Bath Preservation Trust
Bath Preservation Trust is an independent charity which campaigns to protect the unique qualities of this historic city. It also owns and runs four museums: No.1 Royal Crescent, the Herschel Museum of Astronomy, the Museum of Bath Architecture, and Beckford's Tower. Each site offers an insight into a different, fascinating aspect of Bath’s Georgian history through its permanent collections and temporary exhibitions. Key personalities such as William Beckford, and William and Caroline Herschel are brought to life, and Bath’s rich social and architectural past is also conveyed.
- Updated:
- 17 September 2019
- Location:
- South West
- Sectors:
- Arts, Charity, Education Sector, heritage, Local Authorities, Membership organisation, Recreation, Schools, Voluntary Sector
- Local Alliances:
- Bath & North East Somerset
1. Action Plan
1. The National Dementia Declaration lists seven outcomes that the DAA are seeking to achieve for people with dementia and their carers. How would you describe your organisation’s role in delivering better outcomes for people with dementia and their carers?
The BPT is committed to engaging with as diverse an audience as possible, to ensure that the exciting stories and collections at our museums are shared with a wide range of community groups. To this end, the BPT runs tailored partnership projects for people with dementia and their carers. At No.1 Royal Crescent, the Recollection project is a successful collaboration whereby health professionals, an artist and a museum learning officer provide a relaxed opportunity to learn and create in a stimulating but non-clinical setting.
Organised visits to other BPT museums by people with dementia have included tactile elements such as try-on costumes, music and handling objects to give a welcoming, fun experience of our historical collections.
The BPT wants to ensure that all visitors, whether on an organised visit or not, have an accessible, enjoyable experience.
2. What are the challenges to delivering these outcomes from the perspective of your organisation?
Financial and staffing constraints are the main barriers. Projects are often externally funded which means it can be difficult to maintain partnership continuity. Dementia friendly training has been held twice for some staff and volunteers across the BPT; there is an organisational aim for all staff and volunteers to have this experience to ensure a supportive environment for visitors with dementia and their carers.
Member website
www.bath-preservation-trust.org.uk2. Actions
-
Organise dementia friends training for all BPT staff and volunteers
We will aim to run 3 training sessions a year to enable the growth of a body of staff and volunteers who offer a skilled welcome to our museums for people with dementia and their carers.
- Status:
- Planning
-
Organise an audit of all four BPT museums
We will organise four visits when a DAA representative, museum administrators and volunteers who have lived experience of dementia will come together to review the current visitor offer. Their feedback report will enable the Learning & Engagement Officer to draw up a timetable for working towards making the BPT’s facilities fully dementia friendly.
- Status:
- Investigating
-
Build partnerships and seek funding for more dementia support projects
The Learning & Engagement Officer will allocate time to developing relationships with local and national organisations and dementia support providers in order to build on our existing experience and project offer. The BPT will actively seek funding streams for this work and evaluate it to ensure it is of a high quality.
- Status:
- Investigating