A new role. Director of Connect-Conserve Cymru.

After many years of work within the field of Natural Science conservation, I am honoured to have the opportunity to share some of that experience and knowledge through my newly appointed role as Director of Connect-Conserve Cymru | Cyswllt-Cadwraeth Cymru.

Connect-Conserve Cymru is a not-for-profit community interest company that connects conservators from all disciplines throughout Wales, founded during the Covid 19 pandemic by fellow company Director and conservator Dr Victoria Purewal ACR. It offers training, tutoring and mentoring to emerging professionals and aims to work as a cooperative, delivering projects using shared expertise. The main goal is to ensure that community collections in Wales have free access to advice and conservation, so that these treasured memories are not lost or put at risk. You can read more about Connect-Conserve Cymru in this blog written by Victoria Purewal for the ICON website.

It’s taken a lot of hard work to get the community interest company up and running but we’ve had a fantastic start securing some wonderful projects for our cooperative of approximately 30 conservators.
Our first contract was working with the Rhondda Heritage Park Museum, pictured below.

 

Our second contract was at Barnard Castle working on an incredible project with Dig Ventures, where conservators Kate Andrew and Vicky Purewal were filmed for the BBC One Mammoth Graveyard programme, presented by Professor Ben Garrod and Sir David Attenborough and televised in December 2021.

 

© DigVentures Ltd. Connect-Conserve Cymru conservators Kate Andrew and Victoria Purewal inspecting a 260,000 year old mammoth tusk

 

Image of Professor Ben Garrod and SIr David Attenborough filming the BBC One Mammoth Graveyard programme.

Our third project was working with Natural History conservator Nigel Larkin and a Cardiff University master student Roseanna Killeen, using thermal imagery to detect cold spots at Erddig Hall, see below.

Our next step is to get our website up and running, but in the meantime you can stay up to date with Connect-Conserve Cymru projects on these social media platforms.