Issue 36 2023 - Journal - Page 67
the same opportunities to tender for work through
Connect. Success is usually dependent on their availability, their specialism and who replies first! So far, we have
employed 11 conservators/specialists and undertaken 9
projects. We also provide training are currently developing
new courses and so are happy to hear from other conservators that have specific training needs.
The programme ‘Mammoth Graveyards’ was broadcast
on the 30th December 2021 at 8pm on BBC 1.
Unbeknown to us at the time, this programme did have
Ben Garrod presenting and narration by Sir David
Attenborough himself! Since then we have undertaken
further conservation on the tusk and some of the material
shown on the table in front of Ben and Sir David.
We are working with students and non-accredited
conservators too, who are offered the opportunity to work
alongside accredited conservators in the private and
institutional sector, undertaking varied and interesting
roles to broaden their experience and add to their
portfolios. We actively support emerging professionals and
those on the accreditation pathway and have already
offered training and student placements.
What next?
We are still in the early stages and so necessary groundwork is still to do. We are working on our mission
statement and vision, we need to fine tune our business
plan and financial forecast and then we need to develop
a website, raise our profile through this and through social
media, generally upping our game.
We are about to launch a website and so there will be a
different email address in which to contact me, but in the
meantime please contact the email below for any more
information.
Recent Projects
Although Connect-Conserve Cymru is now a
collaboration of 28 accredited conservators from very varied disciplines, we do still undertake natural science conservation. The most unexpected opportunity arose from
an archaeological company, DigVentures Ltd., requesting
we travel to Barnard Castle to assess and apply remedial
conservation to a 260,000-year-old mammoth tusk.
One area that I did not see as being a problem is
connecting with charitable organisations and community
groups to be able to offer the conservation work and
training that we do. We have only made contact with one
such community group and just before we were to undertake the work, they lost their premises. They have promised to get back in touch once they are on firmer ground
but these are particularly hard times for all social
businesses. The target for Connect is to spread the word
Whilst we were there, myself and geological conservator
Kate Andrew were filmed in time- lapse working on the
mammoth tusk, and this footage was then televised on
primetime TV.
Above, Kate Andrew and Victoria Purewal Inspecting a 260,000 year old mammoth tusk. Footage of our actually conserving the tusk was
filmed as a time lapse for the BBC programme Mammoth Graveyards. © DigVentures Ltd
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