£200,000 awarded to Discovery Museum for new developments
"We are extremely grateful to the Wolfson Foundation for supporting Discovery Museum"
North East Museums (formerly Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums) has been awarded £200,000 by the Wolfson Foundation to support the redevelopment of galleries at Newcastle’s Discovery Museum.
The funds will go towards transforming the museum’s Working Lives gallery into a reimagined temporary exhibition space which will showcase stories of the region using the museum’s extensive collections. It will also contribute towards the creation of a new under 5s area to replace the popular former Play Tyne space.
Research shows that access to play and exploration has a positive impact on the development of young children’s memories, problem-solving, communication and motor skills. The new under 5s space will be designed especially for young children including those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), creating a fun, safe place for them to play and learn. It will explore the themes of the museum including transport, engineering, inventions, and bridges.
The new under 5s space is due to open in spring 2025 and the new temporary exhibition space will be complete in 2026.
Keith Merrin, Director of North East Museums said:
“We are extremely grateful to the Wolfson Foundation for supporting Discovery Museum with this grant, allowing us to create a new flexible exhibition and event space which will mean we can continue to refresh the museum offer for our visitors and a dedicated under 5s space to provide experiences that cater to the full age-range of our family audience.”
The new under 5s space has also been generously funded by the Sir James Knott Trust and the Catherine Cookson Charitable Trust
The new under 5s space has also been generously funded by the Sir James Knott Trust and the Catherine Cookson Charitable Trust, a crowd-funding appeal will be launched in March to raise the final funding needed to complete the project.
These new features will complement Discovery Museum’s many galleries which share the story of Tyneside. Popular galleries include Newcastle Story, which leads the visitor on a journey through the decades of the city from Roman times to the end of the 20th century, and the hands-on Science Maze with multiple activities and exhibits exploring themes such as electricity and light.
Steam to Green: A North East Energy Revolution is Discovery Museum's current exhibition and event programme exploring the story of energy in the North East, with a programme of family and adult events.
Discovery Museum recently won a North East Culture Award 2024 in the Business Partnership category for its work on Steam to Green: A North East Energy Revolution with the North East’s energy and travel sector.
Entry to the museum is free, although donations are welcome. The museum is open Mondays – Friday 10am – 4pm and Saturday and Sunday 11am – 4pm.
