0:00:02 > 0:00:05It's coming. We're getting it. That takes me back to school days.
0:00:05 > 0:00:10I wonder how many schoolboys nowadays
0:00:10 > 0:00:15are taught the principle of an Archimedes screw.
0:00:17 > 0:00:20In the north-west of England, there's a remarkable legacy from
0:00:20 > 0:00:24the Industrial Revolution which helped change the entire world.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27At Ellesmere Port across the water from Liverpool, there are
0:00:27 > 0:00:29seven acres of locks and warehouses
0:00:29 > 0:00:34which now make up the centrepiece of the National Waterways Museum.
0:00:34 > 0:00:36It's home to over 60 narrowboats
0:00:36 > 0:00:40and barges, some of them dating back to the 19th century.
0:00:42 > 0:00:47These boats are lovingly tended to by an army of unpaid workers.
0:00:47 > 0:00:51The bulk of the volunteers on the site are really like myself.
0:00:51 > 0:00:55Boring old sods who've got nothing better to do.
0:00:55 > 0:00:57I don't go into building bridges out of steel.
0:00:57 > 0:01:00I'm not Brunel, I wish I were.
0:01:00 > 0:01:02£3 then, please. Thanking you.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05But a financial crisis has left the Waterways Museum
0:01:05 > 0:01:07on the brink of closure.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10These old boats aren't enticing the public in any more
0:01:10 > 0:01:12and the museum is losing money.
0:01:12 > 0:01:16Nobody is giving up, don't let any defeatist talk come in on this place.
0:01:16 > 0:01:18You know, they're going to close us at the end of the year.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21If there's any of that talk, it's absolute rubbish.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24In my six months filming here, the museum's dire predicament
0:01:24 > 0:01:27would bring out the best and the worst in everyone.
0:01:27 > 0:01:32Hang on a minute, I'm not happy with what's going on here, stop that job.
0:01:32 > 0:01:34They seem to have lost the plot.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37At the moment, I should think it'll end with the museum closing.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40In this series, I've set out to examine
0:01:40 > 0:01:44how struggling museums are trying to reconnect with the British public.
0:01:44 > 0:01:48I want to know how important is it that these custodians
0:01:48 > 0:01:53of our nation's history are preserved for future generations.
0:01:53 > 0:01:58You see the place is falling apart. Slate, it's come off the roof.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11My first impression of the National Waterways Museum
0:02:11 > 0:02:13is of a vast and beautiful site.
0:02:13 > 0:02:15It's impressive -
0:02:15 > 0:02:19there's the huge exhibition hall with over 100 displays.
0:02:21 > 0:02:22And also a power hall
0:02:22 > 0:02:27with beautifully restored diesel engines, used to drive boats.
0:02:27 > 0:02:31But outside is where I notice the real problems lie.
0:02:33 > 0:02:35Groups of retired men spend
0:02:35 > 0:02:38their time trying to keep these boats from sinking.
0:02:38 > 0:02:39But it's a thankless task.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46This is what they call oakum. Little bits of string, rag.
0:02:46 > 0:02:50You roll it and then you push it into the holes.
0:02:50 > 0:02:54And when it gets wet it swells and blocks the gap up, hopefully.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57I don't think it'll stop it, to be honest.
0:02:57 > 0:03:01Plugging holes in this way is just a temporary measure.
0:03:01 > 0:03:03The boats won't survive
0:03:03 > 0:03:07unless they get craned out of the water and properly restored.
0:03:07 > 0:03:11It's a far cry from its heyday when this port was at the very centre
0:03:11 > 0:03:14of a busy junction between the Manchester Ship Canal
0:03:14 > 0:03:16and the River Mersey.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20Visitors can gain experience of the waterways first-hand
0:03:20 > 0:03:24with a guided tour down the Shropshire Union Canal
0:03:24 > 0:03:26on the narrowboat, Centaur.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29Which side do you want, this one or this one?
0:03:29 > 0:03:33Mel Caswell has just been taken on for the summer and is already
0:03:33 > 0:03:35giving tours on the boat.
0:03:35 > 0:03:37We're in Ellesmere Port, of course.
0:03:37 > 0:03:38And to our left hand side
0:03:38 > 0:03:43we've got the vast area that is the Stanlow oil refinery.
0:03:43 > 0:03:45Of course, it used to go directly
0:03:45 > 0:03:48on to the Mersey before the ship canal was built.
0:03:48 > 0:03:50Oh, my God. There's always one!
0:03:50 > 0:03:54LAUGHTER
0:03:54 > 0:03:56- Hello?- Hello, darling!
0:03:56 > 0:03:59I'm having a baby!
0:03:59 > 0:04:03I tell you what, you're much better than yesterday's lot. Flipping hell.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05Did you tell them that as well?
0:04:05 > 0:04:10They were just awful. I mean, really. Like, the living dead.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16# Looking at you my troubles are fleeing
0:04:16 > 0:04:18# I'm admiring the view
0:04:18 > 0:04:22# Cos it's you I'm seeing
0:04:22 > 0:04:30# And the sweet honey dew of well-being settles upon me... #
0:04:32 > 0:04:35When Mel's passengers look out of their windows, they don't
0:04:35 > 0:04:36get a very picturesque view.
0:04:36 > 0:04:41They're seeing what's left of a once heavily industrialised landscape.
0:04:41 > 0:04:43Ellesmere Port was a vital hub that
0:04:43 > 0:04:47linked factories and ports across Britain and helped to make cities
0:04:47 > 0:04:49like Liverpool and Manchester
0:04:49 > 0:04:53some of the richest commercial centres on the planet.
0:04:53 > 0:04:57But the canal system was replaced by first the railways
0:04:57 > 0:04:58and then the roads.
0:04:58 > 0:05:02As a result, the buildings here were derelict for many decades.
0:05:02 > 0:05:06But then in the 70s, a group of boat enthusiasts began
0:05:06 > 0:05:08the process of restoring the site.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11Over several years, they rebuilt the warehouses
0:05:11 > 0:05:13and got the locks working again.
0:05:13 > 0:05:18By the '80s, Ellesmere Port was a thriving museum
0:05:18 > 0:05:21with one of the best collections of narrowboats in the world.
0:05:21 > 0:05:25But in the last 20 years, it's lost its way. It's been short of money.
0:05:25 > 0:05:29The boats began to rot and then sink.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32The museum saw numerous different managers come and go
0:05:32 > 0:05:34but none could halt the decline.
0:05:34 > 0:05:38That is until six months ago, a new director was brought on
0:05:38 > 0:05:43and he's taking the museum on a completely new course.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46But Stuart Gillis is not a boat enthusiast
0:05:46 > 0:05:48and he's just a fish out of water here.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50You've never put that on, have you?
0:05:50 > 0:05:53No, no! That's what Mike's trying to do, get me on here, you see.
0:05:53 > 0:05:55So he's not an old sea dog, is he?
0:05:55 > 0:05:57No, he's not. Definitely not yet, but he will be.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00- Give him a bit of time.- I can't believe you've not put one on.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04Mike, how do I do it? Because he's got me looking an idiot.
0:06:06 > 0:06:10He's not that well up on boats, is he?
0:06:10 > 0:06:12We're gradually getting him there.
0:06:12 > 0:06:13Don't worry, we'll work on him.
0:06:13 > 0:06:18Of course, I always wear one of these when I'm on my word processor.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20Stuart might be a novice when it comes to boats, but he's
0:06:20 > 0:06:26an expert on museums and knows how to turn failing ones around.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29He thinks the only hope of the museum surviving
0:06:29 > 0:06:31is if it moves with the times.
0:06:31 > 0:06:35Many of these museums were set up in the '70s when people could remember
0:06:35 > 0:06:38their childhood in the '50s.
0:06:38 > 0:06:43But as you go forward by more than a generation now,
0:06:43 > 0:06:47that nostalgia for a childhood in the 1950s isn't there any more.
0:06:47 > 0:06:52I don't think people are nostalgic for waterways in the same way.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55Do you mean it's not relevant to young people?
0:06:55 > 0:06:59Yes, if we're going to make it relevant it won't be on nostalgia.
0:06:59 > 0:07:01We have to find something else to do it.
0:07:03 > 0:07:07Stuart knows these changes need to be made fast before it's too late.
0:07:07 > 0:07:11In the last year, the museum lost over £100,000.
0:07:11 > 0:07:15If this continues, the site might end up being sold off
0:07:15 > 0:07:16and the museum disbanded.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19How grave a situation is the museum in?
0:07:19 > 0:07:22Well, I think we're walking really close
0:07:22 > 0:07:27to the edge, and it's one more step and you're into the abyss.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30Some of these boats are the last of their kind.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34If the museum does close, many are likely to be scrapped.
