Bunyan unveils new trails

The museum, which reopens on February 14 and continuing its special winter opening times, has been doing major work to improve the collections store, updated the museum lighting and disabled access.

The new children’s trails have been designed to help families explore and enjoy the museum.

We are also planning for Thursday 16th February, when we will be running

Children’s workshops ‘Potions, Posies, and Poems’, in partnership with Bedford Chronicles, will be running on Thursday, February 16.

If you are interested in being part of the dedicated volunteer team who make this all possible, the museum is holding a recruitment event at 10.30am on Saturday, January 21, for anyone interested in helping out.

The independent (not funded by council or government) museum, part of Bunyan Meeting in the heart of Bedford’s Cultural Quarter, is run by a team of dedicated volunteers of all ages.

The museum needs volunteers to help welcome the visitor and keep the museum open. It is also looking for volunteers with skills and experience in working with schools, leading group tours, marketing, admin, or who have an interest in working with the collections.

For the first time it is also looking for volunteers to support Bunyan Meeting’s new arts initiative- The Basement @ Bunyan, as gallery stewards, and to support the various projects and activities that take place there.

Volunteer Diana Palmer said: “What I love about being a volunteer is the wide variety of people I’ve met - visitors from around the world and the other diverse volunteers. I enjoy the chances to get involved with other activities which help keep the museum vibrant: helping to produce children’s trails, craft activities, the handling collection and the shop. It makes volunteering here very satisfying.”

The session on January 21 starts at 10.30am in the Foyer Coffee Shop at Bunyan Meeting, (entrance off of Mill Street) and includes a tour of the site and information on what volunteering for the John Bunyan Museum is all about.

The museum will be open on Saturdays, January 14, 21 and 28, February 4 and 11, 10am-3pm.

The children’s workshops start at 10.30am and 1.30am, lasting about 1hr 30mins, on Thursday February 16. The cost is £3 per child and booking is advisable as numbers are limited.

The museum will fully reopen on Tuesday, February 14, and continue to open Tuesday to Saturday 11am-4pm until October (Closed Good Friday) and admission is free.

For more details contact the Curator Nicola Sherhod on 01234 270303 or email [email protected]

www.bunyanmeeting.co.uk/museum

For more details of The Basement @ Bunyan contact David Walker on 07936 907981 or email [email protected]