As we enter the new Arts Council England funding period, museums from across Hampshire, Portsmouth, Southampton and the Isle of Wight have joined the Museum Development South West area. We extend a warm welcome to those museums, as well as three new faces who will be working with us to support them.

A young woman with shoulder length sandy coloured hair wearing a black and white striped vestAlice le Page is the new Museum Development Officer for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. She started in the role at the beginning of April and will be available three days a week. Alice has worked in the museum sector for 15 years, primarily in a freelance capacity. Her background is in museum learning and, since completing a Masters in Museum and Galleries in Education, she has worked with, volunteered in, and sat on the Board of many museum and heritage organisations across London and the south of England. In her last role as Museums Relationship Manager for Arts Council England (South West), Alice enjoyed getting to know the museums in Hampshire and, as she has lived in north Hampshire since 2010, is delighted to do her bit to support the area’s museums.

A white man wearing glasses with spiky grey hair. Philip Claris has joined Museum Development South West as Technical Accreditation Adviser for Hampshire, Portsmouth, Southampton and the Isle of Wight. He will work alongside Tim Burge who provides the same support for the rest of Museum Development South West. Previously, he was the Accreditation Adviser for South East Museum Development so will provide continuity for museums in the area. You can contact Philip directly if you have a query about the accreditation standard, for accreditation queries more specific to your museum and the schedule of returns, please start by contacting your local Museum Development Officer. Philip and Tim will be keeping in close contact with our Museum Development Officers to ensure that technical accreditation advice provided by the whole team is consistent and up-to-date.

A white woman who is smiling widely, she has long brown wavy hair.Corina Westwood is the latest addition to our Board. She has worked as a museum curator for over 20 years and has recently been appointed as Libraries and Heritage Manager for the Isle of Wight Council. A qualified primary school teacher, she is passionate about working with young people and volunteers. Corina is a strong believer in the strength of networks and partnership to create positive change.

If you are a museum in Hampshire or the Isle of Wight make sure you say hello to our new team members!