0:07:34 > 0:07:38John is the boatyard foreman and he has
0:07:38 > 0:07:42the depressing job of pumping these boats out on a daily basis.
0:07:44 > 0:07:48What happens is because they're kept with no load in them,
0:07:48 > 0:07:51all the seams dry out. Because it sits above the water.
0:07:51 > 0:07:53And then when it does sink,
0:07:53 > 0:07:59there are that many holes in it, it's like a colander.
0:07:59 > 0:08:03John's angry because not much money has been spent on saving
0:08:03 > 0:08:05these unique old vessels.
0:08:05 > 0:08:09He takes me inside the island warehouse to show me
0:08:09 > 0:08:11where the money has been spent.
0:08:11 > 0:08:16These things here, they're fine, they're modern and that.
0:08:21 > 0:08:25When they work. It's just not working.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27This is the centrepiece of the museum.
0:08:27 > 0:08:32It's a swish, new exhibition hall which cost around £300,000.
0:08:32 > 0:08:33So what is it you don't like about this area?
0:08:33 > 0:08:36Basically, what they did was gutted it.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41All the cases and the cabinets had beautiful displays in,
0:08:41 > 0:08:44they were just smashed up.
0:08:44 > 0:08:49Just taken out and replaced with this...MDF.
0:08:50 > 0:08:51What's that?
0:08:51 > 0:08:53What is it?
0:08:53 > 0:08:56There you go, exactly. What is it?
0:08:57 > 0:09:00There's no explanation of what it is.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03It's not actually been finished off. It's a circular weir.
0:09:03 > 0:09:07The reason it was here, there was going to be a projector with water
0:09:07 > 0:09:11running down the hole... Well, you can see the projector, can't you?
0:09:11 > 0:09:17This stove and the lights and all the little bits of brass
0:09:17 > 0:09:21and some of these bits of Measham ware and that.
0:09:21 > 0:09:26But they were all in a perfect, full-size replica of a cabin
0:09:26 > 0:09:29that anybody could see, if you were disabled or anything
0:09:29 > 0:09:31and couldn't get on a boat you could see it.
0:09:31 > 0:09:35You could see what was actually inside them.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38Now, that's what we've got. I think it's abysmal, I really do.
0:09:38 > 0:09:42John believes if anyone can save the museum, it's the new director,
0:09:42 > 0:09:44Stuart Gillis.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47Do you think Stuart has been good for the museum?
0:09:47 > 0:09:50I think he's brilliant. Yes, absolutely spot on.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53If anyone will make a difference, I think Stuart will.
0:09:55 > 0:09:58Stuart has won the staff and volunteers over
0:09:58 > 0:10:01with his boundless energy.
0:10:01 > 0:10:05He's on a relentless quest to raise the profile of the museum.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07There was leadership in this.
0:10:07 > 0:10:09There was leadership from us, from me, from the staff.
0:10:09 > 0:10:13But there was leadership too from this volunteer group
0:10:13 > 0:10:17and I began to change my view on what volunteers were.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20He's identified projects which need investment and wants
0:10:20 > 0:10:23to get potential funders on board.
0:10:23 > 0:10:24The focus on skills and community
0:10:24 > 0:10:29as outcomes in themselves and that we could use the restoration of heritage
0:10:29 > 0:10:30as a vehicle to build skills
0:10:30 > 0:10:33and build our relationship with the community.
0:10:33 > 0:10:35What this has developed into
0:10:35 > 0:10:38is the initiative that we're now calling the Heritage Boatyard.
0:10:38 > 0:10:43Stuart's vision for a Heritage Boatyard is an ambitious project.
0:10:43 > 0:10:47But this audience of directors from museums around the country love it.
0:10:47 > 0:10:50Based in a disused area at the back of the museum,
0:10:50 > 0:10:53it's going to be a fully functioning restoration workshop.
0:10:53 > 0:10:57- It's the last hope for these listing vessels.- What did you hear then?
0:10:57 > 0:10:59Look, something...
0:10:59 > 0:11:01SQUEAKING
0:11:01 > 0:11:05- Did you hear that click?- No.
0:11:05 > 0:11:07Doesn't sound very healthy, does it?
0:11:07 > 0:11:11- Have you met the new director?- Yes.
0:11:11 > 0:11:13Do you think he's doing a good job?
0:11:13 > 0:11:15I think he's an excellent man, the right man for the job.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18Definitely, definitely.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21New blood into the museum with fresh ideas, if you like.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24If these ailing boats are to be saved,
0:11:24 > 0:11:30Stuart needs an army of people to work on them happily for no pay.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33So he's launching a recruitment drive for volunteers.
0:11:33 > 0:11:38One of the first to come forward is a former engineer called Paul.
0:11:38 > 0:11:43Well, my real interest is engineering. I'm an engines man.
0:11:43 > 0:11:49I'm really keen on Gardner diesels which is my ideal restoration job.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52We'll be getting in touch with you very, very, very soon.
0:11:52 > 0:11:56- Let's see how we can do this.- I'll look forward to this.- Thank you.
0:11:58 > 0:12:00A week after this, Paul is stationed in the power hall
0:12:00 > 0:12:04where he imparts his knowledge of engines to visitors.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07Straight to the propeller which is out there.
0:12:07 > 0:12:11Three arms and that goes steadily round,
0:12:11 > 0:12:16forwards, backwards depending on which way the blades face.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19And really, this gives him ultimate control.
0:12:19 > 0:12:24The power hall is a noisy, smelly place with over 20 working engines.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27Some of the oldest are Gardners, which powered the canal boats.
0:12:27 > 0:12:31The volunteer in charge is called Dave.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34Dave has a team of about six other volunteers around him
0:12:34 > 0:12:36and it's a close-knit bunch.
0:12:38 > 0:12:42We're working on a Magirus, Magirus Deutz.
0:12:42 > 0:12:46OK, you can start it rolling and I'll tell you what we're doing.
0:12:46 > 0:12:50We're restoring engines to make funds for the museum.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53This is a manifold. We check that things like this are true.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55So we're cleaning up the manifold...
0:12:55 > 0:12:59I get the impression Paul's knowledge of engines is being
0:12:59 > 0:13:01questioned by his colleague.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04It's a two-stroke which is air-cooled,
0:13:04 > 0:13:06very much like your motorbike.
0:13:06 > 0:13:11It has fins and Lee has taken off the cylinders
0:13:11 > 0:13:16with all the fins on, which we're familiar with, which air-cool.
0:13:16 > 0:13:18Oh, Phil. Sorry, Phil.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21We know each other so well.
0:13:21 > 0:13:23This component here...
0:13:23 > 0:13:25Are we OK?
0:13:25 > 0:13:30..Is a blower. If I hold it up you can see that there's
0:13:30 > 0:13:32what you might think a jet engine.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35It's propelling cold air through a hot engine
0:13:35 > 0:13:37and the hot air then emerges.
0:13:37 > 0:13:41If we move on to another part we're restoring... If you cut.
0:13:41 > 0:13:42You know if I go like that,
0:13:42 > 0:13:46you know that I'm going to stop and give you a gap. All right?
0:13:46 > 0:13:48Makes it easier for you.
0:13:48 > 0:13:50Does it?
0:13:50 > 0:13:55So this is the air intake filter.
0:13:55 > 0:14:01This part, of course, we all know as the car alternator which generates
0:14:01 > 0:14:03typically 40 amps at 12 volts.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06Specifically, I'm a light engineer
0:14:06 > 0:14:10so it's not just engines with me, it is clocks,
0:14:10 > 0:14:12it is buses,
0:14:12 > 0:14:15up to a certain weight of engineering.
0:14:15 > 0:14:17I don't go into building bridges out of steel.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20I'm not Brunel, I wish I were.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28Volunteers are one way of saving money but the only real way
0:14:28 > 0:14:32of saving the museum is getting more visitors in through the doors.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37Most days, you could count on a few narrow boats through the locks.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40Have you noticed all the girls drive the boats?
0:14:40 > 0:14:44- Yes.- All the steel - very difficult to wreck!
0:14:45 > 0:14:48- See you later.- And you. I think there are about another ten coming.
0:14:48 > 0:14:52- I think about probably seven coming. - OK.
0:14:52 > 0:14:54You're doing that with Marigolds?
0:14:54 > 0:14:57Yes, cos I work with wedding dresses.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00It ruins my hands if I get my hands all ruined on the boat.
0:15:00 > 0:15:02So I always have to have my gardening gloves.
0:15:05 > 0:15:07Today, boats are congregating
0:15:07 > 0:15:10at the Waterways Museum for the Easter bank holiday festival.
