Staff

The team is united by its commitment to making all museums better for children, young people and families.

Alison Bowyer – Executive Director

Alison has worked in the cultural sector for around 20 years with previous roles at LAMDA, the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, Southbank Centre and the Academy of Ancient Music.

She has a longstanding interest in museums and how people engage with heritage, having been a volunteer at Handel House Museum (now Handel and Hendrix) in London and completing degrees in Cultural Memory at the University of London and history at the University of Cambridge. Her favourite museums are the Wellcome Collection and the People’s History Museum.

Outside of work, Alison was for many years a keen musician and has performed in most of the UK’s leading concert halls including the Royal Albert Hall as part of the BBC Proms. She is currently a listening volunteer for Samaritans, was a volunteer for young people’s helpline, The Mix, for seven years and has mentored for Arts Emergency and the Institute of Fundraising.

Laura Bedford – Head of Programmes

Laura has worked in or with museums for over 15 years. All her roles have been learning focused and involved working with a variety of audiences. Whilst working at Geffrye Museum (now Museum of the Home) she rolled out a new early years programme, co-created exhibitions with family learning groups, consulted with families in order to pilot new digital provision, managed an after school club for young people with learning disabilities and co-produced events with the youth advisory panel.

Laura previously managed the National Alliance for Museums, Health and Wellbeing and was the director for GEM’s health and wellbeing intermediate course. She strongly believes that museums can change lives and has seen first-hand the impact that culture can have for audiences of all ages. Her favourite museums for their work around children, young people and families are Mansfield Museum and the Museum of Cardiff.

Meg Beaumont – Content and Communications Manager

Meg has over ten years’ experience producing creative, accessible communications for a range of arts organisations. She previously worked at arts charity Heart n Soul, and Engage, the National Association for Gallery Education. At Heart n Soul, Meg worked directly with project participants to co-create engaging content that centred the voices and experiences of learning disabled and autistic people. She is passionate about heritage and cultural spaces as places for inspiration, learning – and fun.

Outside of work, Meg can often be found swimming off the Kent coast, rifling through charity shops, dabbling in painting and sound art, and eating crisps. Her favourite museums are the Museum of Witchcraft in Cornwall and the Museum of Jurassic Technology in LA.

Charlie Snow – Team Administrator

Charlie has been volunteering within the museum sector for over 10 years, including being a member of the Youth Forum at the National Portrait Gallery and the Museum Collective at Brighton & Hove Museums. She has participated in several Takeover Days, taking on tasks in the marketing department, front of house, and learning teams. These experiences gave her a passion for helping young people engage with the heritage sector.

Outside of work, Charlie can often be found listening to audiobooks, going to the cinema, and adding to her Lego collection. Her favourite museum is Brighton Museum because of all the amazing experiences she has had volunteering there. She looks forward to exploring more museums and learning new things.

Find out how to get in touch with us.

All vacancies at Kids in Museums will be advertised on our Vacancies page.