Advocacy
The Society continues to play an active role in protecting and promoting the prehistoric heritage through responding to consultations and communicating its views on relevant issues.
Current and recent examples include
- Canvassing opinion and drafting a statement with regard to concerns that some Museums have introduced charging for access to museum collections: See right for Statement. Responses: The Independent newspaper coverage, Museums Association's response and Society of Museum Archaeologist's response.
- Writing to Herefordshire Councillors and MPs regarding the proposal to reduce or stop council funding to its heritage services
- Writing to the Culture Minister, Welsh Government, and the DG of National Museum Wales, about the loss of 21 jobs and changes to 121 others in the major restructure of National Museum Wales
- Successful lobbying to extend the excavation of Cherrymount Crannog, Co. Fermanagh, in 2012 : initially only 6 weeks were granted by Northern Ireland Roads Authority, but due to lobbying, this period was significantly extended, with wonderful results
- Assisting Jersey Museum in effecting the repatriation of a Neolithic jadeitite bangle that had been on sale in the USA
The Society responded in May 2013 to an announcement by the Chief Executive of Herefordshire Council that, due to swingeing cutbacks, it would be necessary to “reduce or stop council funding of a range of services including those in the areas of leisure, recreation and culture” – which would mean the potential dissolution of Herefordshire’s Museum Service, plus cuts to Herefordshire Archaeology. See our letter here. In response, Bill Wiggin MP has sent a sympathetic reply and has set up a page on his website where your views about the cuts can be expressed; he asks for suggestions of alternative areas where cuts could be made instead.