Honorary President: Dame Anne Begg M.P

President: Douglas Welsh

Vice President: Alan Donaldson

Secretary: Robert Cerretti

Treasurer: Dave Ramsay

01569 750730

Saturday, 01 December 2018

Maggie Law Museum Update (February) (Committee and Community Council)

New CONCERNS and new DEVELOPMENTS

  • With 8 weeks to go before I withdraw from the Museum to manage new Projects and developments, there are still no formal proposals from the Committee, the Community Council or the community, about how the transition phase will be managed, or moreover, the future management of the Museum
  • Technically and legally, if no interim or future arrangements are made for March 31stthe total responsibility for the management of the Museum would revert to the existing office bearers: Douglas Welsh, Alan Donaldson (Vice President) and Robert Cerretti (Secretary) along with the remaining Committee members.
  • From March 31st the overall financial management of the Museum, would revert to Douglas Welsh and Robert Cerretti, these being the only two authorised signatories for the bank account.
  • What is needed is a volunteer who can take on the day to day Treasurer role, and also the Financial Directorship of Funding, Sponsorship, Grant Applications, Heritage Lottery Fund applications, and generating local Business Community sponsorship and support.
  • Alternatively, if this is difficult to achieve, I would suggest that two volunteers sharing the overall financialmanagement roles should be sought.
  • The website is / has beenan extremely important part of the development of the Museum services. Deryk McNeill, has agreed to take on the web enquiries, updating, and web maintenance along with George McGillivray the webmaster. Derek is very clear that this is only an INTERIM arrangement, until the new management of the Museum is in place.
  • A formal launch is being planned for Monday 31st March to signal the start of the third summer season of the Museum.
  • Named management individuals will need to be in place by the end of February to allow notification / changes of contact and contract details to service providers, with effect from 31st March.

New Developments

A significant number of new developments are either

now in place or planned, for the benefit

of the Museum and the community.

Some of these will be in place by 31st March, but others

are longer term, and will require management oversight and continuity.

  • In January 2015 the Museum was awarded a total of £3,000 from the Kincardine and Mearns Area Top Up Budget for three integrated Projects (Publicy supported by Councillors and Area Manager, Willie Munro, on the basis of past track record by the Museum)
  • £1,200 for the production of a present day fishing documentary of Gourdon, to compare / contrast with the 1980 production featuring Alex Welsh (Angela Wells, Gourdon School, already in discussion about pupil and community involvement)
  • £800 for the production of architects drawings, artist’s impressions, and a feasibility study, into transforming the old boatshed (presently leased to the boat builders until October 2015) into The Old Boatshed Gallery, an exhibition area, and gallery space and meeting space, with toilet facilities and a coffee bar. (To be open as all year round facility) It is intended that the operation of the Gallery, whilst under the Maggie Law Maritime Museum umbrella, would be registered and operated as a separate community social enterprise, offering employment opportunities for people who may benefit from sheltered employment as well. (See proposal at end of Update)
  • £1,000 for the upgrade of computers in the Upper Deck of the Museum in order to link with schools. The first to take place will be the link between Bervie School and the Museum, enabling six pupils in the Museum to work directly with their fellow pupils in the classroom.
  • A formal reception will take place atthe end of February to acknowledge the provision of The Linton – MowattEducation Suite in the Upper Deck, with Aberdeenshire Council and Linton Business Park representatives, who have sponsored the computers and audio and office equipment. The facility will be of benefit to schools, researchers, visitors, tourists and will enable families to work -on line on research and maritime heritage topics.
  • A stained glass memorial window depicting the Gourdon harbour area, will be installed in the Velux windowof the Upper Deck, at a cost of £500, which has been sponsored by National Oilwell Varco in Montrose. The wall in which the window will be housed, will have a number of small memorial plaques dedicated to the individuals and crews of Gourdon fishermen, who have been lost at sea. A formal dedication service by the Rev. Dennis Rose, along with community representatives will take place at the end of February.
  • The reprint of the Roy Souter book, A Wild and Rocky Coast, has sold almost 250 copies since the formal launch at the end of November.
  • Martin Woodgett, the great grandson of Captain Richard Woodget, the longest serving Master of the Cutty Sark, will be coming to talk to the pupils at Bervie School about their Cutty Sark Project. Martin is the person who donated the magnificent Cutty Sark model to the Museum last year.
  • I have also arranged that Martin will give a public lecture / illustrated talk on his family connections with the Cutty Sark, at a heritage event in the Burgh Hall, Inverbervie on Tuesday 12th May.
  • The Sea Fish Authority held a very successful meeting in the Museum last week, with local fishermen from Gourdon, Stonehaven and Montrose, about a new pilot scheme to identify the current fishing grounds and fishing activity. ( A donation of £50 was made to the Museum, by Dr Kyla Orr, the consultant in charge of the Project.
  • Proposal: Given the scope and scale of The Old Boatshed Gallery project, I would like to propose that Jacky Niven, Gourdon, be co – opted on to the Community Council, with a specific liaison representative, with responsibility for the development of the Project in line with the Community Development opportunity which the Gallery represents.

The Maggie Law Maritime Museum, Gourdon, DD10 0LW,

Tel: 01561 361855