Heritage officer welcomed aboard as staff prepare for £3m revamp
A heritage activities officer has been welcomed aboard Dudley Canal Trust as staff prepare to start work on a new £3 million redevelopment project.
Sarah Fellows has been recruited to help the attraction to make the best use of its new education and heritage centre, which is expected to be completed by Easter next year. The 28-year-old from Kidderminster will be responsible for developing a programme of activities to attract visitors.
Having qualified in 2008 at Birmingham University with an MA in heritage management and a BSc in geology and archaeology, her previous portfolio of projects includes work for the Avoncroft Museum in Bromsgrove, ThinkTank in Birmingham and the Regal Cinema, Tenbury Wells.
Her new role at Dudley Canal Trust will be to structure workshops and activities to attract specific groups, such as visiting families, schools and local interest groups, and to investigate partnership projects with other Dudley-based organisations.
"It's incredibly exciting to be here for the start of the build." said Mrs Fellows.
"The new indoor space will create a far more versatile venue that will enable us to revamp the existing schools programme, provide linked projects with the likes of the Dudley Museum and Archives, and even offer a really interesting meeting and workspace for local businesses.
"My head's brimming with all sorts of ideas that will hopefully bring in new faces and encourage a diverse range of visitors to make this a regular haunt," she added.
June Hodgetts of Dudley Canal Trust Trips said: "Dudley people are incredibly proud of their heritage and we want to make sure we're connecting with that ingrained Black Country pride, giving them a place they can not only enjoy but feel a part of. Sarah is exactly what we need to inject some fresh ideas and help us engage with the community on a very personal level – connecting them with this venture and giving them even more to be proud of."
The new building, entitled the Portal, will provide the tens of thousands of visitors who go to the site every year with information on the Black Country's canal heritage.
The £3m project will also include a new swing bridge linking the canalside attraction to the Black Country Living Museum and a covered area for people embarking on boat trips.
