Friends' AGM
Warm tributes were paid to John McCarthy who is leaving office after six years as chairman of the Friends of Kingston Museum and Heritage Service, at the Friends AGM on Wednesday 12th February. Anne McCormack Head of the Museum Service, thanked him on behalf of all the staff for his valuable and continuing support. John McCarthy is succeeded as chairman by John Woodland, and John McCarthy remains as vice-chairman.
Chairing the AGM, the Deputy Mayor of Kingston, Councillor Lally Malik praised the Friends for the invaluable support they provide for the Museum, Archives and Local History Research Room to the benefit of the community.
The Friends have a very strong membership of well over 300, providing much-needed volunteer and financial assistance. Members raise funds for the purchase of exhibits, attract grant-aid for special projects, provide volunteers as stewards and assist with the funding of special exhibitions. Corporate members, Russell-Cooke Solicitors, are especially generous in regularly funding exhibitions of national importance that would otherwise be out of reach of the Museum's small budget.
Our collections need to expand to take into consideration new priorities, said Anne McCormack. We are looking at the 1950s for a special exhibition later in the year, and we are partcipating in an exciting London-wide Black and Asian collecting initiative. The Friends' have been successful in securing grants for a 1950s reminiscence project and an oral history project with Kingston's minority communities. This will help towards preserving unique material for future generations that is representative of our whole community.