0:15:10 > 0:15:14Stuart Gillis thinks big events aimed at families
0:15:14 > 0:15:17is the way to boost income. This event, over two days,
0:15:17 > 0:15:19celebrates the history of the waterways.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22It's attracted 60 boats from all over the country.
0:15:22 > 0:15:26Stuart is here with his wife and three sons.
0:15:26 > 0:15:28Dad, look.
0:15:28 > 0:15:29What can you see down there?
0:15:31 > 0:15:33- Cheese.- You can see cheese? Where?
0:15:33 > 0:15:36- No.- No, we haven't got any cheese on this barge.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38They live in Norfolk and since taking this job
0:15:38 > 0:15:43at Ellesmere Port, Stuart has been enduring a 300-mile commute.
0:15:43 > 0:15:45It's called the Billet Arm, this section.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48But there is getting less and less of it...
0:15:48 > 0:15:52Festival-goers on Mel's guided tour of the Shropshire Union Canal
0:15:52 > 0:15:55are benefiting from her knowledge of the waterways.
0:15:55 > 0:15:57This used to belong to
0:15:57 > 0:16:01the Wolverhampton Corrugated Iron Company. And they came here in 1905.
0:16:01 > 0:16:06Here is the swan, perfectly on time, on her nest. I love it.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09I bet that's the dad on the nest, you know.
0:16:09 > 0:16:12The poor mummy's been sitting on the nest all this time and now
0:16:12 > 0:16:16she's hatched them all out the dad is still sitting there doing...all!
0:16:16 > 0:16:19You all have to pull against everyone else.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22For the first time since I arrived at the museum,
0:16:22 > 0:16:27I get a real sense of the boating community coming together.
0:16:27 > 0:16:31Over the two days, the place is packed out with visitors.
0:16:31 > 0:16:34It's a money-spinning success.
0:16:44 > 0:16:46But these images of optimism and celebration
0:16:46 > 0:16:52are masking a darker reality that I am only just getting to know about.
0:16:52 > 0:16:56For many years, there's been bad feeling between the workers
0:16:56 > 0:16:58here and the museum's owners.
0:16:58 > 0:17:03The first time I learn about this is when filming in the museum shop.
0:17:03 > 0:17:05The receptionist, Marge, has been
0:17:05 > 0:17:09here for 25 years, but she's just been made redundant by Stuart.
0:17:09 > 0:17:13She is one of 20 to go - that's over half the workforce.
0:17:13 > 0:17:18It's been a sad time, hasn't it, this past few months,
0:17:18 > 0:17:21as we've done that. And I say "we",
0:17:21 > 0:17:24you know, it's me that's done that.
0:17:24 > 0:17:28And people like Marge are a real loss to us.
0:17:28 > 0:17:30Yes, but the thing is, Stuart,
0:17:30 > 0:17:34you seem to be blaming yourself, but it's not you.
0:17:34 > 0:17:38It's... for quite a few years -
0:17:38 > 0:17:43and when I say senior, senior management -
0:17:43 > 0:17:46you know, they seem to have lost the plot where...
0:17:47 > 0:17:50It is, though, Stuart.
0:17:50 > 0:17:52They have.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54I think you've got to toughen up.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59You know, and stand your ground.
0:17:59 > 0:18:02- If you believe in something, you stand your ground.- Right.
0:18:02 > 0:18:06And don't let certain people
0:18:06 > 0:18:09- walk over you. - I'm dying to know who you mean.
0:18:09 > 0:18:12- Well, I think you've got a good idea. But still.- Yeah.
0:18:12 > 0:18:18Marge is not the only person unhappy with the museum's senior management.
0:18:18 > 0:18:22The volunteer, Mike Turpin, is also disenchanted.
0:18:24 > 0:18:28Do you feel that the museum has been neglected?
0:18:28 > 0:18:31It's clearly been neglected.
0:18:31 > 0:18:33For quite a long time.
0:18:33 > 0:18:36- Do you feel confident that it can be saved?- Oh yeah.
0:18:36 > 0:18:37One way or the other.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42We'll either save it bit by bit, or there'll be a big explosion
0:18:42 > 0:18:44and we'll save it in some way.
0:18:44 > 0:18:46- What you mean by "a big explosion"? - No comment!
0:18:47 > 0:18:50You mean like some sort of mutiny or something?
0:18:51 > 0:18:55- You can put words in my mouth if you like.- Well, I'm only trying to...
0:18:55 > 0:18:57Why do you say "no comment"?
0:18:57 > 0:18:59Because a lot of these things don't take place in public,
0:18:59 > 0:19:01the sort of thing these things are.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08Volunteers like Mike are all part of a group
0:19:08 > 0:19:11called the Boat Museum Society.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14And the branch manager of that at Ellesmere is Steve Stamp.
0:19:14 > 0:19:19He doesn't mince his words when talking about the senior management.
0:19:19 > 0:19:21The Waterways Trust, in my view,
0:19:21 > 0:19:26have failed over many years to manage this place correctly.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29Do you see eye to eye with the board of trustees?
0:19:29 > 0:19:33No. I don't, truthfully. There wasn't the money and wasn't the staff,
0:19:33 > 0:19:36but it wasn't being spent properly, it wasn't being managed properly.
0:19:36 > 0:19:39There wasn't a plan, there wasn't a strategy.
0:19:39 > 0:19:43I see it as being a dead hand over the site, if you like.
0:19:43 > 0:19:47These accusations of neglect are aimed at the Waterways Trust.
0:19:47 > 0:19:50But when the Trust took over 11 years ago, the boats were already
0:19:50 > 0:19:53rotting and visitor numbers were at rock bottom. Since then,
0:19:53 > 0:19:57a campaign has been spearheaded by the Chief Executive, Roger Hanbury.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00We need to make it absolutely clear that we need help to get there
0:20:00 > 0:20:03and we haven't got the resources to buy in to do it.
0:20:03 > 0:20:07And what resources we can buy in have got to be focused here.
0:20:07 > 0:20:08Since coming on board,
0:20:08 > 0:20:12Stuart has got the backing for all his changes from these trustees.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15But he's identified another key ingredient which will help
0:20:15 > 0:20:19to save the museum - the appointment of a general manager.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22I'll certainly be much more comfortable when I know there's
0:20:22 > 0:20:24somebody here who really feels
0:20:24 > 0:20:28they've got day-to-day responsibility for managing the volunteers, managing
0:20:28 > 0:20:31the members of staff, who are knowledgeable but need leadership.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34And also deal with the safe operation of the site.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36I agree with you absolutely, Roger, 100 per cent.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38You have to have a general manager for all those reasons.
0:20:38 > 0:20:42Stuart wants the general manager to work alongside him
0:20:42 > 0:20:44in the battle to save the museum
0:20:44 > 0:20:48and he thinks it's crucial to the museum's success.
0:20:48 > 0:20:51The position is advertised a few days later and it catches
0:20:51 > 0:20:53the eye of one of the staff.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56Are you OK to hear me at the back, by the way? My name is Melissa.
0:20:56 > 0:21:00I always forget to tell people. And we're on board the Centaur,
0:21:00 > 0:21:02so I'm supposed to welcome you.
0:21:02 > 0:21:06There are loads of bridges here. This is one of the first ones we go under.
0:21:06 > 0:21:11Mel thinks she has the necessary attributes for the job.
0:21:11 > 0:21:13"Our mission is to enrich people's lives through waterways.
0:21:13 > 0:21:17"We work in partnership with organisations to realise benefits."
0:21:17 > 0:21:20"Leading the site management team,
0:21:20 > 0:21:23"you'll oversee services and operations.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26"A challenge that involves managing resources, budgets and staff."
0:21:26 > 0:21:30Which is all very well, but then if you've got the staff, but you haven't
0:21:30 > 0:21:32got the budgets to play round with.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35And managing resources, if it's all swallowed up from above,
0:21:35 > 0:21:37then you can't do anything any better, can you? I don't think.
0:21:37 > 0:21:41See, this is why I never got very high in management, cos I just can't
0:21:41 > 0:21:43keep my mouth shut! It's true!
0:21:43 > 0:21:45At the earliest opportunity,
0:21:45 > 0:21:48she grabs Stuart and tells him she'll be applying for the job.
0:21:48 > 0:21:50- Can I have a word? - Of course you can, yeah.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53I am dead interested in the general manager's position.
0:21:53 > 0:21:55I really, really want it.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00I'm on my day off today, which is why I'm so scruffy.
0:22:00 > 0:22:03- What are you doing, then? - I'm doing some volunteer gardening.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06- Oh, great.- Cos I love gardening. But the thing is,
0:22:06 > 0:22:10I just think I have enough motivation and enthusiasm to be
0:22:10 > 0:22:12a good manager. I think I have excellent...
