Gethin Jones, star of the BBC’s Blue Peter and Strictly Come Dancing, has officially opened the National Trust’s Museum of Childhood.
Gethin was joined at the official opening by Dame Fiona Reynolds, Director General of the National Trust, Christopher Pennell from the Heritage Lottery Fund and two special helpers from Sudbury School (Derbyshire) and Pear Tree School (Derby).
The official opening was a private event for the National Trust to say thank you to many of the partners that have been involved in the development of the museum, including the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Betty Cadbury Trust, National Trust Supporters Groups including the National Trust South Derbyshire Centre and several generous legacies.
The Museum of Childhood, at Sudbury Hall, has undergone a massive £2.2 million transformation and reopened on 28 March bigger, better and more spectacular. The Museum now provides fun, fascination and challenges for children and adults to discover, share and compare a variety of childhood experiences from the 19th century to the present day.
Speaking at the opening, Gethin Jones said:
'When we think of our childhood we all remember different things and those memories stay with us forever. It could be the toys we used to play with at home, our school days or making things we saw on Blue Peter!
The Museum of Childhood is a fantastic place and gives young hearted people of all ages the chance to remember and celebrate their childhood.'
Fiona Reynolds, Director General of the National Trust added:
'Throughout the development of the Museum of Childhood project the National Trust have placed people right at the heart of our plans. Today we have eight new galleries, the collections are displayed in a revitalised way and we’ve improved our visitor facilities.
We’re now able to offer all of our visitors to the Museum of Childhood the exciting and inspirational experience that they deserve. None of this would have been possible without the support of our funders and we are most grateful to them for helping us to achieve this wonderful transformation.'
About the museum
The Museum of Childhood has been transformed - there is now much more space for visitors to enjoy the galleries and to see the collections, which are displayed under improved conservation conditions. There are eight new galleries exploring aspects of childhood, including outdoor adventure, home, school and toys. A temporary exhibition gallery has also been developed which will be home to annual exhibitions. This year visitors can see ‘The Making of the New Museum’, which takes a look at how the Museum was transformed.
The galleries include many interactives for people of all ages to enjoy, including ‘have a go’ areas, film clips, audio memories, voting cards and plenty of multi-sensory activities, plus an increased capacity for learning, particularly school groups.
A brand new Museum Shop also opened with a range of related merchandise and the tea-room at Sudbury Hall has been extended and now features a range of Museum Mouseworld meals for children!
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