2007 - A NEW YEAR FOR WYTHALL
When the Museum re-opens at Easter 2007 there will be the traditional programme of events days and, with the opening of the Power Hall, we will have something worthwhile to offer visitors who come on non-event days. This will bring new opportunities for members to assist with the 'Visitor Services' aspects of the Museum; perhaps members who have always wanted to 'do their bit' but are not mechanics, or welders, or coachpainters, etc., etc. Please read on.
Top Ten Events
In 2007 the Museum will hold ten main operating days, in the now familiar pattern of four bank holiday weekends, plus midsummer and what we used to call 'Prehibernation Day' in the autumn. In addition, the Museum will be open every weekend from Easter Sunday until the end of November. However, an extra feature will be buses operating on all Saturdays during May and August.
The Museum's bus services will run half-hourly on each of 9 April (Easter Monday), 28 May (Spring Bank Holiday), 24 June (Two Museums Day), 27 August (Summer Bank Holiday & Big Operating Day) and 14 October (Birmingham Buses Birthday Bash). Services will be hourly on each of 8 April(Easter Sunday), 6 May, 7 May (May Day Bank Holiday) and 26 August. These are the minimum frequencies, but extra services might be operated. The miniature steam railway will also run on these dates. See also 'Forthcoming Events' on the back page.
The Saturday service will comprise of two buses at 1pm and 3pm, on each of 5 May, 12 May, 19 May, 26 May, 4 August, 11 August, 18 August, and 25 August.
One of the May weekends will see the formal opening of The Power Hall. This will be advertised later in 'Omnibus', on BaMMOT's website, and in the enthusiast press.
Two Museums Day in midsummer will link Wythall every half hour across Birmingham to the Aston Manor Transport Museum. ThIs will be a joint event with visiting buses and sales stands. The Big Operating Day will be on Summer Bank Holiday Monday and it is planned to run as many different buses as practical alongside the usual attractions.
The final event day of 2007 will be the Birmingham Buses Birthday Bash, particularly for enthusiasts, focusing on Midland Red, Birmingham City Transport and WMPTE buses. October will be the 10th anniversary of the end of West Midlands Fleetline operation and thirty years since Birmingham's last rear entrance buses ran. And it will be CVP207's 70th birthday - send a card!
Indeed, 2007 will see a number of other anniversaries significant to the local transport scene, including forty years since the last Wolverhampton trolleybus, and thirty years since a certain organisation was formed with a plan to build a transport museum somewhere near Bromsgrove. (Hmm! Whatever happened to them?)
How Can You Help?
In recent years we have concentrated on getting sufficient volunteers to staff the Museum on the main event days, while manning the admission kiosk on other days has been left to a relatively small number of people. This has been alright when the Museum was attracting only small numbers of visitors on non-event days. However, with the opening of the Power Hall and the attendant publicity, this could change in 2007. We need to be prepared for larger numbers of visitors on non-event days and, as well as manning the admission kiosk, provide a greater level of site security.
Regular volunteers will receive the usual Museum staffing form early in 2007 but Phil Ireland - Trustee & Museum Manager - is interested to hear from other members who feel they could help staff the Museum on non-event days. There are a number of jobs to be done on those days, not just manning the admission kiosk, so if you feel you could help please get in touch. We hope to set up a number of teams of perhaps two or three people who would normally work together to support each other and give the opportunity to change roles during the day. Husband and wife teams could be an ideal combination!
The Power Hall, remember, is an exhibition hall first, bus garage second. One of the additional tasks, therefore, will be the need to keep both it and its exhibits spick and span. However, the inside of the hall should not get so dusty, because the vehicle access doors will normally be kept closed, except during major events.
If you feel you could help or would like to discuss what is required please get in touch with Phil, or with one of the other Trustees.
Malcolm Keeley, Phil Ireland & Andrew Gardner
Chapel Lane, Wythall, Worcs B47 6JX
Tel : 01564 826471 e-mail us
A registered educational charity no 507191