0:22:12 > 0:22:14Mel thinks she will make a committed leader,
0:22:14 > 0:22:17with the museum's best interests at heart. And a week later,
0:22:17 > 0:22:20she's invited to Stuart's office for a meeting.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22I think he's going to tell me I've absolutely
0:22:22 > 0:22:24no chance and they're not going to give me an interview.
0:22:24 > 0:22:26- That's what I think.- Have a seat.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31Thank you very much for putting in an application
0:22:31 > 0:22:33for the general manager.
0:22:33 > 0:22:38But we've not shortlisted you for it.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41We had 39 applications.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43We'll be interviewing six of them on Tuesday.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46I think there are lots of people that have just come and gone.
0:22:46 > 0:22:51And what I think they really need in a management position is longevity.
0:22:51 > 0:22:53All right. I'm sorry that...
0:22:53 > 0:22:56- No, you're not! - ..it's not better news for you.
0:22:56 > 0:22:58No, you're not, cos you could have given me an interview.
0:22:58 > 0:23:00Then you wouldn't have had to be sorry.
0:23:00 > 0:23:04The interviews for the general manager position
0:23:04 > 0:23:05will be held in a few weeks.
0:23:05 > 0:23:09Stuart needs someone who can keep the museum running smoothly while
0:23:09 > 0:23:13he wrestles with the bigger issue of getting more people to visit it.
0:23:13 > 0:23:15People like this couple,
0:23:15 > 0:23:17who have been on the water for the last 12 months.
0:23:17 > 0:23:22It's just like a mobile home, floating around on the water!
0:23:35 > 0:23:39Today, the only people who use the canals are pleasure cruisers.
0:23:39 > 0:23:41But in the mid-18th and 19th centuries,
0:23:41 > 0:23:43over 2,000 miles of canals
0:23:43 > 0:23:47and the network of ports were built to aid the industrial revolution.
0:23:47 > 0:23:52One of the things the Waterways Trust did when it took over
0:23:52 > 0:23:55was link Ellesmere Port up with two other museums
0:23:55 > 0:23:57in Northamptonshire and Gloucester.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00The Gloucester one may have to close later this year.
0:24:03 > 0:24:08Stuart has come to Gloucester for a make-or-break meeting with the museum's volunteers.
0:24:08 > 0:24:12But first, he introduces me to the deputy manager, Doreen.
0:24:12 > 0:24:17There was a manager there, there was a curatorial there,
0:24:17 > 0:24:20there was two educational posts there.
0:24:20 > 0:24:24And we still do have, right at the bottom there,
0:24:24 > 0:24:30a very part-time site services person who changes the light bulbs for us.
0:24:30 > 0:24:33- And empties bins, at the moment! - But everyone else has gone?
0:24:33 > 0:24:36We have lost virtually everybody on this side of the office.
0:24:36 > 0:24:41It's amazing that the organisation can still function.
0:24:41 > 0:24:43Erm...
0:24:43 > 0:24:46With a lot of enthusiasm and determination, I think, yes.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49Gloucester is losing more money than Ellesmere
0:24:49 > 0:24:52and Stuart had to cut jobs here, too, just to keep the place afloat.
0:24:52 > 0:24:56It's very hard to come up from as low as we've got.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59The position that we're in,
0:24:59 > 0:25:02with the staffing levels that we've got.
0:25:02 > 0:25:06You know, it's a hard climb back up.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10Gloucester looks quite a modern museum
0:25:10 > 0:25:12and it should be a great family attraction.
0:25:12 > 0:25:15But it's still failing and while I'm filming,
0:25:15 > 0:25:18I see more boat enthusiasts than visitors.
0:25:18 > 0:25:23That's a lovely noise - a real engine running.
0:25:23 > 0:25:25It makes me think about what Stuart told me
0:25:25 > 0:25:29when I first started filming. The museums are out of touch.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32The enthusiasts are very proud of their museum.
0:25:32 > 0:25:37If you want to come down the other end, I'm going to fire the boiler.
0:25:37 > 0:25:41Their most prized exhibit is an old steam dredger, used in maintaining
0:25:41 > 0:25:42the canal systems.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45I'm going to light the boiler now.
0:25:45 > 0:25:49- You're going to what? - Going to light the boiler.- Right.
0:25:49 > 0:25:55It takes 20 minutes to start up. This boat sunk in the '70s,
0:25:55 > 0:25:58but was completely restored by a group of volunteers.
0:26:02 > 0:26:05Despite the great work of volunteers have done here,
0:26:05 > 0:26:09their enthusiasm alone does not make the museum viable.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11Stuart has called them all together
0:26:11 > 0:26:13for a frank chat about Gloucester's future.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16The museum, you don't need me to tell you this, you know it.
0:26:16 > 0:26:20The museum has been spiralling down for a period of time.
0:26:20 > 0:26:24In the year that's just finished, the museum cost
0:26:24 > 0:26:28roughly £100,000 more to run than it was budgeted to do.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31Something has to give in this.
0:26:31 > 0:26:35You can't spend more money than you've got.
0:26:35 > 0:26:37There is no reason to close museums.
0:26:37 > 0:26:39What we've got to do, in this country,
0:26:39 > 0:26:43we've got to re-educate people. They're walking away.
0:26:43 > 0:26:47This isn't just a little thing in Gloucester,
0:26:47 > 0:26:49this is part of a huge network.
0:26:49 > 0:26:53This was a vital part of the economic growth of the country.
0:26:53 > 0:26:57I understand the cutbacks and the financial constrictions there.
0:26:57 > 0:27:01But is there still aspirations to have a National Waterways Museum?
0:27:01 > 0:27:04- Yeah.- Well, you cut Gloucester, you get rid of £100,000 loss
0:27:04 > 0:27:07a year, or whatever, is that the message that's coming through?
0:27:07 > 0:27:09Because if it is, we're purely local.
0:27:09 > 0:27:14But if there's a national aspiration, I'd like to know about it,
0:27:14 > 0:27:17because we need to build that in somewhere with what we're doing.
0:27:17 > 0:27:21Right. The concept of a National Waterways Museum
0:27:21 > 0:27:26I think is really valid. It doesn't follow that you need three.
0:27:26 > 0:27:29And I think we've got muddled in trying to keep
0:27:29 > 0:27:31three National Waterways Museums.
0:27:31 > 0:27:36And I think that what we need to move towards is that Ellesmere Port
0:27:36 > 0:27:39is the National Waterways Museum.
0:27:39 > 0:27:44Has anybody ever calculated the man-hours that have gone into
0:27:44 > 0:27:46keeping this museum open?
0:27:46 > 0:27:49Are we're going to throw all that away?
0:27:49 > 0:27:54We are where we are. And nobody wants to see the museum closed.
0:27:54 > 0:27:56Nobody wants to see that.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59One very simple question.
0:27:59 > 0:28:01Where's the money come from?
0:28:04 > 0:28:07I don't know. I don't.
0:28:07 > 0:28:14There... There's a real challenge around the money.
0:28:14 > 0:28:17I know we've got lower costs,
0:28:17 > 0:28:21because we've lost so many people in the last year.
0:28:21 > 0:28:26And that's getting us nearer to being able to balance the books.
0:28:26 > 0:28:30I don't have the answer for where the money's going to come from.
0:28:30 > 0:28:32Stuart is suggesting Gloucester opts out
0:28:32 > 0:28:35of the National Waterways Museum.
0:28:35 > 0:28:37If it does, it will lose some key funding and its future
0:28:37 > 0:28:42will be even more dependent on the goodwill of these volunteers.
0:28:42 > 0:28:46He knows that by sacrificing Gloucester, Ellesmere Port
0:28:46 > 0:28:48has a greater chance of survival.
0:28:48 > 0:28:53He's a pragmatist in a world of sentimentality.
0:28:53 > 0:28:56- It's a bit like a graveyard for boats here.- Yeah, it is a graveyard.
0:28:56 > 0:29:01It is. And there is that strand of museums that is like that.
0:29:01 > 0:29:05And sometimes you kind of go with that flow and maybe you do
0:29:05 > 0:29:08acknowledge that you do have an area that is a graveyard,
0:29:08 > 0:29:11and you allow some things to rot back into nature.
0:29:11 > 0:29:14And there's something that's quite right in doing that.
0:29:14 > 0:29:17You know, accepting our own mortality.
0:29:17 > 0:29:19That's partly what's going on in museums.
0:29:19 > 0:29:22So in other words, it's not always right to restore something?
0:29:22 > 0:29:24It's not always right to restore something. It might be right to say,
0:29:24 > 0:29:27sorry, but this one's too far gone,
0:29:27 > 0:29:30it's got to go, there's nobody else to take it on,
0:29:30 > 0:29:32we're going to burn it, we're going to bury it, we're going to sink it.
