The Press Office helps fulfil the remit of building the volume and value of visitors to Chiltern Open Air Museum (COAM) by raising the profile through targeting the consumer media locally, regionally and nationally and the travel trade media.

• Developing a PR strategy and plan to stimulate demand and revenue for the Museum, to maximise the PR opportunities around each event and to ensure that the visitor experience is of high standard.

• Promoting the quality kite mark awards achieved by the Museum in 2009 (Museum Accreditation/Learning Outside the Classroom Quality Badge) to highlight the ongoing high standards of excellence in delivery of its visitor offer.

• Increasing the advertising equivalence value for media coverage year on year.

COAM - where is it?

Chiltern Open Air Museum is set in the beautiful Chiltern Hills - an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Near to Chalfont St. Peter and Chalfont St. Giles in South Buckinghamshire, it is easily reached from the M25 (Junction 17 - Maple Cross), the M40 (Junction 2 - Beaconsfield), and under an hour from central London.

COAM - what is it?

The 45 acre museum is a wealth of over thirty wonderfully restored buildings from town and villages around the area covering over 2000 years of history. Founded over thirty years ago, the Museum has developed into a centre of excellence in the interpretation of the built heritage of the area.

COAM - what happens there?

There are events happening throughout the year to tempt every 'would be' Roman Centurion, Jacobite from 18^th century England, medieval knight, or 'Dad's Army home guard'.

COAM - who is it targeting?

Chiltern Open Air Museum's award winning education programmes offer comprehensive school visits linked to the National Curriculum for Key Stages 1 to 4. It also offers tailor-made programmes for college and university students, as well as adult craft courses for clubs, societies or birthday parties. Guided tours, craft demonstrations, activities and catering for your group are available on request. Corporate hire of the Museum site or historic buildings is also available.

COAM - what is the quality of its delivery?

Chiltern Open Air Museum has been awarded two top prestigious quality kite marks in 2009.

• In February 2009, the Museum was awarded the new status as an Accredited Museum by the national Museums Libraries and Archives Council. This is a quality 'kite mark' to indicate that the museum meets and surpasses national standards in governance, visitor services and collections care. http://www.mla.gov.uk/what/raising_standards/accreditation

• In March 2009 the Museum was one of the first in the country to receive the Learning Outside the Classroom Quality Badge, promising to engage in the ongoing process to sustain high quality learning outside the classroom to meet all of the LOtC Quality Badge indicators. http://www.lotc.org.uk/

12 July 2010 Ever thought you should have a go at volunteering?
Award winning Chiltern Open Air Museum is holding a series of ‘Volunteers Open Days’ over the next two weeks, with the aim of recruiting new volunteers to the team.  The sessions will include an introduction to volunteering and a tour of the Museum, together with an opportunity to talk to the staff about the various roles available.

10 July 2010 Come up and see our etchings!
Award winning Chiltern Open Air Museum is showcasing local artistic talent this weekend (July 17/18) at their ‘Art Weekend’, and giving local artists the chance to be inspired by the many wonderful buildings and animals on their Newland Park site. And visitors will have chance to meet the artists and ‘have a go’ at some of the wide range of art form on offer.

7 July 2010 Why not become a volunteer?
Award winning Chiltern Open Air Museum is holding a series of ‘Volunteers Open Days’ over the next two weeks, with the aim of recruiting new volunteers to the team.  The sessions will include an introduction to volunteering and a tour of the Museum, together with an opportunity to talk to the staff about the various roles available.

16 June 2010 Every Breed of Traditional Working Horse at Museum!
This weekend at the award winning Chiltern Open Air Museum is the hugely popular Heavy Horse Show – the annual event where every breed of traditional heavy horse is represented. There will be a host of working horses from the Hertfordshire Heavy Horse Association visit the Museum to demonstrate the essential role of heavy horses in the traditional rural landscape.

8 June 2010 Middle Ages Revisited - action packed weekend at Chiltern Open Air Museum
A visit to the Chiltern Open Air Museum this weekend (12-13 June 2010) will provide a glimpse into the medieval way of life and warfare as a small group of historic interpreters from the 15^th Century Living History group, ‘Pelican-in-her-Piety,’ makes their annual visit to this interesting and lively Museum. And an added bonus on the afternoon of 13 June will be Traditional English Morris Dancing where visitors can find out about the history, music and customs of Morris Dancing.

8 June 2010 Chiltern Open Air Museum Awarded Major Funding
Chiltern Open Air Museum has been awarded major funding by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) under its ‘Skills for the Future’ programme*. The grant will be received over a four year period and will enable the Museum to take on eight trainees in heritage education and volunteer management.

29 May 2010 Rare Cherry Orchard Opens
A new cherry orchard has been officially opened at award winning Chiltern Open Air Museum by Countess Howe, The High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire. The exciting new project is  helping to safeguard the future of some rare cherry tree species, once common in the area. As part of its mission to recreate the traditional built and natural landscape of the area, the Museum team has created a new cherry orchard and supporters and Friends of the Museum are being given a unique opportunity to sponsor individual cherry trees. The response has been amazing with people sponsoring trees in memory of loved ones as well as present and future generations.

18 May 2010 - Join in on the Farm - Traditional working horses!
This weekend (May 22/23) at award winning Chiltern Open Air Museum visitors will have chance to see each breed of heavy horse usually found in the UK – demonstrating how life used to be on the farm before tractors! And to add to the weekend's activities, the Museum will be introducing two new and delightful young shire horses - West Winds Samuel & West Winds Joshua.

2009 Press Releases

Jacky Brookes
Press Officer, Chiltern Open Air Museum
marketingcoam@btconnect.com
Office Tel: +44 (0) 1494 871117
Mobile No: 07970 053883
Fax No: 01494 872774