The museum, which underwent a major £1.3m redevelopment in 2016, has won critical acclaim and seen visitor numbers soar to nearly 30,000. The museum has recently secured a grant of £100,000 to begin reviewing its collections and is starting to plan a range of exciting new activities and exhibitions to continue to build on its success. As a registered charity, the board is looking to recruit new trustees with a range of skills to support the organisation to grow and develop further.

Alexandra O’Dwyer has been a trustee of the museum for three years and encourages people to consider taking on a role with the charity.

Alexandra said: “I have always loved museums and have a huge fondness for Bridport Museum specifically, especially since having children, so I was thrilled to get the chance to become a trustee and to be able to make my own contribution. I believe passionately in the power of the voluntary sector to do amazing things within a local community and I can see first-hand the impact the work of the board has on the development of the museum and Bridport’s wider heritage work.”

“I don’t have huge amounts of time to spare, but apart from attending quarterly meetings I can fit my involvement in around my other commitments. Being a charity Trustee comes with responsibility but also offers huge personal benefits – I am still learning and enjoying new challenges in my museum role so I cannot recommend it highly enough to anybody who has skills and experience that they think could be of value and who wants to add something new and rewarding into their lives.

Director Emily Hicks added: “If you are passionate about our work, or museums and heritage in general, if you are looking for a new role within the voluntary sector, we would love to hear from you. There are opportunities to support many areas of the museum’s work, and Trustees are able to make a real difference to the organisation as we enter the next phase of development and to support the town’s development as a vibrant cultural destination. We offer induction and training to new Trustees too, so don’t be put off if you don’t have experience of a Board role – some transferable skills and lots of enthusiasm is what matters.”

In particular, the trust is looking to recruit the following trustees: General, with the potential to become vice chairman or chairman; trustee with commercial focus; Treasurer and Company Secretary

To request a full role profile, or informal chat, contact Emily on 01308 458703 or director@bridportmuseum.co.uk