0:29:32 > 0:29:34Something like that.
0:29:34 > 0:29:38So accepting that things live and things die
0:29:38 > 0:29:41is something we've all got to get our head round.
0:29:41 > 0:29:45It is Ellesmere Port that Stuart is keen to keep alive.
0:29:45 > 0:29:49That's why he's been pushing for a heritage boatyard
0:29:49 > 0:29:52and the appointment of a general manager. On the interview day,
0:29:52 > 0:29:55the shortlist of candidates are given a tour of the site.
0:29:55 > 0:29:59They're shown the areas of decay and concern.
0:29:59 > 0:30:03But it is the activity, the personal touch and that's what,
0:30:03 > 0:30:06as volunteers, we can very much help to try and bring.
0:30:06 > 0:30:10The successful candidate needs to show they can be customer-focused
0:30:10 > 0:30:13and know how to improve the visitor experience.
0:30:13 > 0:30:16Stuart has found the money for this new position
0:30:16 > 0:30:19by making some people redundant and taking on more volunteers.
0:30:19 > 0:30:22One of those, the new recruit Paul
0:30:22 > 0:30:25is still helping out in the power hall.
0:30:25 > 0:30:29Watch your feet here because this is very slippery.
0:30:29 > 0:30:30I don't want an accident.
0:30:30 > 0:30:34You'll step onto some slimy stuff. Be careful. Follow me.
0:30:34 > 0:30:39We're going into the shed where we store all the things which we will,
0:30:39 > 0:30:43in future years, have the time, the money and the expertise...
0:30:43 > 0:30:45to restore.
0:30:47 > 0:30:48This, please come and look...
0:30:48 > 0:30:52I sense a bit of an atmosphere with the other volunteer, Phil.
0:30:52 > 0:30:56The engineer's rule of thumb, and we've got gloves on,
0:30:56 > 0:30:58look at the dipstick.
0:30:59 > 0:31:01It doesn't smell bad.
0:31:01 > 0:31:04If it starts being smelly, it means it's been neglected.
0:31:04 > 0:31:06Paul is particularly fond
0:31:06 > 0:31:10of the volunteer in charge of the power hall, Dave Crosby.
0:31:10 > 0:31:13Dave is a modest man who has been noted by the Queen
0:31:13 > 0:31:15for his services, or should be.
0:31:15 > 0:31:18He's been here 18 years and he's done 18 engines
0:31:18 > 0:31:20and what he hasn't done, I don't know.
0:31:20 > 0:31:23He is wonderful, isn't he?
0:31:23 > 0:31:25Well, I think so!
0:31:25 > 0:31:28Dave Crosby. Come and see him.
0:31:28 > 0:31:30- Super Dave.- Come and see him.
0:31:30 > 0:31:32He's known as Bing, Bing Crosby.
0:31:33 > 0:31:37Paul's admiration for Dave Crosby is not reciprocated.
0:31:37 > 0:31:42In fact, Dave has decided he doesn't want Paul in the power hall any more
0:31:42 > 0:31:45and complains to the boatyard foreman, John Moore.
0:31:45 > 0:31:48I just think he's a very dangerous man.
0:31:48 > 0:31:50- Dangerous?- Yes, yes.
0:31:50 > 0:31:54Cos he can do everything, somebody might check him at his word
0:31:54 > 0:31:56and go and start that, for instance.
0:31:56 > 0:31:58But he's an expert on the Gardner, isn't he?
0:31:58 > 0:32:00- No! Is he buggery.- Is he not?
0:32:00 > 0:32:03- You've got to know what you're doing.- Yes.
0:32:03 > 0:32:07The engine Dave's working on at the moment, it's an air-cooled engine
0:32:07 > 0:32:10similar to this one, but it's got a big fan on the end.
0:32:10 > 0:32:14Now, I know it's just a cooling fan and Dave knows it's a cooling fan
0:32:14 > 0:32:16but Paul said it was the turbo, didn't he?
0:32:16 > 0:32:18- Turbocharger.- A turbocharger.
0:32:20 > 0:32:24The bad feeling around Paul intensifies over the next few days,
0:32:24 > 0:32:27and in the end, the museum's director has to intervene.
0:32:28 > 0:32:30Stuart recruited Paul,
0:32:30 > 0:32:32but now there's pressure on him to let him go.
0:32:37 > 0:32:39- Come in, Paul. - Hi. Hello, Richard.- Hello.
0:32:39 > 0:32:42The reason I wanted to meet you
0:32:42 > 0:32:47was so that I could get your perspective on where we were.
0:32:47 > 0:32:51I think I had an unfortunate experience
0:32:51 > 0:32:55in joining Dave Crosby in the power hall...
0:32:55 > 0:32:58- Right, OK.- ...and being a Yorkshireman, I do tend to say
0:32:58 > 0:33:03things sometimes which in retrospect I perhaps would have retracted.
0:33:03 > 0:33:06But he obviously felt that I didn't fit in.
0:33:06 > 0:33:11Maybe it's a case of a bit of keeping your head down here for a little bit,
0:33:11 > 0:33:14getting on and doing a particular job,
0:33:14 > 0:33:16doing it as well as you possibly can.
0:33:16 > 0:33:20There'll be the best chance here that if you can contribute
0:33:20 > 0:33:22and your contribution can stand up,
0:33:22 > 0:33:26then in that way you're proving yourself, not to me,
0:33:26 > 0:33:29but proving yourself to other people about,
0:33:29 > 0:33:35and let's just see what happens when we get to there.
0:33:35 > 0:33:37- Well...- The ceiling's all right.
0:33:37 > 0:33:39I don't think that needs doing, does it?
0:33:39 > 0:33:41Actually, don't bother with dust sheets.
0:33:41 > 0:33:43If we get something on this carpet,
0:33:43 > 0:33:46it's not a problem because it's got no...
0:33:46 > 0:33:50The thing in this room that's got no future is the carpet.
0:33:51 > 0:33:55- No future at this museum.- OK.
0:33:55 > 0:33:58This episode with Paul shows me another side to the new director.
0:33:58 > 0:34:02Stuart believes the museum is as much about the people within it
0:34:02 > 0:34:03as the objects it has on display.
0:34:03 > 0:34:05Magnolia.
0:34:05 > 0:34:11Which is...sort of a creamy off-white.
0:34:11 > 0:34:14Strangely enough, I don't really like decorating,
0:34:14 > 0:34:19but I think this is nice because when the room's done,
0:34:19 > 0:34:24I'll be able to say, well, whatever the boat museum has got,
0:34:24 > 0:34:28it's got a decent room decorated
0:34:28 > 0:34:32and a few other things done.
0:34:34 > 0:34:37Ah, the weather's taken a turn for the worse again.
0:34:37 > 0:34:40I'm glad I'm not outside.
0:34:40 > 0:34:43- Is it raining?- It is.
0:34:43 > 0:34:45In some ways it would have been easier
0:34:45 > 0:34:48for Stuart and Paul to just part company.
0:34:48 > 0:34:50But he tells me he learnt as a young man
0:34:50 > 0:34:55the importance of perseverance when he dropped out of college
0:34:55 > 0:34:57and took a job selling burgers.
0:34:57 > 0:35:00Just to feel part of a team, people can look down at McDonald's
0:35:00 > 0:35:03and things, but you're part of a team when you start off there.
0:35:03 > 0:35:08There's not many opportunities for 16, 17, 18-year-olds
0:35:08 > 0:35:11to feel part of a team.
0:35:11 > 0:35:15It's something that we need and...I got it at McDonald's,
0:35:15 > 0:35:17I got something really positive out of it.
0:35:17 > 0:35:20I then stayed much too long with McDonald's.
0:35:20 > 0:35:22I got promoted a few times.
0:35:23 > 0:35:25But I stayed much too long,
0:35:25 > 0:35:28partly because I needed to prove to myself that I was a sticker.
0:35:28 > 0:35:32So you kind of stayed for the wrong reasons?
0:35:32 > 0:35:35I don't know if they were the wrong reasons.
0:35:35 > 0:35:38I can look back on it now and see that,
0:35:38 > 0:35:41but maybe I needed to prove I was a sticker at something
0:35:41 > 0:35:44because I had to learn to be a sticker at something.
0:35:44 > 0:35:50# I wish that I could fall in love today
0:35:52 > 0:35:56# But memories of you stand in my way... #
0:35:56 > 0:35:59After a year in the job, Stuart has shaken the place up.
0:35:59 > 0:36:03He suggested dropping Gloucester and made a lot of redundancies,
0:36:03 > 0:36:05but visitor numbers are on now the increase. It's only
0:36:05 > 0:36:09the heritage boatyard that's still waiting to get off the ground.
