The King's Lynn and West Norfolk Area Museums Committee met to discuss museum activities, visitor figures, and local government reorganisation. The committee was scheduled to discuss the Assistant Head of Museums' report, the True's Yard report, and visitor figures for the Stories of Lynn and the Tourist Information Centre. They were also scheduled to receive an update on local government reorganisation.

Report of the Assistant Head of Museums

The committee was scheduled to receive a report from Dr Robin Hanley, Assistant Head of Museums, regarding King's Lynn Museum activities between June and July 2025.

Exhibitions and Events

The report included information on current and forthcoming exhibitions at the Lynn Museum, including:

• May the Toys Be with You, an exhibition of vintage Star Wars toys and original cinema posters from 1977-1985, which opened in July 2025 and is scheduled to run until May 2026. The report stated that feedback suggested the exhibition had attracted a higher proportion of first-time visitors than usual.
• Woof: A Celebration of Dogs, an exhibition that opened in October 2024 and ran until late June 2025. The exhibition drew upon natural history, archaeology, art and social history collections.
• Unboxed: Discovering Lynn's Collections (working title), a forthcoming exhibition that will focus on the breadth of the King's Lynn collections.

The report also provided details of family events, family trails, mini museum activities, coffee mornings, talks, and workshops that had taken place at the Lynn Museum.

Newman Legacy Project

The committee was scheduled to receive an update on the Newman Legacy project, which is supported by a legacy from the late Eric and Rita Newman. The project involves cataloguing and documenting material in the museum stores.

Other Museum Developments

The report also covered other museum developments, including publicity and promotion, NMS Teaching Museum Trainees, the retail offer at Lynn Museum, object photography, volunteers, the Baines Publication, and Finds Identification and Recording Day.

Dr Phil Hughes, Team Leader – Finds Identification and Recording, is quoted in the report, saying:

I'm thrilled that these events are getting some attention and have proven to be a great success so far!

Dr Hughes also provided details of some of the finds that had been recorded at the events, including a medieval gold finger ring with intact gemstone, a medieval silver annular brooch, and a gilded medieval ear scoop.

Borough Council Partnership Working

The committee was scheduled to be informed about the ongoing partnership between Norfolk Museums Service and the Borough Council, including support for the Guildhall project. The report stated that Dayna Woolbright, Newman Curator, had produced a series of interpretation panels to inform visitors about the history of the site.

The report also mentioned that Norfolk Museums Service had been supporting the resourcing and delivery of school events at the Guildhall, and that in late July, NMS arranged for the first decant of collections from the St George's Guildhall, moving the theatre seats and historic items to storage rooms at Hunstanton.

The report also provided an update on the Stories of Lynn project, and the plans to place more artworks from the town collection on public display.

Learning and Outreach

The report included information on school visits to the Lynn Museum, and the Kick the Dust project.

The Kick the Dust project is a youth engagement programme that aims to develop transferable work-related skills, digital skills, and creative skills in young people. The project is funded by Arts Council England and Norfolk County Council Public Health.

The report stated that since the start of the ACE funded ''Kick the Dust'' project (June 2023) there had been:

• 5,157 interventions
• 1,505 individual young people
• 3,017 hours of quality activity.

The report also included data on the impact of the Kick the Dust project on young people's mental health and wellbeing.

Recommendation

The report recommended that the Area Museums Committee note the report.

True's Yard Report

The committee was scheduled to receive a report from Lindsey Bavin, Museum Curator, regarding True's Yard Fisherfolk Museum activities.

The report provided information on temporary exhibitions and events at the museum, including:

• An upcoming exhibition in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Great Gale of 1875.
• The Summer Art Exhibition.
• The True's Talks autumn programme.
• The Pat Midgley Memorial Lecture, which will be on the commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Great Gale of 1875.
• The Victorian Experience: North End Guided Walks Programme.

The report also mentioned the Mayor's Charity of the Year, the Friends of True's Yard, and the partnership with Hardwick Road Cemetery.

In addition, the report provided details of learning and outreach activities, including summer holiday activity days and the Oral History Project.

The report stated that visitor numbers for the year 2024/25 were 11,701.

The report recommended that the Area Committee note the report.

Stories of Lynn and Tourist Information Centre Visitor Figures

The committee was scheduled to receive visitor figures for the Stories of Lynn and the Tourist Information Centre.

Updates on Local Government Reorganisation

The committee was scheduled to receive updates on local government reorganisation.