5 year volunteer lunch

Back row (from left): James Irish; Richard Adams; Linda Frost; Claude Bennie; Jonathan Griffin
Front row (from left): Anne Adams; Glynnis Wadham-Smith; Ellen Winser; Stella Harvey; Sheila Berryman; Julie Bennie (Unable to attend: David Lloyd)

Congratulations to the latest group of volunteers who have completed 5 years voluntary service with the museum. They were treated to a three-course lunch in the Waterside Cafe.

Easter Sunday at NMMC

Pictured here on the pontoon is Roger Browne observing our enthusiastic Museum visitors who were allowed aboard 'Matthew'. The 'Matthew' is a replica of a 500 year old ship which set sail from Bristol for Asia manned by John Cabot and his crew and ended up in North America.

by Clive Mathison

New Sea Sprite in town

Derryth will be slapping on the face paint for her debut as Oshi the Sea Sprite on Monday 30th April. She will be entertaining a group of children from Truro High School for Girls … but remember, you can only see her if you wear a magic cloak!

Thanks Mick (2)

Mick Duff's rope-making machine is still alive and well. Here one is being used by an adult group from Pathfields Support Centre in Bude.

NMMC on tour ...

Pupils from Bude Junior School, Polperro Community Primary School and adults from 'Pathfields', a Cornwall Council adult support and care centre benefit from a new partnership with three smaller, volunteer-run museums: Bude Castle Heritage Centre, Polperro Museum and Mevagissey Museum.

As part of the visit to their local Museums, the groups have enjoyed our living history performance Hevva! Hevva! They met Lizbeth and Samuel, two characters from the heyday of Cornwall’s pilchard fishing heritage. 

Through an interactive mix of music, artefacts, Cornish language, drama and rope-making, the audiences were drawn into the hardships and humour of Cornish fishermen and women in the 1870s. This new partnership has been made possible by a grant of £1470 from Cornwall Council.

We are excited to be working with these other museums, who wouldn’t normally be able to fund or sustain this type of historical interpretation or programme.  This project as an important way for us to work in partnership with smaller museums, sharing skills and resources and developing closer and mutually beneficial working relationships.

The last visit is Tuesday 17th April when Debbie and the actors will be visiting Mevagissey Museum to perform to 40 local school children, an Over 60's group and the general public.

Bronze Men

The Museum poet has been at it again

In the corner of the Ground Floor,
there’s a place for boat repair;
but now the craft have been removed,
our men no longer there.

There’s a bunch of new arrivals
dressed in brown with unkempt hair;
they’ve come from east of Cornwall,
(not sure exactly where).

Apparently they’re Bronze Age men,
(I thought you ought to know);
They’re going to make a vintage boat
for Volunteers to row!!!

They speak a language of their own
with lots of signs and grunting;
it’s Neolithic - how they talk
when foraging or hunting!!

They seem to get enjoyment
with Wedges and an Axe,
just hitting lumps of seasoned wood,
until the timber cracks!!

And when they’ve split a lot of planks,
they’ll sew them all together,
No nails or screws or modern glues,
(sounds dodgy in bad weather).

I suppose they’ve had permission,
and know Health & Safety Rules;
I guess they’ve sent their people
to Wood Henge Training Schools.

When it comes to lunchtime,
I’m not sure what they’ll do –
I’ve checked up with the Café
and they don’t make Nettle Stew.

Mike Pennell

Grumpy Volunteer's Corner

by Keith Evans

I went into the workshop a couple of days ago. A sinister looking crate was sitting there loaded with dozens of heavy weights with handles. "Hello", I thought "Jonathan's got a bee in his bonnet about staff health." It was public relations a few weeks ago, now he thinks we all need exercise with weight lifting sessions every morning. Remind me to come in late, my grandmother's not well. Later, I was relieved to learn they were to test the integrity of the pontoon ramp. Rumour has it that the crabs have been sabotaging some in response to the management failure to agree a claws, sorry clause, in their contract to supply fresh bait. Can't blame them really.

I did my first stint in the new exhibition last week. Ten minutes in there was a deafening crash and a roar. "Some kid has tried to start the helicopter engine", I thought. Lift off any minute now. It turned out to be the quiz panels on the beach safety mural falling off, as they are designed to do!

At the entrance there is a cariacature of a well respected volunteer. In fact, it is more handsome than the real life appearance although it has to be said that the rugged, weather-worn countenance of the latter is more in keeping with the maritime theme of the museum. Sorry Colin!