We’ve been delighted to be the recipient of three grants over the last month, all supporting the museum as an independent charity to increase our activities for a wider range of people while managing our historical buildings for the future.
We’ve received funding from the Rothschild Foundation in their pilot Green Grant scheme to pay for secondary glazing and thermal blinds in our Victorian building to keep both visitors and our collections at comfortable and suitable temperatures, while reducing our bills and our impact on the planet.
Improving the accessibility of our website with its host of local history resources and information about our exhibitions and events is an ongoing activity. However, an “Access for All grant” from from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) via Chilterns National Landscape will support a comprehensive review and upgrade of the site to ensure that it meets best practice guidelines for all, including those using screen readers.
The King Cullimore Charitable Trust has awarded us a grant to improve access to the museum and to local history more widely. It will fund free visits to the museum from groups with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and for us to visit them with Anthony, our mobile museum. This is alongside a range of improvements including a new portable hearing loop and additional handling resources for groups. It also allows us to train staff and volunteers to greet visitors in British Sign Language to increase our confidence in making a visit to Amersham Museum welcoming for as many people as possible.
Briony Hudson, Museum Director, commented “We’re thrilled to have received this support from three local organisations as it recognises their understanding of the importance of the work that we do and the buildings that we care for. As a completely independent charity, we rely on grants to enable us to do more than pay the bills and to fulfil our vision to bring local history to life to inspire, surprise and engage as many people as possible.”
