Press releases and Media Content
PRESS RELEASE
Summer sun and dino dress ups at the Beacon Museum
16 July 2018
THERE are some fantastic family activities at Whitehaven’s Beacon Museum during the summer holidays. They accompany the amazing Brick Dinos LEGO exhibition, which runs until the end of September.
Every day from July 21, prehistoric posers can take their own ‘dino selfies’ at the museum. Props and dinosaur costumes will be on hand along with the terrifying T Rex twins Chomper and Stomper at 11.30am and 2pm.
Visitors can also drop in to a free ‘make your own dinosaur’ activity between 10am and 4pm each day.
Beacon Museum Development Manager, Alan Irwin, said: “This is a fantastic value day out for the family. We are adding these activities in with admission prices as we know it can be hard for families to do multiple activities due to costs.”
In conjunction with the Taste Cumbria festival in Whitehaven on July 28 and 29, the museum is also hosting Dino Fest, where thrill seekers can hold reptiles and bugs, dig for dinosaur bones and learn about these magnificent creatures through a range of events.
All details can be found at www.thebeacon-whitehaven.co.uk, on the museum’s Facebook pages, or by calling 01946 592302.
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Notes for editors
For media enquiries, please contact Andrew Clarke on 01946 598353, Chrissie Cremins on 01946 598390 or Leila Cox on 01946 598315
Copeland Borough Council
Proud of our past. Energised for our future.
Working to improve lives, communities and the prosperity of Copeland.
PRESS RELEASE
Museum launches appeal for World War One artefacts
12 July 2018
THE Beacon Museum is appealing to the local public to help create a commemorative display later in the year.
A Brave New World will be held at the Whitehaven museum from October 6 to November 11, to mark the 100th anniversary of the 1918 armistice and its aftermath. This exhibition coincides with the centenary of the end of hostilities on the western front, and special events will be taking place across the borough in remembrance. The exhibition will explore what life was like for the returning service members and what came next as they transitioned from war to peacetime.
Alan Gillon, from the Beacon Museum, said: “This is about local people who came back to a changed world. Many of their friends and family did not return with them and it was a massively challenging time for people who had been through so much. The First World War was very real for people on the home front also, with the U-boat attack on Lowca in 1915 an obvious reminder that the threat was not far removed. Many are also not aware of the many Belgian refugees who lived and worked in the area. There were over a quarter of a million stayed in Britain during and after the war.”
The Beacon Museum is appealing for items to display in its temporary World War One exhibition.
Mr Gillon added: “We want small artefacts that have links to this area from that time. If it is connected to life during or immediately after the First World War, then it will be considered by our curatorial team. We intend to create a small display of locally loaned items that will complement our collection of artefacts, such as the famous Victoria Cross medal that was bestowed upon Private Abraham Acton.”
The exhibition will culminate in an Armistice Day ceremony, when local schools will be participating in a memorial display. The aim is for the story panels from the exhibition to then be toured around local parishes in the ensuing months for locals to see the displays in their own districts. Anyone who would like more information on hosting the display during late 2018/early 2019 is asked to contact the museum.
Anyone who has an object that they would be happy to loan for this exhibition is asked to email the curatorial team at thebeacon@copeland.gov.uk. Emails should include a digital image of the item with dimensions, description and condition. The team will reply as soon as possible, however due to space and possible duplication, it is possible that not all objects that are offered will be used for the exhibition.
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Notes for editors
For media enquiries, please contact Andrew Clarke on 01946 598353, Chrissie Cremins on 01946 598390 or Leila Cox on 01946 598315
Copeland Borough Council
Proud of our past. Energised for our future.
Working to improve lives, communities and the prosperity of Copeland.
PRESS RELEASE
Local artefact to feature in the Great Exhibition of the North
27 June 2018
A TREASURED artefact is featuring in the acclaimed Great Exhibition of the North this summer.
The renowned Spedding Wheel, currently housed at The Beacon Museum, Whitehaven, is featuring in ‘The History of the North 100 Objects’ online exhibition.
The lifesaving implement revolutionised mining safety practices in the Georgian era, and now showcases a part of Whitehaven’s coal mining heritage.
The exhibition highlights the turning points in science, industry, popular culture and public affairs through the ages.
The 80-day long festival aims to celebrate the North of England’s pioneering spirit through a series of exhibits, live performances, displays and experiences.
Carlisle Spedding invented the steel mill in 1730. He was an engineer, architect and inventor, whose inspiration challenged and changed the lives of many.
His steel mills were initially used in the Lowther family-owned Whitehaven coal mines, in an attempt to save workers from igniting the dangerous build-up of methane gas by the use of candles for light.
Fire-damp explosions killed or maimed hundreds of miners throughout England and the introduction of the steel mill was thought as progression in saving the lives of the miners.
Alan Gillon, Learning and Engagement Officer at The Beacon Museum, has completed wide research on the background of the object, and he comments: “The story of our mining heritage is clearly one that deserves national recognition, and to see this object represent the innovation and bravery of the miners from bygone times is great to see. The event is one not to miss as it truly is a one off.
“Even better is the fact that due to modern technology, the object hasn’t had to leave the museum and is represented digitally within the Great Exhibition of the North. So, visitors in Whitehaven can still see the real thing.”
The Great Exhibition of the North runs in locations around Newcastle until September 9. For more information and to view the online exhibition go to www.getnorth2018.com.
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Notes for editors
For media enquiries, please contact Andrew Clarke on 01946 598353, Chrissie Cremins on 01946 598390 or Leila Cox on 01946 598315
Copeland Borough Council
Proud of our past. Energised for our future.
Working to improve lives, communities and the prosperity of Copeland.
For all Beacon Museum media enquiries please contact
Alan Irwin: Business Development Manager at the Beacon Museum
alan.irwin@copeland.gov.uk
01946 592302