0:36:09 > 0:36:12In this plan is a breakthrough because this is a much wider
0:36:12 > 0:36:15regeneration and it now includes these areas.
0:36:15 > 0:36:19Because Stuart has made these difficult decisions,
0:36:19 > 0:36:22he's won the respect of the staff and volunteers.
0:36:22 > 0:36:25They wholeheartedly see him as the saviour of the museum.
0:36:25 > 0:36:28- Sorry, but I...- That's not what you said a minute ago.
0:36:28 > 0:36:31- What? - You was getting real twitchy...
0:36:31 > 0:36:34Spirit are high one morning when he calls John Moore,
0:36:34 > 0:36:37the boatyard foreman, and his two other duty managers together
0:36:37 > 0:36:39for an important announcement.
0:36:41 > 0:36:44Listen. I need to tell you...
0:36:48 > 0:36:50I'll be,
0:36:50 > 0:36:52I'll be giving in my notice.
0:36:52 > 0:36:58I won't be, I'll be leaving at about the end August.
0:36:58 > 0:37:01- Yes?- I think, yes. And...
0:37:01 > 0:37:05I've told the museum management board today
0:37:05 > 0:37:08and I wanted to let, I wanted to let you...
0:37:10 > 0:37:14..know that too. Roger will send out an e-mail on that one.
0:37:17 > 0:37:19Right. So...
0:37:22 > 0:37:24Thanks.
0:37:29 > 0:37:30Fair enough.
0:37:33 > 0:37:35Go on, then. Tell us why.
0:37:36 > 0:37:40What it was for me was we were getting to...
0:37:40 > 0:37:44a few months ago and setting the budget for the year...
0:37:44 > 0:37:48And I've set out that we need these posts,
0:37:48 > 0:37:52general manager, learning manager, marketing manager, collections.
0:37:52 > 0:37:56And we've found a way to go forward with the general manager.
0:37:56 > 0:38:00But we've not got a way to go forward with the others.
0:38:00 > 0:38:02The salary I'm on can buy more than one post.
0:38:02 > 0:38:05But you're the glue that ties all that lot together.
0:38:05 > 0:38:06It'll just fall on its arse.
0:38:06 > 0:38:09Once again a good person has fallen foul
0:38:09 > 0:38:12of the bloody useless shower of bastards running TWT.
0:38:12 > 0:38:16You're the best thing that's happened in here
0:38:16 > 0:38:18for a bloody long time, Stuart. You really are.
0:38:18 > 0:38:21We actually had hope that there was somebody here
0:38:21 > 0:38:24who knew what they were talking about and was keen.
0:38:24 > 0:38:26I was spouting off to people yesterday
0:38:26 > 0:38:28just how bleeding good you were.
0:38:28 > 0:38:31Once again it's that shower of bastards at the top
0:38:31 > 0:38:32that have screwed it up.
0:38:34 > 0:38:36Because you can't work miracles with sod all
0:38:36 > 0:38:39and you're being given sod all once again.
0:38:40 > 0:38:44- It's bloody hopeless. - You're going to take some time to...
0:38:44 > 0:38:48It will end up on its arse because you're just not going to get...
0:38:48 > 0:38:49Don't take it wrong,
0:38:49 > 0:38:54but people like you don't come along that often here. They really don't.
0:38:57 > 0:39:00I'm surprised at just how angry John and Jim feel
0:39:00 > 0:39:01about Stuart's announcement,
0:39:01 > 0:39:04but they have been thrown by what he has told them.
0:39:04 > 0:39:08In truth, I think the management has been trying to help the museums.
0:39:08 > 0:39:12Roger Hanbury campaigned to get government funding
0:39:12 > 0:39:13for the Waterways.
0:39:13 > 0:39:16This would mean he could give free entry to visitors.
0:39:16 > 0:39:18But in the end, the government said no.
0:39:18 > 0:39:22I can't see that we can get the resource necessary.
0:39:22 > 0:39:28If I'm working in a situation where I know something's impossible, then...
0:39:30 > 0:39:32..that's not, that's not positive.
0:39:32 > 0:39:35And those sorts of things can affect your health,
0:39:35 > 0:39:37it can affect you in all sorts of other ways too.
0:39:37 > 0:39:42The things that people think I can bring to the party right now,
0:39:42 > 0:39:44then I'm not able to bring to the party
0:39:44 > 0:39:47because it's affecting me in other ways.
0:39:47 > 0:39:50If I've lost belief in it, in those ways.
0:39:50 > 0:39:52It'll sour the way that I am too.
0:39:52 > 0:39:54All right, I'm going back in now.
0:39:58 > 0:40:01I get the feeling Stuart is disillusioned.
0:40:01 > 0:40:04He thinks the museum cannot afford to keep him on
0:40:04 > 0:40:06and improve at the same time.
0:40:08 > 0:40:10The news of Stuart's resignation
0:40:10 > 0:40:12spreads quickly around Ellesmere Port.
0:40:12 > 0:40:15People feel devastated by it.
0:40:15 > 0:40:18Many think that all his good work will now be undone.
0:40:20 > 0:40:23You don't think it's going to serve the museum well?
0:40:24 > 0:40:28It's a complication I think we could all have done without.
0:40:30 > 0:40:33You can say trite things like every cloud has a silver lining
0:40:33 > 0:40:34and things like that, but...
0:40:34 > 0:40:38it's a complication we could do without. I'll leave it at that.
0:40:41 > 0:40:44It's not just staff and volunteers
0:40:44 > 0:40:46who fear for the museum now Stuart is leaving.
0:40:46 > 0:40:48At the next board meeting,
0:40:48 > 0:40:53some trustees think his departure could spell disaster for the museum.
0:40:53 > 0:40:56Could I ask Stuart to leave the room for a minute
0:40:56 > 0:41:00because I would like to say something which could affect him?
0:41:00 > 0:41:02- Just for a minute.- Er...all right.
0:41:02 > 0:41:04We'll give you a shout, then, in a minute.
0:41:09 > 0:41:14I would like to propose that we seek to retain Stuart
0:41:14 > 0:41:18as an adviser or consultant for a period
0:41:18 > 0:41:24after he leaves us, just to help us over this particular...period.
0:41:24 > 0:41:29Seeing Stuart go now will send out all the wrong messages,
0:41:29 > 0:41:32so I think that what John's opposing has a lot of merit.
0:41:32 > 0:41:36In my view, I think Stuart has shown incredible leadership
0:41:36 > 0:41:41for the museums which we haven't had for a long time.
0:41:41 > 0:41:44From the museum's point of view with his knowledge and background,
0:41:44 > 0:41:46his depth of knowledge and ability,
0:41:46 > 0:41:49I think we should review it later in the period to see if...
0:41:49 > 0:41:53I think this is a totally flawed idea.
0:41:53 > 0:41:55I think we treat him as a friend,
0:41:55 > 0:41:58but to engage him as a consultant would be fundamentally flawed.
0:41:58 > 0:42:00Not necessarily as a consultant,
0:42:00 > 0:42:02but find some way of carrying on that vision on.
0:42:02 > 0:42:05- Be we are doing that. - I think we'll do that, Chris.
0:42:05 > 0:42:08I think it would put the fear of God into Stuart
0:42:08 > 0:42:10if the word "saviour" has been used about him,
0:42:10 > 0:42:13which is extremely uncomfortable, actually.
0:42:13 > 0:42:17I think we've got enough wit about us to manage the next steps effectively.
0:42:17 > 0:42:20Can someone find Stuart and ask him to return?
0:42:20 > 0:42:23Then we'll get on with the chief executive board.
0:42:23 > 0:42:25- Thanks for raising it, John. - Thank you.
0:42:29 > 0:42:32Right at the top of this organisation,
0:42:32 > 0:42:34Stuart's decision to leave is causing debate,
0:42:34 > 0:42:39and I'm fascinated to see how the museum fares now that he's going.
0:42:39 > 0:42:41Already the signs are bad.
0:42:43 > 0:42:45It's not good to have change all the time.
0:42:45 > 0:42:49There's uncertainty come back where we thought
0:42:49 > 0:42:53we were in a stable situation, and that's the difficulty.
0:42:53 > 0:42:56Everyone's hacked off because they've had so many managers
0:42:56 > 0:42:58in the last few years.
0:42:58 > 0:43:00They're here for like a year, and then they leave.
0:43:00 > 0:43:04Then you've got another person who's got to start all over again
0:43:04 > 0:43:06and then they get fed up and they go elsewhere.
0:43:06 > 0:43:09It seems to be a catalogue of disasters.
0:43:09 > 0:43:11It'll have to end one way or another.
