Join the PSVT Board!

PSVT is delighted to announce that we are recruiting new Board members at an exciting time in our evolution. We need individuals with senior experience in Heritage Conservation, Museum Development, Visitor Attractions, Commercial Management, Fundraising and Income Generation, and Project Management, to help us realise our ambitious plans.

With several of our current trustees reaching full-term, we want to take this opportunity to increase the diversity of our Board so that it is more reflective of society and those we serve. All Board positions are voluntary. If you have the right professional skills, commitment, and a passion for delivering our strategic plans, then we would love to hear from you.

PSVT is a charity and custodian of a heritage site, visitor destination, and 21^st century community. Our responsibilities are broad and our business diverse, but our team is comparatively small. What we lack in size we make up for in our approach and ambition. Our vision is to make “Port Sunlight, an inspiring place to live, work and visit.”

Described as an industrial workers village, Port Sunlight is one of the finest surviving examples of its kind in the UK. A Conservation Area, nearly every building and monument is Grade II listed and some of our landscapes are registered. Each year we welcome approximately 300,000 visitors who come to admire the quality and diversity of the architecture, learn more about the village’s rich history and heritage, and take a stroll around the green spaces. We are a living village too, with approximately 2,000 residents living in the original workers cottages and playing an important role in making the village such a special place.

Our mission “We are […]

PSVT seeking a Customer Services Administrator

Full Time 37.50 hours per week
Salary £16,000 – £18,000 p.a.

PSVT is proud to be an Investors in People Silver accredited company and we are looking for a Customer Services Administrator who can demonstrate that they have the attributes to support our values and the willingness to help us deliver our goals and contribute to the success of the business.

We are dedicated to the preservation and promotion of our historic model village and our responsibilities are broad and diverse, including managing tenancies, maintaining properties and landscaped areas.

Based in our office in Port Sunlight Village, the Customer Services Administrator will be responsible for delivering a high quality reception service for all PSVT customers and will perform administrative duties to ensure the smooth running of the office. They will also provide advice regarding allocation of residential properties and garages, rent payments, liaising with contractors and other stakeholders.

The successful candidate must be able to demonstrate experience of delivering excellent customer service and show evidence of a ‘can do’ attitude through identifying solutions to maximise performance in a timely manner.

Job sharing will be considered.

For an application pack contact: [email protected] or download here. Please note CVs will not be accepted.

The closing date for completed applications is 10am Tuesday 6^th April 2021.

PSVT launches first online exhibition ‘Drawn Together’

Port Sunlight Village Trust launches first online exhibition ‘Drawn Together’ thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund support.

Port Sunlight Village Trust (PSVT) has today launched their first online exhibition, Drawn Together, the final output of a partnership project to digitise and increase access to the original architectural drawings of Port Sunlight Village. The project has been made possible through a Sharing Heritage grant distributed by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Led by PSVT, the online exhibition (drawntogether.portsunlightvillage.com) brings together for the first-time collections from Unilever Art, Archives and Records Management (UARM), National Museums Liverpool (NML), Wirral Archive Services and Bolton Libraries and Museums Service.

Drawn Together provides access to over 650 drawings, with the oldest dating back to 1889. The exhibition includes illustrated introductions to the different building types and landscape features shown in the collection and virtual visitors can explore the site through a powerful search function and mapping tool which enables users to find drawings by architect, year or street name.

Katherine Lynch, Director of Heritage at PSVT comments;

“This project has been in the pipeline for several years and we, along with our partners, are very proud to finally be able to share these beautiful drawings with everyone. It feels very fitting to be launching this online exhibition right now. So many people have been prevented from spending time in areas of outstanding architectural beauty over the last 12 months. Drawn Together is a perfect way to connect with Port Sunlight and the founder’s vision for people and place without leaving the safety of home.

“Whether you’re a student, historian, village resident or just curious about architecture and the […]

PSVT seeks Creative Digital Partner for New Cross Reality Experience

Job Opportunity: Port Sunlight Village Trust seeks Creative Digital Partner for New Cross Reality Experience at Port Sunlight
Salary: Fee is £32,300
Location: Remote/Port Sunlight
Hours: n/a
Contract: Contract until 30 June 21
Closing date: 17 March 21

Port Sunlight Village Trust (PSVT) seeks a multidisciplinary digital and creative agency to work with us to design and deliver a pilot outdoor XR experience for the village. Pilot to be launched by the end of June 2021.

The project will create a platform for a digital trail that can be added to in future and represents phase 1 of a new Interpretive Masterplan for the site. We want to use this pilot to test approaches to content with audiences, including both what that content could be but also where it should be located and how to move people between sites and around the village. This will ultimately help visitors to ‘get under the skin’ of the village by providing an additional layer of interpretation.

William Lever founded Port Sunlight in 1888, to provide the employees of his new Lever Brothers soap works with decent and affordable housing and to ensure their well-being. Port Sunlight is not the first example of an industrial worker village, but it was the first built on aesthetic principles and was a model for the Garden City movement, at the turn of the twentieth century.

Today Port Sunlight is a heritage site of national and international significance, an important visitor attraction for the Liverpool City Region, and a dynamic residential community. It is the spiritual home of Unilever, having merged with Lever Brothers in the 1930s, and home and personal care products […]

Port Sunlight Gazette, February 2021 Edition

Port Sunlight Village Trust has published the February edition of the village newsletter, the Port Sunlight Gazette, which is hand delivered to every household in the village.

It includes news and information from Port Sunlight Village Trust, village groups and societies, local businesses, and other important stakeholders. Check it out here or download a copy to keep here.

