What if there is no shoestring? SWFED Fleet Air Museum Yeovilton 7th March 2019

Jet Age Museum History 1984 - An idea was born! Form a Museum to honour work of Gloster Aircraft Company! 1991-Brockworth G(loucestershire). A(viation). C(ollection). 1997 - Hangar 7 - Staverton (men in sheds). 2000 -Belfast Hangar Brockworth (same men bigger shed). 2001- Bentham-Shadow Factory (more sheds). 2002 - Brockworth Court (this time it’s a barn). 2006 - Brockworth Enterprise School. Jet Age Museum History

2010 – Staverton. Home at Last (Opened May 2014). Funding £300,000 (none of which was allocated for education) Totally volunteer led and manned. £375,000 funding raised for phase 2a (new hanger) Phase 2b includes a dedicated education centre. 2017 Queens Award for Voluntary Service. Over 130,000 visitor to date. Over 1500 students in the last 8 years. Jet Age Museum History

No money! At least have a policy. “To promote and preserve the aeronautical heritage of Gloucestershire for the benefit of the public”. “To exhibit to members of the public materials related to flying, the air and space industry and its associated technology by means of the establishment and maintenance of an aviation museum and other temporary or permanent exhibitions”. No money! At least have a policy.

No money! At least have a policy. “Preserving the past inspiring the future.” No money! At least have a policy.

No money! At least have a policy. Jackie Harris Jackie had recently obtained arts council funding for the National Waterways Museum. She also wrote a white paper on our education programme. Initial target primary schools Trevor Davies Drive Experienced journalist Not interested in aircraft. No money! At least have a policy.

Develop local networks Schools Further education Industry Local airport (Staverton) Air cadets Professional bodies (RAeS, I MechE) Other interested parties (LAC, local history groups) Local charities (Fly2help, Butterfly Garden) Develop local networks

Engaging schools Make life as easy as possible for teachers. Schools are bombarded with invitations to attend museums and attractions. The cost of a coach being the most expensive part of the day, the entry fee is not the thing that puts them off. For many teachers, they want to know that the site has a risk assessment for the school visits (so that they don’t have to do their own). Somewhere to have lunch. We do not charge for a visit but ask for donation. Engaging schools

Develop your team & material Not just propeller heads. STEM ambassadors from industry Historical re-enactors Education professional Funding specialists Communication specialists Have a common aim and train the team. Volunteers who are confident with children. Volunteers confident with the technical material Why are we doing this? Develop material We have a flexible series activities and tailor for each visit. Navigation History of flight How things fly Mini gear Build a plane Paper planes We also have history based talks around the museum. WWI and WWII Early jets Local industries contribution Women in aviation Now expanding to cover secondary students. Thrust to weight Build a cargo plane Powerplants Develop your team & material

Education events supported Week day education visits Target 1 per month School outreach events Special museum celebrations 100 years of the RAF Women in aviation Gloucestershire Cool Aero (two day education event) 2016 (150 years of the RAeS) 2017 (The future of aerospace) 2018 (100 years of the RAF) 2019 (Women in aviation) Education events supported

Summary Enthusiasm Core team Flex your network Listen to the experts 200 volunteers Education team <5% Core team Local expertise (technical, educational, historical) Flex your network Companies may not provide funding, but can be useful for “In Kind” support, people, equipment, time. Listen to the experts Elicit feedback from customers (positive and negative) Review each event with team Be flexible Make it enjoyable for both students and volunteers Summary