Museum hailed as example of best practice across UK

Ryedale Folk Museum in the North York Moors National Park is described as “remarkable” and a beacon of best practice for the whole museum sector.

The author of the report, Dr Bernadette Lynch, of Manchester University, visited the museum in the picturesque village of Hutton-le-Hole, near Pickering. and met with volunteers, staff, trustees and partners.

All had stories to tell her about the impact the museum has made on their lives and the local community.

Following up on the report the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, a prestigious charity which supports the arts in the UK, is offering the museum a chance to bid for funding over the next four years to develop its community volunteering model further and share its work with other museums in the UK.

Two years ago the Foundation selected 12 museums across the UK for an in-depth investigation of how they placed community needs, values and participation at the core of museum and gallery work.

The emphasis on community is said to result in a deeper, stronger and more meaningful sense of ownership of their local museums and galleries.

Two years of research and working with the selected organizations has resulted in a 148-page report, titled Engagement at the Heart of Museums and Galleries.

It is fulsome in its praise for the excellent work of the museum, its 200-strong army of volunteers under the “visionary leadership” of museum director Mike Benson.

It also praises its partnerships with other organizations, including local schools and the probationary service.

Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, said: “I am delighted that Ryedale Folk Museum has been given the national recognition it so justly deserves.

“This is a fantastic example of hard-working volunteers and staff joining forces to create a hugely successful attraction in the community which looks set to go from strength to strength.

“To be recognised as a ‘beacon of best practice for the whole museum sector’ is a tremendous feat.”