Promoting Equality at PSVT

At PSVT we recognise that equality, diversity, and inclusion are vital to a sustainable and successful future for both our organisation and the village we are responsible for. Respect is one of our core charitable values ‘We value diversity and treat everyone fairly’.

We want to commission a passionate and experienced consultant to work with us to embed this aspiration across our organisation and in every aspect of our work. You will collaborate with us to review our working practices, policies, plans, programmes, and communications in relation to equality, diversity, and inclusion. You will also help us to identify our priorities for the next 5 years and create an ambitious but realistic improvement plan. This commission represents the opportunity to not only improve the culture of our organisation, but also to diversify our community and visitor base. 

Click here to download the full brief.

The deadline for proposals is 10am on Thursday 4th February 2021. Please submit by email with subject heading: Promoting Equality at PSVT, for the attention of Katherine Lynch, Director of Heritage, [email protected]. 

We hope to make a decision based on applicants’ submissions but may be in touch for further information if necessary. 

PSVT’s Response to UK Government’s Ending of Covid-19 Restrictions

16^th July 2021

PSVT’s number one priority remains the safety of people – our staff and volunteer workforce and our many stakeholders, from partners to visitors, contractors to suppliers.

As an organisation, we are taking a very cautious approach to the easing of restrictions in England from 19^th July. However, we will continue to review our position and adapt our course of action as and when it is appropriate to do so.

From 19^th July here is what you can expect at PSVT:

• Mask wearing will continue for all staff and volunteers when working indoors, unless an individual is exempt (as per Government guidelines).
• Face coverings are no longer compulsory but we strongly recommend that visitors wear one in any area on their visit which is enclosed and crowded.
• We will continue to observe 2-metre social-distancing in all our indoor attractions.
• Pre-booking tickets is no longer essential. Visitors can either ‘walk-up’ or book in advance via our ticketing hub https://tickets.portsunlightvillage.com Here you can book tickets for Port Sunlight Museum, the Edwardian Worker’s Cottage Experience, SoapWorks, and guided walking tours of the village.
• Our visitor attraction opening hours remain Wednesday – Sunday, 10am – 5pm and we’re easy to find. Whether it be train, car, bus or bike, Port Sunlight is nestled between Liverpool and Chester, near to the M53, and close to mainline and local railway and bus services. Click the link here for maps and more information https://www.portsunlightvillage.com/visit-the-village/getting-here/
• It is no longer compulsory for visitors to use the Contact Tracing and Venue Check-in Apps, however we will continue to encourage visitors to do so.
• PSVT offices will remain closed […]
  

A village in lockdown: Understanding the impact of Covid-19 on Port Sunlight

Port Sunlight Village Trust (PSVT) has received a Covid-19 Emergency Response Fund grant from Historic England to understand and document the impact of Covid-19 on Port Sunlight and to identify ways to mitigate the threats and maximise the opportunities for the village’s heritage and its community. 

Port Sunlight is an historic site, residential community, and tourist destination and PSVT is custodian of it. Whilst the project has been designed to support the recovery of the village and PSVT specifically, it is hoped that the process, findings, and recommendations will be useful for custodians of other heritage sites facing similar challenges.

The main focus of the project is a programme of stakeholder research and engagement that includes the village’s residential community – of tenants, owner-occupiers and landlords – as well as businesses, clubs and societies. PSVT now wishes to commission this important piece of work, which must conclude no later than 1st March 2021. The following tasks are required:

1. Design and administer a survey for village residents, landlords, businesses, clubs and societies with a variety of means to respond that are appropriate to our community and ensuring the best possible return rate.
2. Compile the survey results, analyse and report on the findings, comparing the results with existing intelligence held by PSVT and the local planning authority.
3. Using the survey findings, design and deliver a programme of stakeholder engagement activity using creative ways to deepen our understanding of the short, medium and longer-term impacts for people, heritage and business, and work with the community to identify shared solutions to threats and ways of harnessing the opportunities.
4. Host a seminar of heritage sector professionals to workshop findings and recommendations.

[…]

Our commitment to creating an inclusive culture for all

Updated 11^th June 2021

Port Sunlight Village Trust is custodian of an incredibly special heritage site. Our role is to care for Port Sunlight’s heritage and to use it to inspire, educate and entertain. Our vision is clear, ‘to make Port Sunlight an inspiring place to live, work and visit’. Respect is one of our core charitable values; we value diversity and aspire to treat everyone fairly. The Black Lives Matter movement has brought this into sharp focus.

The problem

We know that we do not currently explore the more difficult and challenging aspects of William Lever’s business practices in our museum and public spaces.

We now commit to telling a full and balanced story

• We will talk about the negative impact of William Lever’s colonialist enterprises in Central Africa and elsewhere.
• We will explore the impact of these business practices on African and other communities, both near and far.
• We will highlight racism, in all forms, in telling this story.

We want to meet the challenge of telling William Lever’s full story with our partners, our community, and our visitors. We will help bring new meaning to Port Sunlight’s heritage, to encourage fresh perspectives and conversation. We want to reflect a true picture of events.

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

We are sharing this history to acknowledge our past but, more importantly, to signal that as an organisation we are on a journey towards openness, transparency and the creation of an inclusive culture for all.

Our progress

There is a high level of commitment to achieving our vision and in the last 12 months we have made the following progress:

• Established the Promoting Equality steering group to provide strategic over-sight, challenge our thinking, and advocate externally on our behalf.
• Commissioned EMBED and the […]