Barnsley Museums and Heritage Trust has secured £30,000 for the Outside the Box project, generously granted by The Foyle Foundation. 

It will provide accessible, affordable, curriculum-based arts and heritage activities at Barnsley Museums for schools and families struggling with the cost-of-living crisis, and provide new SEND resources for schools and families.

The activities will encourage creativity and improve the wellbeing of children and young people taking part. 

It supports many schools struggling to fund workshops and learning experiences due to the current economic climate. 

Work as part of the project will include:

Two new free self-led trails in Experience Barnsley Museum allowing pupils to explore the site and discover more about local history. 

Four new topic focussed loan boxes and accompanying resources linking to virtual tours of Barnsley Museums attractions, helping schools avoid the need for expensive transport to the venues.

New sensory loan boxes to help SEND children experience the collections and museum experiences without barriers. 

Ten new access backpacks will help children with additional needs explore spaces, either on a school visit or with their family.

The project will allow Barnsley Museums to reach schools previously unable to access their services due to physical, sensory, and financial barriers and work more closely with families and visitors.

Cllr Robert Frost, Cabinet Spokesperson for Regeneration and Culture, said: “Arts and culture are crucial to the development of children and young people and have positive impacts on health and wellbeing. This funding is critical in offering new opportunities to schools and families to experience our towns heritage, both physically and digitally. We all know times are tough and Barnsley Museums are looking at different ways they can support people by offering free access to arts and culture. All the venues are free to enter with a wonderful programme of events and activities.” 

For more information about the work of Barnsley Museums visit www.barnsley-museums.com