Radstock Museum is sad to announce the passing of stalwart volunteer Janette Stock on Monday, 24th April 2023.

Janette had volunteered for the museum for many years since her retirement. She gave her time and commitment to many departments within the Museum beginning in the documentation team where her local knowledge and local history knowledge was a great asset with cataloguing old photos and working with old documents. Janette had an absolute passion for the Museum dedicating most weekdays to its cause.

She worked tirelessly with her fellow volunteers organising all kinds of fundraising events from school visits - to colouring competitions. She is probably most famous for organising the Museum fundraising quiz nights for which she was the strictest quiz mistress! Over the years her quizzes have raised many hundreds of pounds for the Museum charity. She always managed to persuade the quiz venues to waive their hire charge so that as much money as possible would go to the Museum; in return promising that the venue would take plenty on the bar, which it did.

Eighteen months ago, Janette stepped up to run the Museum school visits as Head of the Education Team, which in the last financial year has raised £4k for the Museum charity. Janette took all the school bookings and coordinated the volunteers to run the visits as well as playing her part in Victorian costume at the visits herself.

The last major event that Janette helped organise was the Victorian family Christmas event which saw over 400 visitors in the museum. Since Christmas, Janette has been in and out of hospital with health issues but even from her hospital bed she was ringing up the Museum Education Team members to organise the Museum’s Easter children’s trail and the forthcoming evening visit by the Beaver Scouts and was determined to return to her Tuesday afternoon stewarding slot; but sadly, it was not to be.

The Museum volunteers are heartbroken by her passing and are sending all their love and condolences to her beloved husband Jeff, son Duncan and granddaughter Phoebe.

Lucy Tudor