Community
Our Work with Communities
We work in partnership with local people and community groups to share our heritage; creating, learning and discovering together.
Using the museum’s collections, we explore the story of our ancient city, the people who call it home and the amazing landscape that surrounds us. Working with people of all ages and perspectives gives us access to new ideas about our shared past and present, so we’re especially keen to work alongside people who may think the museum isn’t a place for them or with our regular audiences in entirely new ways.
We aim to make the museum a trusted social space, community resource and cultural hub by…
- Responding to the needs of local people
- Collaborating on and co-creating projects and events with groups
- Sharing our skills and resources
- Being creative together
- Working alongside community volunteers to connect with more people
- Collecting and sharing new stories to diversify the museum’s work and collections
- Establishing long-term partnerships with community groups and organisations
Click on the links below for further information on our community projects and programmes and details on how you can take part. Keep up to date by following our social media channels @SalisburyMuseum and for specific enquiries contact the museum and ask for our Community Curator.
Current Projects
Set up as a creative relaxed youth club, young people living on the Friary estate can come and work with museum staff on creative projects connected to local history and their community. In May we had an exhibition at the community centre showcasing their work and imagined future version of Salisbury. We are continuing to work on projects going forward, our next one being an exhibition at the Five Rivers Centre in November.
Care and Community Settings – Outreach sessions available for groups in their own settings, including object handling and reminiscence activities.
Conversation Club – A friendly monthly group for people who want to enjoy the museum’s collections and make new connections with others.
Dementia Friendly Tours – Supported tours for groups and individuals led by Dementia Friends museum staff and volunteers.
Older and Wiser – Social and learning opportunities for older people, both for individuals and for organised groups.
Relaxed Opening Hours – Our welcome for people on the Autism Spectrum and all neuro-diverse visitors.
Well-City Salisbury – Creative courses for people with mental health needs and vulnerable individuals and groups delivered in partnership with ArtCare UK, Wessex Archaeology and Wiltshire Creative. Funded by the National Lottery Community Fund.
Wildlife in the Red Digital Workshops - Workshops delivered via Zoom for youth and uniformed groups, inspired by the Wessex Museums virtual exhibition.
Past Projects
COVID-19 Diaries for Salisbury– Oral history project asking local key workers to record audio diaries of their experience during the coronavirus pandemic.
Museum Connect Video Project – Video series where local artists help you get creative using objects from the museum’s collections for inspiration.
The Meaning of Things – A conversation project run in 2019-2020 for small groups of people who didn’t usually visit the museum, exploring what things we keep and why we keep them.
