South East Museums

I am Elaine Sansom, one of the two Museums Development Officers working in the Surrey, East & West Sussex sub-region.  I work part time (usually Monday to Wednesday) with museums in West Sussex and those in the following districts and boroughs in Surrey: Elmbridge, Runnymede, Spelthorne, Mole Valley, Reigate and Banstead, Epsom & Ewell, and Tandridge.

I started working as MDO in July 2015. Prior to that, I worked for 3.5 years as the Museum Accreditation Adviser for the SE, London and East of England; and have encountered many of the museums of West Sussex and Surrey in that guise.  

I have also worked as a freelance museums and heritage consultant for the last 8 years in Ireland and the UK. This has allowed me to engage with a wide range of size and type of museum  on projects involving sector standards, museum management, collections management, interpretation  and audience development. 

An archaeologist by background, I began my museum career in local authority museums in Kingston, Broxborne and Watford in curatorial and director roles. In recent years I have worked more closely with independent, university and national museums; working with Volunteers, Staff and Trustee Boards. 

I am a Trustee of a Designated Museum and  an industrial heritage site. I am a Mentor for the museum professional AMA; a Mentor for the Heritage Lotterty Fund; and a Quality Assessor for Arts Council England.