The 52-acre museum, a recreation of a working-class town on the East Shropshire Coalfields in 1900, is spread across different levels with a steep incline between the upper part of the town, home to bustling Victorian shops and trade workshops, and the lower part of the town, home to an ironworks, mine, Victorian homes and more.
The trust, a heritage conservation and education charity, wanted to introduce all-terrain mobility scooters to help visitors with mobility challenges navigate the site. Thanks to funding from two trusts, the Blakemore Foundation and the W E Dunn Charitable Trust, it has been possible to raise the money needed to buy the first scooter.
Gayle Kelly, Head of Development at the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust, said: “We are incredibly excited to be able to offer our first scooter to visitors with mobility issues, thanks to the generous donation from two trusts. This is a huge step forward to make our museums more accessible to all.
“We would love to have more than one, so we are still seeking funders. By sponsoring a mobility scooter, at just over £2,000, local businesses can show their support for our heritage conservation and education work at the same time as demonstrating that inclusivity is important to them too.”
As well as knowing that they are supporting inclusivity and helping provide access to the museum to people who might otherwise struggle to fully enjoy the site, businesses who fund a scooter will be recognised by their logos being displayed on the scooter they have sponsored.
The trust, a heritage conservation and education charity, relies on donations to help it carry out its vital work. Each day it costs the trust £15,000 to run its ten museums. This includes conserving and restoring its collections and delivering its education and learning programmes.
There are many ways that businesses can get involved in supporting the trust’s work. These include sponsoring a museum’s costs for an entire day with the Gift a Day initiative, becoming a Corporate Partner and sponsoring specific initiatives or loaning their staff for volunteer activities.
Businesses or trusts that would like to sponsor a mobility scooter or get involved with the Trust’s work in other ways can email corporatepartnerships@ironbridge.org.uk