About us
Museum Development East Midlands (MDEM) is part of a national network of Museum Development providers across England. MDEM offers a continually updated programme of activities and support targeted at the needs of accredited museums and those with Working Towards Accreditation status.
Museum Development East Midlands has four key aims:
MDEM support museums towards a sustainable future, by running a suite of targeted development programmes, grant funds, training opportunities, support for county forums, advice, information and one-to-one support to help deliver the Arts Council’s strategy.
Support will be delivered to Accredited museums and those actively working towards Accreditation.
Leicestershire County Council will host the museum development programme and support the administration and governance of the regional Museum Development programme.
Our Mission and Purpose
MDEM is primarily funded by Arts Council England (ACE) and hosted by Leicestershire County Council.
The Programme Board oversees delivery of the programme against agreed targets and comprises representatives of accredited museums across the region.
MDEM is committed to equalities across all areas of its operation and to reducing the environmental impact of the programme.
Who we are
Meet the Museum Development East Midlands team
If you have a question or query and would like to know if we can help, get in touch with us, either by telephone or email. We look forward to hearing from you.
Sarah Hartshorne
Museum Development Programme Officer
E: sarah.hartshorne@leics.gov.uk
Sarah is currently on maternity leave and will rejoin the team in late 2022.
Laura Hughes
Museum Development Project Officer
T: 07526 930074
E: laura.hughes@leics.gov.uk
Financial administration, grants administration, e-newsletter, county forums support, general enquiries.
Anita Hollinshead
T: 07876 166742
E: anitahollinshead@hotmail.com
Collections advice, training and grant advice. Regional Emergency and Risk Network (ERN).
Heather Lomas
Organisational Health Programme Facilitator and Regional Accreditation Adviser
T: 07809 771066 / 01986 784477
E: office@heatherlomas.co.uk
Organisational Health Programme enquiries, Accreditation advice and support, Accreditation Mentors Network and recruitment of new mentors.
Recent News
See our news page 
Invitation to Quote: Digging for Rutland
Invitation to Quote: Digging for Rutland Rutland County Council has been awarded a grant by the National Lottery Heritage Fund to scope the future options for two significant finds: the largest Jurassic ichthyosaur in Western Europe and a late Roman villa complex with...
Museums Collections-focused training sessions
Museum Development East Midlands is providing a number of online sessions with a focus on Collections for museums. These online sessions are open to all museums across the region, with priority given to accredited museums / those working towards accreditation. Click...
Museum Accreditation update
Arts Council England has published the latest update for the Accreditation Scheme – the information is here: https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/uk-museum-accreditation-scheme/accreditation-scheme-museums-and-galleries-united-kingdom-covid-19 This includes...
Invitation to Quote: Digging for Rutland
Invitation to Quote: Digging for Rutland Rutland County Council has been awarded a grant by the National Lottery Heritage Fund to scope the future options for two significant finds: the largest Jurassic ichthyosaur in Western Europe and a late Roman villa complex with...
Museums Collections-focused training sessions
Museum Development East Midlands is providing a number of online sessions with a focus on Collections for museums. These online sessions are open to all museums across the region, with priority given to accredited museums / those working towards accreditation. Click...
Latest Tweets
See our twitter page
A fully-funded bursary to attend the @amadigital Conference in July could be yours!
Fill in a short form to apply✏️
Deadline for applications is... tomorrow: 13th May, 5pm
🌟The deadline has now been extended to this Friday, 13th May🌟
Don't miss out on this fantastic opportunity to attend the @amadigital 2022 Conference with a fully-funded bursary place!
#AMAdigital #Conference #Bursary #CPD https://twitter.com/MusDevEM/status/1506265380729372674
Registration for our seminar about Representing Gypsy, Roma & Travelling #GRT Communities in #rural #museums closes at 3pm TODAY - join us for ... practical ideas & inspiration from Jeremy Harte @FolkloreSociety
🎟 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/digging-deeper-representing-grt-communities-in-rural-museums-tickets-276968027827
@SHAREmuseums @MusDevEM @swmuseums
Rutland County Council Heritage Services are putting out an invitation to quote for an Options Appraisal & Community Engagement Plan for ... #DiggingforRutland
Deadline for return of quotations: 30 May, 12noon
Click here for full details & copy of the brief:
https://mdem.org.uk/invitation-to-quote-digging-for-rutland/