The venue, run by Museums Northumberland and situated on a former colliery site in Ashington, is hoping to receive the final £3,000 it needs to make the play area a reality.
More than £50,000 has already been awarded to the project from the SUEZ Communities Trust and The Ridley Family Charity.
The money raised will enable the museum to install a range of resources to help children interact and learn through movement, sound, vision and memory.
Progressing play
The new play area will include:
- A new Pairs Game to build memory skills, themed around Woodhorn Museum’s mining heritage
- A Ferraphone to introduce music and sound
- A Cradle Nest Swing that can accommodate more than one child
- Conference Stations to enable children to communicate across the play site
- A wheelchair accessible rotating plate
The play facility will be reached via a new wheelchair accessible path, with a small slide linking the path with the lower-level site and a seating area enabling parents to relax while being close by.
This addition, along with the museum’s existing Pit Yard Play Area, is part of the venue’s plan to create an “exciting outdoor facility which encourages physical and social play between children of differing ages and abilities”.
“Play is an important part of learning, and a great way for children to express themselves,” asserts Rowan Brown, chief executive of Museums Northumberland.
“By expanding our existing play area to include more accessible and inclusive play equipment, we can ensure that all children can benefit from visiting our museum, and have the opportunity to learn about our county’s stories.”
“We’re now asking members of the public to help us reach our final funding target so we can start work as soon as possible.”
The Woodhorn Museum Crowdfunder page can be accessed here.
