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John Coburn

John Coburn | Founder/Director | Wild Museum

John is a producer/consultant who for 16 years has led high impact public programmes with arts, heritage and environmental organisations across the UK. In collaboration with cultural, research and community partners, he produces physical and digital public programmes that explore human relationships with place, people and the changing natural world.

John also co-manages Duke’s Hagg Wood, an ancient woodland in Northumberland where many Wild Museum programmes are researched and developed.

Headshot photo of John Coburn

Resources by John Coburn


In 2022-23, 17 heritage organisations took part in the Digital Volunteering programme that was funded as part of the National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Digital Skills for Heritage initiative. Some of these organisations used Google and Meta (Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp) advertising to recruit volunteers to work remotely on digital projects. This ‘how to’ guide shares the process, learning and challenges of using Google and Meta Ads to recruit volunteers.

Four people sitting on a stage being filmed and with an audience.

The Digital Skills for Heritage’s Connected Heritage programme was set up to explore how digital tools can help solve some of the challenges organisations experience when collaborating with each other. In this Reflect, Share, Inspire breakout session recording, John Coburn gives an overview of the programme and is joined by Lucy Hinnie from Wikimedia and Cesare Cuzzola from the Queer Heritage and Collections Network, who share their learning and experience of the programme.

Six people sitting on a stage with a large screen behind.

The Digital Skills for Heritage digital volunteering programme was created following feedback from the Digital Attitudes and Skills for Heritage (DASH) survey, which identified the need for the heritage sector to create new types of volunteering opportunities that make use of digital skills. In this Reflect, Share, Inspire panel session five of the 17 heritage organisations that took part in this programme discuss their digital volunteering journeys.

Digital Heritage Hub is managed by Arts Marketing Association (AMA) in partnership with The Heritage Digital Consortium and The University of Leeds. It has received Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and National Lottery funding, distributed by The Heritage Fund as part of their Digital Skills for Heritage initiative. Digital Heritage Hub is free and answers small to medium sized heritage organisations most pressing and frequently asked digital questions.

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