Volunteer Reps Meeting Notes

Most of you probably know that we have volunteer representatives who listen to suggestions, have their ear to the ground and are the voice of volunteers within Fulham Palace organisation. They meet our Volunteer Development Officer, Fran, once every two months to let her know about our concerns, thoughts and evaluate past events and performance.

On the online Forum you can find the notes from the last meeting our reps had with Fran and Sian, Chief Executive on Tuesday 3rd November .

It would be great if you can have a look and join in the discussion, your comments and thoughts can then be raised at the next meeting and we all can have an input into making things better.

We will publish their notes every time they have a meeting so everybody can check them and be up to date.

Thank you!

Marlen Armendariz

Volunteer Communication Assistant

Restoration and Renewal Project

We are seeking your views about what makes Fulham Palace special, what we could do even better and what we could learn from other, comparable sites. Your answers will help guide our thinking about the next phase of our restoration and renewal project here at Fulham Palace.

Project Summary

The restoration and renewal project will draw together and build upon the two preceding phases of restoration (2005/06 and 2011/12), providing the next stage of the site-wide restoration of Fulham Palace. 

The project will undertake vital capital works to the Tudor quadrangle and Great Hall, with community and learning initiatives carried out in conjunction with and alongside the restoration and conservation processes. In summary, the project will: 

• Restore the Tudor quadrangle, Great Hall & parts of the garden whilst also improving access
•  Employ a Community Archaeologist and undertake site investigations/ excavations and provide new accessible storage for our existing archaeological archive
• Create a new visitor entrance area in the Tudor quadrangle with new exhibition spaces, orientation and interpretation through the palace and grounds
•   Provide new training, learning, engagement and participation activities
•  Improve energy efficiency and reduce energy costs whilst also improving overall business performance and viability.

The project will go some way towards realising our overarching vision for Fulham Palace, which is to “provide an insight, through the stories of the Bishops of London, into over 1,300 years of English history, and to become one of Great Britain’s most loved and inspiring historic houses and gardens”. 

How can you help? 

At the last volunteers meeting on Tuesday 15 September, volunteers were asked these 3 questions and below are some of their answers. What do you think? Do you agree, disagree or think something else entirely? We want to know.

1. How would you currently describe Fulham Palace?

"Hidden gem; haven; surprising."
"Tells a simplified version of English history through the stories on site."
"Hiding its light under a bushel"
"A spiritual place."

2. How would you like to be able to describe it in 5 years time? 

"More of Compton’s original designs and planting but with consideration for today."
"Enjoyed by more people (but not swamped)."
"All historic periods represented as well as the history we are making now. "
"Attractive to tourists – on the London ‘must see’ list."

3. What other site would you like Fulham Palace to be compared too, and why? 

"None! We are unique."
"Similarities with Great Dixter but we have more to offer. "
"Similar to Lambeth Palace, links to Kew (Wisteria) and to Garden History Museum."

Please have your say! 

We would greatly appreciate it if you could let us know what you think in the comments section below or on the forum or by emailing your thoughts to Fran. 

Volunteer Forum Update

During our last Volunteer Forum on 17 March 2015, attendees were asked to write down their suggestions for improving Fulham Palace.  Below are those suggestions and the responses.

Income generation

• Winter Ball – fundraising event: Will consider as part of our fund-raising strategy
• Filming crews – BBC, ITV, Universal  -  secondary spend: We are registered with a few film agencies and we are getting more photo shoots now. Waiting for the big break!
• Selling produce at Farmer’s Market: Produce group just been set up, this year they will be concentrating on sales in the walled garden, but something to look into for the future.  Also asking if Friends will run a stall at the Farmer’s market once a month.
• In the absence of the competition from Garden Centre we use our access to supplier to fill gap in market to supply Fulham with garden supplies, seeds, fertilizer, compost: We will be looking at selling seeds.  Larger items will be more difficult as we cannot offer visitor parking on site at present
• More Fulham Palace branded products in the shop: We are hoping to launch our new pop up shop in reception in April/May 2015

Events

• Museums at night:  We run Museums at Night, this year will be our 3rd year. The event is on 15 May – check the What’s on for further details
• Murder mystery like Cluedo:  Will discuss at our next Events meeting
• Open House London: We do this every year, this year it will fall on Sunday 20 September 2015
• Local Businesses Day where they can come in and display their wares, cook dishes from restaurant menus, wine tastings, etc: We will talk about this further and look at how it would benefit Fulham Palace

Courses/training

• Series of gardening lectures for each season/subject area eg bulb planting, borders, veg plot etc: Will pass the ideas on to Lettie/Lucy. We have had a successful apple growing course and are about to launch a veg growing course in April.
• Gardening talks on specific topics eg beginners, propagation or dig v. no dig: As above

Signage and reception

• ‘Thank you for coming’ sign on the back of the A frame by gate of Tudor courtyard: Arlene Fraser to look into this.
• Brown sign at Putney stations, tube and National Rail: Signage group set up with staff and volunteers, meeting LBHF 25/3/15
• Signage at Putney Bridge station and Craven Cottage. Lighting could also be improved: As above
• Signage for the Palace (currently zero): As above
• Better welcome, somehow draw people on past reception: We do have receptionists on duty, and they provide a great welcome. We are looking for more volunteers to work on reception so that there is always a presence. Arlene looking at improving the lighting.
• Start tours at reception: Tours currently start in the museum but we could look at changing this.
• More to evoke the river entrance: Phase III plans will look at opening up another entrance or views to the Palace from the river and Bishop’s Park

