Dear All
I’m writing to ask you to support Amgueddfa Cymru, and our colleagues around the Welsh heritage sector, by signing a petition to the Senedd to reconsider the extensive cuts they have made to our sector. You can read about what this will
mean to us here:
Petition launched against cuts
to Welsh museums and heritage - Museums Association
The petition itself can be found here:
https://petitions.senedd.wales/petitions/246088
For Amgueddfa Cymru this amounts to a 10.5% cut, the majority of which is being actioned through staff redundancies. Nearly 100 staff are losing their jobs across the organisation and this follows extensive losses that were inflicted almost
exactly 10 years ago as well.
My department, Natural Sciences, is losing 6 of 28 posts, a 20% loss of staff. At the moment those of us in zoology or botany roles are mostly ok although the changes are not finalised and may still be extended, however our colleagues in
geology have been devastated.
Have you ever used any of our services? Have you enjoyed visiting the museums, including those at St Fagans, Caerleon, Big Pit, Llanberis and Drefach? Or exploring the natural sciences galleries or attending events and new exhibitions?
The museums will no longer be free to visit in the future as charging will be reintroduced within the next year and our ability to stage and support new events and exhibitions will be limited.
Have you used our professional services for identification or survey support? These are all under threat and I urge you to sign the petition and pass this on to colleagues and friends and ask them to as well.
This may seem of most relevance to those of you in Wales but for those of you outside of Wales this matters too – our work extends across the UK and I know we have worked with and supported many of you outside of Wales too. Support for
Amgueddfa Cymru will also show support for the work that happens in other museums that is being slowly eroded.
Many of us are the last remaining of our kind in the UK with fewer and fewer taxonomists and subject experts being professionally employed anywhere and few left in any of the other National Museums either. Almost no taxonomic research on
UK polychaetes now happens outside of Wales but new species are still being described with two new descriptions in the last year showing that there is still much more to be done and a desperate lack of up to date knowledge on the group around the UK. It is
a similar story for our colleagues in mollusca, entomology and botany as well so please support us and let everyone else know what is happening too.
https://petitions.senedd.wales/petitions/246088
Thank you for your support – please make the most of our services while we are still here!
Teresa
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Dr Teresa
Darbyshire
Uwch Guradur (Anfeiliaid Di-asgwrn-cefn Morol |
Senior Marine Curator (Marine Invertebrates)
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Her
Y Gwyddorau Naturiol |
Natural Sciences
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Ieithoedd | Languages:
Cymraeg (Dysgwr) | Welsh (Learner),
Saesneg | English
Oriau gwaith | Working hours:
Dydd Llun - dydd Gwener | Monday
- Friday
amgueddfa.cymru | museum.wales
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Rhif elusen | Charity number 525774
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