British Association of Friends of Museums - The Robert Logan Award Winner 2009

THE ROBERT LOGAN AWARD WINNER 2009 - JO ROOKS

The Robert Logan award celebrates the life of a BAFM Chairman killed in a climbing accident during his time in office. Robert worked with young people and it is therefore appropriate that this award should aim to help young people to progress in a competitive career and to build bridges between Friends and the rising generation of professionals and volunteers working in the sector. Past winners have found it an enjoyable and worthwhile experience, and helpful in the development of their careers. We are sure that this year’s winner, Jo Rooks, announced during BAFM’s AGM at the Annual Conference in York, will be no exception to this rule. Jo is the Sustainable Learning Officer at the Museum of East Anglian Life in Suffolk.

I grew up in Stowmarket, a small market town in the heart of rural Suffolk. I completed a degree in History at St Mary's College at Strawberry Hill, Twickenham, in 2001 and lived in the Lake District before returning to my home town in 2004.

I started my career in Museums in 2004 as a seasonal Museum Assistant at The Museum of East Anglian Life in Stowmarket. The Museum of East Anglian Life is a rural life museum set in over seventy acres of countryside, with fifteen historic buildings, farm animals, steam engines and much more. Over the last four years I have moved up the career ladder at the Museum, firstly as a Duty Officer, then with responsibility for the Museum's educational provision and finally, today, I am the Museum's Sustainable Learning Officer.

The Museum of East Anglian Life has been an innovator in the area of social sustainability; looking at ways of increasing community involvement, happiness and wellbeing. This may sound rather avant-garde, but recent studies have shown that how happy we are impacts dramatically on all areas of our lives. I am helping to expand and develop this work which includes a new website exhibition, a day event called 'The Good Life Festival', new site interpretation and children's activities. I also look after school groups, develop new schools' workshops and help at many of the Museum's events; which includes serving a few pints at the annual beer festival!

One of my future challenges is the integration of the Museum's happiness and wellbeing agenda into a large lottery funded re-development of Abbot's Hall, an 18th Century manor house on the Museum site. The Museum currently has six other full-time members of staff, two part-time staff, seven seasonal staff and over one hundred and seventy volunteers! In my spare time I enjoy gardening, reading and doing the occasional cross stitch pattern.