Garden and grounds

• Replace the Banksia – or put another climbing rose in: This is the rose that was growing up the Chapel wall. It fell down because it had become too heavy, and the gardeners cut it back. Lucy will be putting a climbing rose in the garden and will look at what options there are in this position.
• Meadow at back of walled garden: Because this is used as a set up and prep area for large events we have previously not planted this up. But Lucy is looking at planting a wild flower meadow.
• Goats for the moat: We have considered goats and sheep but the concern is how to protect them from the public!  We continue to look at how we manage the moat slopes and the gardeners are attending a course next month.
• Pathway to entrance and surface in the courtyard: We would like to remove the tarmac driveway and have something more appropriate as part of Phase III. We will remove the pink sign at the top of the drive. The Tudor courtyard surface needs to be more appropriate so will also look at this as part of Phase III.

Facilities

• Double bins everywhere in stables for schools and restaurant – one recycled material, one general waste  - embarrassing with schools in particular: Arlene Fraser to put this in place

Learning and interpretation

• Display the Bishops’ Badges embroidered by many of our volunteers in past years and other embroideries done by classes: Could rotate the display in the museum and look at long term options as part of Phase III. Can photograph and put on the volunteer portal for now.
• More opportunities to display, show off and explain our very extensive costume and handling collection – at present only seen by schoolchildren: This is something we can look at as part of the consultation for Phase III
• In some of the bare rooms very limited replica period furniture – say 3 bits that can easily be moved when let out – so bare – maybe one small carpet: This is something we are looking at as part of Phase III. Hope to have replica in Great Hall and a few other historic rooms.

*‘Phase III’ is the next lottery project, including the restoration of the Tudor Quadrangle and parts of the garden.

Volunteer Survey Results

The results of the recent Volunteer Survey were revealed during the last Volunteer Forum.  For those of you didn’t attend the meeting, here is a sum-up of the results.

• The number of responses from beekeeper, garden and sewing bee volunteers are up from 2013, and we now have a fundraising assistant and grounds warden whilst the numbers of learning/education assistants and tour guides for historic tours are lower than last year.
• The number of people who have volunteered for over 10 years (but under 20) almost doubled from 2013.
•  People volunteering more than once a week or fortnightly were also up from 2013.
• Overall volunteers seem more pleased with their experience volunteering.
•  The number of volunteers enjoying the work they do at the Palace rose slightly.
•  More volunteers are satisfied with the way volunteering is organised in the 2014 survey than the previous year and also about the amount of training available to support the work they do and the extent to which their skill and experience is used effectively.
•  More volunteers feel they are kept well informed about the Palace and the Park’s priorities in 2014 than 2013, and also about important changes in the way things are done, that managers take time explaining why and that they can express their opinion on how things are run.
• A higher number feel there are opportunities to do new things and take on new responsibilities in the recent survey than in 2013 and that their views are listened to.
• The number of volunteers wanting to be involved in heritage rose slightly.
• A slightly higher number see volunteering as an opportunity to enhance their CV although a large number feel ‘neutral’ or disagree with this statement.
• A smaller number of volunteers see volunteering as an opportunity to learn new skills in 2014 than 2013.

Click on the images below for the comparison charts.

Volunteer Forum

Many thanks to all of you that attended the volunteer forum on the 7th October in the stables. For those of you that were unable to make it, we covered the following points:

• Volunteer survey - 43 volunteers completed the survey this year. Thanks to those of you who completed the survey. The results are featured in detail above as well as in charts located at the end of the newsletter.
• Volunteer portal/website - Beth Bishop outlined the new website, which is in development with the assistance of a focus group of Palace volunteers. The website will enable volunteers to sign up to rotas, keep in touch with the latest news via a blog, and find training materials and updates.  Ultimately this will replace the volunteer newsletter.
• Staff updates - New staff were introduced.  Kate, Miranda, Lucy and Sian gave updates from their areas.  It was confirmed that Pauline McCormack’s secondment as Community Development Officer ends on 31 March 2015.  The volunteer administration will be covered by Lauren Cox, Administrator, and Sian will take over the meetings with the volunteer reps.
• Restoration - Sian outlined the next steps with our lottery bid. We will be submitting on 28 November 2014, and then next year we will hopefully be able to develop our project in more detail. The project will tackle exterior repairs to the Tudor quadrangle, provide a shop/orientation centre and exhibition space in the north wing of Tudor quadrangle, site interpretation, improved paths, tree planting, lots of talks, tours and opportunities for volunteer involvement.
• Visits to other sites - The overwhelmingly most popular option was an annual visit by coach to a site that offers a garden and historic house or visitor experience.  In the first year we’ll look at somewhere like Wisley or Great Dixter. Volunteers said they would be happy to make a nominal contribution to cover transport costs. We’ll be in touch with further information but will aim to organise a trip for May or June next year.  In addition to this staff may well organise smaller trips to London sites accessible by public transport.

Next year's Volunteer Forums have been scheduled, so please check the Calendar to RSVP.