Museum trust’s project gets support of Co-op Local Community Fund
The Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust is pleased to announce that its Sunflower Room project has been chosen by Co-op as one of the causes its members will support in the year to October 2025.
Co-op’s Local Community Fund supports projects around the UK that its members care about, by helping the projects raise money. Each year Co-op members can select a cause to support, and this year the Trust’s Sunflower Room project will be one of the causes they can choose from.
The trust, a heritage conservation and education charity, is creating a Sunflower Room at Blists Hill Victorian Town, a peaceful space at the trust’s biggest museum where diverse groups of people can find privacy and quiet. It is expected to be used by people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), mental and physical health conditions, or for activities such as breast feeding. The money raised from the support of Co-op members will go towards providing sensory toys and equipment, dementia support, sensory tents, ear defenders and baby changing mats, among other things.
The trust was chosen for the fund by staff at the local Co-op branch in Ironbridge. It will automatically receive £500 funding towards the Sunflower Room project in March 2025, followed by a second payment in October 2025, the value of which will reflect the number of Co-op members who choose the project as the cause they want to support.
Gayle Kelly, Head of Development at the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust, said: “We are delighted to have been chosen by the staff at our local Co-op branch in Ironbridge to be part of Co-op’s Local Community Fund. Providing the Sunflower Room is one way in which we can be more inclusive and support our local communities. We hope Co-op members will be inspired to choose our project, which will help lots of people with a variety of different needs, as their cause.”
To develop the Sunflower Room the trust has collaborated with local charity PODS (Parents Opening Doors). Elaine Pearce, Project Manager at PODS, said: “We are delighted to be working with the trust to create the Sunflower Room, adapted to the needs of people with SEND. Our members regularly visit Blists Hill Victorian Town and we know they will benefit from the facilities that will be provided in this new space.”
The trust is now calling on Co-op members to show their support for the Sunflower Room. Existing members can go to the Co-op app now to select the project as their cause. Non-members can pay £1 to become a member and make their selection. Selection can also be made online at: membership.coop.co.uk/causes/91234
As a registered charity, 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 10 museums. This includes conserving and restoring its collections and delivering its education and learning programmes. All the proceeds from this initiative will go towards creating the Sunflower Room.
By Sarah Watson - Contributor
