The Museum of Bath at Work was among a small number of charities to receive an award from the Bath Building Society in October 2011. The application beat over 30 other entries to be one of a final eight.
The award took the form of a grant for £1000 to fund a Snowhill community exhibition, and was presented by Mayor and Friends’ Committee member Councillor Bryan Chalker at a small reception in the Mayor’s Parlour. Chair of the Trustees Trevor Turpin accepted the award on behalf of the Museum, accompanied by Trustee Edward Cross and Friends at Work Marion Dodd and Sally Lewis. Chairman Trevor dedicated the award to all the Friends at Work at the Museum in thanks for their continuing dedication.
On Saturday 16th April 2011 the Museum was closed for a family event to celebrate the life of the founder of the Museum of Bath at Work, Russell Frears.
Over 100 relatives and close colleagues were invited to celebrate the unique contribution that Russell Frears made to the understanding of Bath’s history by founding the Museum and supervising its design, content and administration when the Museum opened in 1978.
Residents past and present of Oldfield Park were asked to search their attics for mementos of the area in times gone by.
The Museum of Bath at Work in Julian Road worked on the successor to its Combe Down exhibition, which was the latest in a highly successful programme of annual community-themed displays. This exhibition chronicled the comparatively short history of Oldfield Park, focusing particularly on the changing lives of ordinary people. The Museum urged the community to get involved, hoping that some rich and engaging material would be lent from the scrapbooks and photo-albums of the families who live and have lived there.
Amongst 
a host of other topics, the exhibition celebrated the Moorlands Estate of former council housing which was considered revolutionary in the late 1940s for its spacious and attractive design. Residents who remember the early days were warmly invited to share their stories with the Museum.
“Whilst the history of Bath has been written many times,” commented museum director Stuart Burroughs, “the history of this district has traditionally been overlooked. We are hoping to work closely with residents, young and old, in the creation of a first class exhibition to tell the full story.”
Organised by Friend at Work Sally Lewis and opened by the Mayor of Bath, Bryan Chalker, the Christmas Fair helped to raise awareness and encourage community involvement in commemorations planned for 2012, which marks the 70th Anniversary of the Bath Blitz.
Museum Friends at Work were supported by 1940s enthusiasts the ‘Blitz Buddies’, who gave dance demonstrations, and local craftspeople also dressed for the occasion! The ‘Christmas at War’ exhibition displayed wartime printed material and artefacts.
