Local resident Patience Barnes has retired from her voluntary role at Radstock Museum after more than three decades of dedicated service, marking the end of a longstanding contribution to local heritage.

Patience studied biochemistry at Somerville College, Oxford. Following her graduation, Patience carried out research at Northwestern University, Evanston in Chicago, the University of Toronto and universities in New York and London before taking a position at Bristol University in the School of Biochemistry.

Radstock Museum, located in the former Market Hall in the centre of Radstock, tells the story of the North Somerset coalfield and the lives of those who lived and worked in the area. It is run largely by volunteers and plays an important role in preserving the social, industrial and geological history of the local communities.

Both Patience and her husband Richard became members of the Radstock, Midsomer Norton and District Museum Society in the 1980s. In 1989, when Patience had just retired, she began volunteering at the museum when it opened its doors.

The Museum first opened at The Barn in Haydon in 1989 before relocating to the Market Hall in 1999, a move which marked a major turning point in its development. Volunteers like Patience were instrumental in the complex task of preparing the collection for the move, carefully cleaning, recording, and packing hundreds of items by hand.

She was a steward at weekends and on bank holidays for 10 years and was part of the team who cleaned and packed all the artefacts for the museum’s move to the Market Hall, Radstock in 1999.

After the museum moved, Patience’s main volunteering role was as an archivist; she specialised in evaluating and cataloguing collections and has been a valued member of the museum’s documentation team.

She will be very much missed by the museum volunteers and especially those she has worked closely alongside for many years, including Simon Carter, museum chairman, Anny Northcote, head of research, Roz Wilkinson, Maureen Maidment and Glenys Richards, all of whom are museum documentation specialists.

The whole team gathered for a celebration on Tuesday, April 22, at the museum to recognise Patience’s long-standing contributions. During the event, Patience was presented with a generous book token, a bouquet of flowers, and a beautifully cross-stitched card made by museum volunteer and head of acquisitions, Brenda Ollis.

In addition, documentation specialist volunteer Izzy Robinson baked a homemade cake, which was shared by all in attendance.

The celebration provided an opportunity for colleagues to express their gratitude and reflect on Patience’s significant impact on the museum over the years.

Radstock Museum welcomes enquiries from those interested in volunteering. Opportunities are available in a range of roles, including visitor support, archiving, and research.

Those wishing to learn more can speak to manager Nick Turner at the front admissions desk or contact the museum by emailing [email protected].

Those who wish to visit Radstock Museum or learn more about its collections and opening hours should visit their website at www.radstockmuseum.co.uk or contact the museum directly.