0:43:11 > 0:43:12At the moment,
0:43:12 > 0:43:15I should think it's going to end with the museum closing.
0:43:20 > 0:43:22It's against this backdrop of anxiety
0:43:22 > 0:43:25that the new general manager takes up his post.
0:43:25 > 0:43:29John Inch does not have a background in boats or museums,
0:43:29 > 0:43:31he's a cinema manager.
0:43:31 > 0:43:35- Is it flushing all right?- Sorry?
0:43:35 > 0:43:37- Is it flushing all right?- Oh, yeah.
0:43:37 > 0:43:39The standard check is you test the flushes,
0:43:39 > 0:43:42you test the lot works and you make sure there's paper there.
0:43:42 > 0:43:43That's the drill.
0:43:43 > 0:43:47We have more trouble with the ladies than we do with the gents.
0:43:49 > 0:43:51John Inch is not replacing Stuart.
0:43:51 > 0:43:53Stuart is an ambassador for the museum
0:43:53 > 0:43:57on a constant charm offensive, chatting up potential fundraisers.
0:43:57 > 0:44:01John Inch's job will be much more to sort out the day-to-day problems and
0:44:01 > 0:44:05he knows it's going to be difficult with the museum's lack of money.
0:44:05 > 0:44:07There's a lot can be done
0:44:07 > 0:44:10and I think the difficulty is it's the resources we have.
0:44:10 > 0:44:14There's less than a dozen people actually working here.
0:44:14 > 0:44:17We have sort of 80, 90 volunteers.
0:44:19 > 0:44:22But some of those volunteers may only be here
0:44:22 > 0:44:24one day a month, one day a fortnight.
0:44:24 > 0:44:28So therefore, I think we've got a huge amount to do,
0:44:28 > 0:44:31but we struggle from not necessarily having the resources
0:44:31 > 0:44:34to put it all in place as quickly as we would like.
0:44:34 > 0:44:39One volunteer in particular is proving a sensitive issue.
0:44:39 > 0:44:42John Inch will need to deal with Paul, once Stuart has
0:44:42 > 0:44:46finished his few weeks' notice.
0:44:46 > 0:44:49OK. Wood primer...
0:44:49 > 0:44:52- The task is, the back room. - The back gate.
0:44:52 > 0:44:56He is still painting for Stuart, away from the other volunteers.
0:44:56 > 0:44:58Let's move on.
0:45:01 > 0:45:03And wire brush.
0:45:07 > 0:45:09Whatever you're sanding,
0:45:09 > 0:45:10sand with the grain.
0:45:10 > 0:45:13If you go across, it just roughs it all up and it looks awful.
0:45:13 > 0:45:18At the heart of Stuart's vision for the museum lies the community.
0:45:18 > 0:45:21Paul is an example of this policy in action.
0:45:21 > 0:45:24I like the way he gave me two brushes, which, of course,
0:45:24 > 0:45:25is the way to do it.
0:45:27 > 0:45:31Really make the most of it.
0:45:31 > 0:45:33It isn't a Rolls-Royce job.
0:45:34 > 0:45:37Man-management isn't everyone's cup of tea.
0:45:37 > 0:45:39The problems with any voluntary organisation
0:45:39 > 0:45:44or any organisation of any size is the interpersonal relationships.
0:45:44 > 0:45:47That's what is really bugging any organisation.
0:45:51 > 0:45:55HORN BEEPS Bye.
0:45:55 > 0:45:58Typical. No seat belt and a fag in her hand.
0:45:58 > 0:46:01This would be the last time I see Paul.
0:46:01 > 0:46:05He left the museum a few weeks after Stuart.
0:46:05 > 0:46:09It's two weeks since Stuart announced his resignation.
0:46:09 > 0:46:12The mood around the place is still very sombre
0:46:12 > 0:46:15and tensions are now beginning to appear.
0:46:15 > 0:46:20A small fire breaks out on the 85-year-old cargo boat, Ferret.
0:46:20 > 0:46:22Evidently, it began when two volunteers
0:46:22 > 0:46:25tried to start up the engine during a weekend event.
0:46:25 > 0:46:29John Moore, the boatyard foreman, had to write a report on it.
0:46:29 > 0:46:32There was no actual fire damage.
0:46:32 > 0:46:36It was just the fact there was a fire and you know,
0:46:36 > 0:46:39there's nothing to see, really. You can have a look.
0:46:40 > 0:46:43It says, "Do not start, there's a leak on the injector."
0:46:43 > 0:46:46So, it was the fuel on the cylinder head that went on fire.
0:46:46 > 0:46:48There was no damage done. None at all.
0:46:48 > 0:46:50It was only a minor incident,
0:46:50 > 0:46:54but a meeting is called between the staff and volunteers.
0:46:54 > 0:46:57John Moore can't make it, but Stuart is chairing
0:46:57 > 0:47:00and his duty manager Jim was in charge on the day.
0:47:00 > 0:47:04My understanding is that they have run the engine before.
0:47:04 > 0:47:07The leader of the Boat Museum Society, Steve Stamp,
0:47:07 > 0:47:11is angry John Moore's report points a finger at a volunteer.
0:47:11 > 0:47:15Have you talked to any of the volunteers who were involved?
0:47:15 > 0:47:17Have they contributed to the report?
0:47:17 > 0:47:20I've only just seen this report, right now.
0:47:20 > 0:47:24That seems fundamental to me, to go back to the guys who were involved.
0:47:24 > 0:47:25Have we not done that?
0:47:25 > 0:47:27John's investigated it, I haven't.
0:47:27 > 0:47:29There's a bit of slopey shoulders here.
0:47:29 > 0:47:32Have we been to the people who had the accident?
0:47:32 > 0:47:34I don't know. I've not read it.
0:47:34 > 0:47:36That was the strategy.
0:47:36 > 0:47:37What time did this take place?
0:47:37 > 0:47:40I've no idea, absolutely no idea.
0:47:40 > 0:47:44We'll get there in the investigation.
0:47:44 > 0:47:47John Inch must be wondering what he's let himself in for.
0:47:47 > 0:47:50I think the danger of this, I would consign this piece of paper
0:47:50 > 0:47:52to the wastepaper bin of history.
0:47:52 > 0:47:54This is a witch hunt.
0:47:54 > 0:47:57A witch hunt seems a very serious accusation.
0:47:57 > 0:48:01A few days later, Steve Stamp challenges John Moore about it.
0:48:01 > 0:48:03It doesn't tell me what happened.
0:48:03 > 0:48:05It tells me what you think happened.
0:48:05 > 0:48:08- Well, it... - It tells what you think happened.
0:48:08 > 0:48:10What it says, right,
0:48:10 > 0:48:15is what I was told happened by the people who were there.
0:48:15 > 0:48:18I'd like to see the horse's mouth.
0:48:18 > 0:48:21All you've got to do is go and ask them.
0:48:21 > 0:48:22That's what we should do.
0:48:22 > 0:48:25But I did it. I went and asked.
0:48:25 > 0:48:29What you're making is it's like a witch hunt,
0:48:29 > 0:48:32is the expression I heard had been used.
0:48:32 > 0:48:33No, It isn't.
0:48:33 > 0:48:37Did it bother you that he heard it was described as a witch hunt?
0:48:38 > 0:48:40No, not really.
0:48:40 > 0:48:42Was it described as a witch hunt?
0:48:42 > 0:48:45Well, apparently, that was a word
0:48:45 > 0:48:48that was used to describe it at the meeting.
0:48:52 > 0:48:56The other thing about this is, as you move to change things,
0:48:56 > 0:48:59you've got to have a mutual respect operating.
0:48:59 > 0:49:04I've got to be able to believe that I can say witch hunt
0:49:04 > 0:49:08and it's not misconstrued by people as a witch hunt.
0:49:10 > 0:49:14I'm not entirely sure what Steve means.
0:49:15 > 0:49:20Do you feel people like the head volunteers, like Mike and Steve,
0:49:20 > 0:49:24do you think they appreciate what you do?
0:49:24 > 0:49:26No, to be perfectly honest...
0:49:30 > 0:49:31I shouldn't really say,
0:49:31 > 0:49:34but I think they'd probably be happy if I wasn't here.
0:49:34 > 0:49:36- Really?- Oh, Christ, aye.
0:49:38 > 0:49:41- I get in the way. - Do you? In their eyes?
0:49:41 > 0:49:44Yeah, I think so, yeah.
0:49:44 > 0:49:47Because I won't bow down and do what they want to do,
0:49:47 > 0:49:49you know what I mean? I've actually got a brain.
0:49:49 > 0:49:51I've got an opinion.
0:49:51 > 0:49:53It doesn't go down very well.
