Grand Opening of New Exhibition
Posted By ali on September 24, 2009
The grand opening of the newly refurbished museum happened on Saturday 4th July and the event was truly exciting! During the day we welcomed over 500 visitors to the museum and all seemed to enjoy the new exhibitions. The atmosphere in the House was amazing and it was so great to see so many people enjoying the new interactives.
At 12.30pm a small opening ceremony was held on the steps at the front of the House to mark the occasion. Jenny Arthur, Chairman of the Foundation welcomed Desmond King-Hele (author of the definiative biography) and Christopher Darwin (descendant of Erasmus’s brother William Alvey Darwin) who cut the ribbon. The group, which included representatives from funding organisations and supporters of the House, then moved upstairs to celebrate with a drink of champagne where a few words were said on the importance of the refurbishment, the House and keeping Darwin’s spirit alive.
Desmond, Jenny and ChristopherReception
A very big thank you goes to Helen Clayton who practically organised the whole day. She was working with us on secondment from the Golden Jubliee Trust assisting with the marketing of the House. She has now finished her placement and has set us actions to carry forward. We are very grateful to Helen for all her hard work, committment and, above all, enthusiasm for the post; her assistance on the launch day was very much appreciated!
The design and construction of the work was undertaken by Vertigo Creative, a Leciester based design company. Rhod and John did an amazing job and we would like to thank them for all their hard work during the refurb.
Project working group: Madeleine Budgen, John Moseley, Helen Clayton, Alison Wallis, Jenny Arthur, Rhodri Thomas, Sarah Elsom
The project was funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Staffordshire Environmental Fund as well as other local organisations and individuals. The Erasmus Darwin Foundation are very grateful for their support, without which the project wouldn’t have happened.
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