As part of the audience development plan funding we were awarded last year we were able to purchase things to make our visitor experience easier for those with small children or additional needs. Over the past few weeks you may have noticed various changes on the gallery and we though it would be great to just summarise these changes here.
We have replaced the heavy and hard benches around our picnic tables with these much more accessible chairs – they’re rather comfy! We have positioned the benches around the museum to provide additional seating so they were not wasted. In the picture you can see our new accessibility drawers behind the table. In the buckets are various toys, tools and aids including: adult and child sized ear defenders, torches, coloured plastic boards for those with dyslexia, fidget boards for adults with dementia, stim toys and hip carriers for babies/toddlers. Any of these can be borrowed during your visit completely for free and you can simply return it to the buckets before you leave. As always if you have any questions just ask one of our fantastic volunteers.
We have added a new adult cosy corner between the shop and the Spinning Jenny. This includes armchairs, tables, a rug and a lamp. Perfect for sitting and enjoying a coffee from our shop, relaxing during your visit or as a cosy spot to have a read.
Also added to the lower gallery is some new soft play equipment. We have expanded on the existing play area and added soft play blocks, beanbags and new sheep themed rocking seats.
Finally we have redesigned some of our upper gallery and gathered most of our child friendly interactives in to the centre of the gallery and added a new soft play area. Rubber mats have added to the floor for cushioning and soft play blocks have gone up there as well.
We hope that these additions get well used – we have already seen the soft play well used and already had a book club making use of the new seats in the picnic area!