0:49:54 > 0:49:58At the start of filming, I learnt about bad feeling that has existed
0:49:58 > 0:50:01for many years between the workers and the senior management.
0:50:01 > 0:50:03This bad feeling is returning
0:50:03 > 0:50:06now that Stuart's departure is imminent.
0:50:06 > 0:50:09So Stuart orders an emergency meeting
0:50:09 > 0:50:11with all the staff and volunteers.
0:50:11 > 0:50:15On this occasion, rather than saying he's leaving
0:50:15 > 0:50:18because the museum can't afford to keep him on,
0:50:18 > 0:50:20he's got another reason for going.
0:50:20 > 0:50:24My news is that...
0:50:24 > 0:50:29I've been offered a new job in Derby, as head of museums.
0:50:29 > 0:50:32I'll be taking up that job.
0:50:32 > 0:50:34Stuart tries to rally everyone in the room.
0:50:34 > 0:50:39There's a lot of misunderstanding about why I'm going.
0:50:39 > 0:50:42Nobody's pushing me to go. This is a choice I've made.
0:50:42 > 0:50:46People were saying, "We wanted you to stay longer."
0:50:46 > 0:50:49I'd have loved to stay longer, I really would have,
0:50:49 > 0:50:52but we can't afford to do everything.
0:50:52 > 0:50:56There are things we need that are a priority right now.
0:50:56 > 0:51:02Nobody's giving up and if there's any talk from us here
0:51:02 > 0:51:07of anyone beyond which is, well, "We're back where we started from,"
0:51:07 > 0:51:11and, "They're going to close us at the end of the year."
0:51:11 > 0:51:14If there's any of that talk, it's absolute rubbish.
0:51:14 > 0:51:18Don't let any defeatist talk come in on this place,
0:51:18 > 0:51:22because this place is set up and you need to take it on
0:51:22 > 0:51:25and there needs to be other posts coming in, that will now come in,
0:51:25 > 0:51:27that will take it on further there, too.
0:51:27 > 0:51:33I totally understand any thoughts you might have right now.
0:51:33 > 0:51:38I'm not walking away from this place. This place has got to flourish.
0:51:41 > 0:51:45Over the next few weeks, the mood fails to improve.
0:51:45 > 0:51:49Just the boat, they've created quite a lot of damage, actually.
0:51:49 > 0:51:53They've broken the lights and they've trashed the toilet area.
0:51:53 > 0:51:56As a bad omen, one evening, the tour boat Centaur
0:51:56 > 0:52:00is broken into and vandalised. New manager John Inch
0:52:00 > 0:52:04identifies some youths on the closed-circuit television.
0:52:04 > 0:52:07I would say late teens, yeah.
0:52:07 > 0:52:08There's a lot of them around.
0:52:08 > 0:52:11- They're going back that way. - Oh, yeah.
0:52:11 > 0:52:15The boatyard foreman John Moore, is driven to distraction
0:52:15 > 0:52:16by the damage to his boats
0:52:16 > 0:52:19and he vents his frustration on some teenagers.
0:52:19 > 0:52:21LAUGHTER
0:52:21 > 0:52:23Come on!
0:52:23 > 0:52:26Amid the problems caused by the fire and the break-in, I
0:52:26 > 0:52:30noticed the workers are beginning to revise their opinions about Stuart.
0:52:30 > 0:52:33I keep thinking we were quite happy with him because
0:52:33 > 0:52:37we thought he was a stayer and now, of course, he's leaving. So...
0:52:37 > 0:52:40Now he's leaving, you think everything has changed?
0:52:40 > 0:52:42Possibly. Because he's not really doing
0:52:42 > 0:52:46what he said he was going to do when he first arrived, I presume.
0:52:46 > 0:52:51The atmosphere in the museum is beginning to affect Stuart too,
0:52:51 > 0:52:53who now only has days left to work.
0:52:53 > 0:52:56At this point, there's probably a tendency
0:52:56 > 0:52:59for certain people to see the worst things about me
0:52:59 > 0:53:02and for me not to see the best things about them.
0:53:02 > 0:53:06I'm not convinced of...
0:53:06 > 0:53:12how much I'm adding by being here at this moment.
0:53:12 > 0:53:16And it's not just, am I adding, but actually,
0:53:16 > 0:53:19am I a potentially negative factor?
0:53:19 > 0:53:22It grieves me to think that might be the case.
0:53:22 > 0:53:27In his last week, a leaving party is held for Stuart.
0:53:27 > 0:53:31Despite the celebrations, I notice not everyone is there.
0:53:31 > 0:53:34He's giving people the impression, like,
0:53:34 > 0:53:38that he's fallen on his sword for the good of the cause.
0:53:39 > 0:53:43One or two of us don't see it that way any more.
0:53:44 > 0:53:47He's saying that the writing's on the wall
0:53:47 > 0:53:49or he's never going to get what he needs,
0:53:49 > 0:53:51so he's just looking after number one.
0:53:51 > 0:53:54He's just moving on, looking after himself.
0:53:57 > 0:54:02Stuart was regarded as the saviour of the museum,
0:54:02 > 0:54:04but that no longer seems the case.
0:54:04 > 0:54:09Hello, you're through to the former phone of Stuart Gillis.
0:54:09 > 0:54:12Please redial the museum
0:54:12 > 0:54:17on 0151 355 5017. Thank you.
0:54:23 > 0:54:27As he leaves his office for the last time,
0:54:27 > 0:54:29I feel a bit sorry for Stuart.
0:54:29 > 0:54:32After all the good work he's done for the museum,
0:54:32 > 0:54:35he should be leaving on a high, but it doesn't feel that way.
0:54:40 > 0:54:43I'm half expecting things to go from bad to worse at the museum
0:54:43 > 0:54:47once Stuart has left, but that's not what happens.
0:54:47 > 0:54:49People move on.
0:54:49 > 0:54:51Visitor numbers remain on the up.
0:54:53 > 0:54:56At the end of summer, a festival aimed at attracting
0:54:56 > 0:54:59young people to the museum is a huge success.
0:55:02 > 0:55:07Then three months after Stuart left the National Waterways Museum,
0:55:07 > 0:55:11I'm invited back to Ellesmere Port to film a momentous occasion.
0:55:11 > 0:55:14His dream of creating a heritage boatyard
0:55:14 > 0:55:18for the museum's sunken boats is at last coming alive.
0:55:18 > 0:55:20It's a bloody good day, actually.
0:55:20 > 0:55:22It's a marvellous day.
0:55:22 > 0:55:25I sound like Churchill now, the beginning of the end.
0:55:25 > 0:55:26We're through the worst.
0:55:26 > 0:55:28The first of many ailing vessels
0:55:28 > 0:55:32is being lifted out of the water to be restored.
0:55:32 > 0:55:35It is the beginning of something new for the museum.
0:55:35 > 0:55:38- It's about creating new jobs.- Yep.
0:55:38 > 0:55:40We're looking to recruit a new supervisor.
0:55:40 > 0:55:44We're looking to have some boatyard assistants starting in the New Year.
0:55:44 > 0:55:47It's about our plans as far as being part of the community
0:55:47 > 0:55:49and assisting with education.
0:55:49 > 0:55:52Everyone at Ellesmere Port seems convinced
0:55:52 > 0:55:55the museum now has a bright future.
0:55:55 > 0:55:58The future of its sister museum in Gloucester
0:55:58 > 0:56:00has still not been decided upon.
0:56:00 > 0:56:04Everybody, I want one person on the rope either end - only one -
0:56:04 > 0:56:05that's all you need.
0:56:05 > 0:56:08Just move yourself way back from the boat.
0:56:08 > 0:56:11- It's rather symbolic. - It is very symbolic.
0:56:11 > 0:56:13- You must be very pleased. - It's pretty good.
0:56:13 > 0:56:16We haven't seen this for a little while
0:56:16 > 0:56:18and we'll see more of it in the future.
0:56:18 > 0:56:21I'm pleased. I'm pleased the boats are coming out
0:56:21 > 0:56:22and we're going to do some work.
0:56:25 > 0:56:26We'll get there.
0:56:30 > 0:56:35At last, the irresistible force of decay is being stemmed.
0:56:46 > 0:56:49CHEERING
0:56:51 > 0:56:55# I was born by the river
0:56:57 > 0:56:59# In a little tent
0:56:59 > 0:57:03# Oh, and just like the river
0:57:03 > 0:57:08# I've been running ever since
0:57:08 > 0:57:14# It's been a long A long time coming
0:57:14 > 0:57:19# But I know a change is gonna come
0:57:21 > 0:57:22# Oh, yes it will... #
0:57:23 > 0:57:27Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:57:27 > 0:57:30E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk