The museum will receive £8,000 per annum for three years. This will be used to create twelve interactive museum displays for children between the ages of five and seven. Four displays will be produced per year based on the grant period.
The Sir James Knott Trust is an independent charitable trust aiming to help improve the conditions of people living a working in the North East of England. The instalments will support the development of children under 5s with 'Mouse House' play space and the rest of the museum exhibits.
The interactive displays are designed to stimulate multisensory development in young children. The interactive displays will be trialled alongside children and their parents to enhance lifelong knowledge, learning and confidence.
We are extremely grateful to the Sir James Knott Trust for helping us to support family learning and inspiring our youngest visitors.
Caroline McDonald, Great North Museum: Hancock Manager
Caroline McDonald, The Manager at the Great North Museum: Hancock, said: “The Great North Museum aims to be with children of every age at every step of the way as they learn about the world around them.
We are extremely grateful to the Sir James Knott Trust for funding our gallery interactives, helping us to support family learning and inspiring our youngest visitors.”
Challenging families in and around the museum and the city in a fun way will also potentially make it more memorable
Jo Curry, Executive Director of Sir James Knott Trust
The Executive Director of the Trust, Jo Curry, stressed the importance of early learning by “shaping children's understanding of culture and their environment. Challenging families in and around the museum and the city in a fun way will also potentially make it more memorable."
The £24,000 award follows from Great North Museum: Hancock’s success in 2019, which attracted thousands of visitors for the Dippy on Tour exhibition. The museum also won the Best Medium Museum at the Family Friendly Museum Awards.
Great North Museum: Hancock was built as a national history museum in 1884. It is currently managed on behalf of Newcastle University by Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums.
