Mel Houston joins a small team of specialists today in the Trust’s Collections Conservation Team. She is undertaking a 12-month internship in preventive conservation as part of a UK-wide programme organised by the Institute of Conservation (Icon) and funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Conservators work to protect and preserve objects such as textiles, paintings, books and monuments for the future. They provide advice on managing temperature and humidity, light levels and controlling pests that could damage collections.

As one of the few organisations in Scotland which employs a permanent staff of conservators, the Trust felt it was important to contribute to this crucial and highly-specialised profession.

The Trust’s Head of Collections Conservation Services, Clare Meredith said:

“As a conservation charity, we are committed to protecting and preserving some of Scotland’s most important treasures for future generations. That means we must also play our part in developing the specialist professional skills involved in caring for those treasures.

“We are very pleased to be involved in the third year of this prestigious scheme which is already making a significant contribution to the heritage sector by helping ensure that there is a ready supply of qualified conservators in the UK with the necessary breadth of experience.

“The Trust is superbly placed to offer a newly-qualified conservator an exceptional firsthand experience of delivering preventive conservation. Our collections are so varied and we care, quite literally, for hundreds of thousands of items on open display at our properties. This is an enormous challenge for the Trust’s conservators and Mel will learn much from being part of the team.”

Mel, who was previously a seasonal assistant at the Trust’s Tenement House in Glasgow, will work on a wide range of conservation projects, including helping to develop a pest management plan for all Trust properties. This is an important issue for heritage properties due to an increase in pests which is thought to be linked to changing weather patterns.

Mel said:

“This is a terrific opportunity for me to gain work experience in preventive conservation. I feel very lucky to be the first Trust intern funded by this scheme and am looking forward to working with all the Trust conservators over the next year.

For the next 12 months, Icon is facilitating 10 specialist internships hosted by different heritage organisations across the UK. Icon’s ground-breaking programme, which encourages entrants from non-academic routes into the conservation profession, is supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund. The internships come with an annual education stipend of £14,750 and a range of support, development and networking opportunities.

Carol Brown, Development Manager for Icon, said:

“The success of this scheme depends on the calibre of supervision and range of professional experience provided by host organisations. Icon is delighted that the Trust has joined the programme and is offering such an exceptional opportunity to a newly-qualified conservator.”