What 2012 has meant to us…
1. Big opportunities
The news that we had been awarded £1.44m by the Heritage Lottery Fund was a great start to the year. The award secured our capital project ‘Developing for the Future’, due for completion in 2014.
2. New additions
With such an ambitious project on our hands, we’ve grown our ranks! Content Researcher Rosalyn Goulding, Community Participation Officer Diane Spiers, and Collections Transfer Assistant Eleanor Mills are just some of our new faces.
3. Fresh challenges
Building a brand new archive and learning centre through the height of summer was a bit of a challenge! But we got through it and the new building taking shape in Porthcurno will open in the spring of 2014. Watch out for details of our launch events coming soon.
4. Old challenges!
What can we say? The Great British weather never lets us down! (Or should that be, always lets us down?) Luckily our visitors are made of brave stuff, and visitor numbers were up in 2012, despite it being the 2nd wettest year ever recorded by the Met Office. (The wettest was 2000 in case you were wondering.)
5. Loyal supporters
As always, our loyal supporters have played a vital role in our success through the last 12 months. We were especially grateful when President of the PK Trust, Lady Banham MBE, grabbed a spade for our celebratory turf-cutting ceremony.
6. Olympic fever
We couldn’t help but get swept up in the sporting spirit when the torch relay blazed past our front door this spring. Local school children and keen photographers created a unique community exhibitions at the Museum, and inspired us all with their creativity.
7. Fun & games!
Museum staff and colunteers tormed Porthcurno beach in the summer, unleashing Physics Busking on an unsuspecting public. Explosions, mini tornadoes, laughter and general mayhem ensued. Will we be doing it all again in 2013? You bet! (Many thanks to the Institute of Physics for supporting ‘Physics on the Foreshore’ 2012.)
8. New audiences
Our Ideas Cafe programme of free evening talks really took off in 2012; thanks to brilliantly engaing speakers covering a diversity of subjects from solar flares and twinkling stars to Cornish mine engines. We’ve got plenty more up our sleeve for 2013, including a special evening of talks to celebrate National Science and Engineering Week in March.
9. Nice surprises
We were delighted to be awarded GOLD Small Visitor Attraction of the Year at the Cornwall Tourism Awards, and haven’t stopped showing it off since! Listen out for news of our South West Tourism Excellence Award in February 2013.
10. Bright young things
A talented group of graduate engineers from Cable & Wireless Worldwide worked alongside local school children to design and build seven new interactive units exploring the science of light. The units are proving a big hit with visitors of all ages. A collaborative project between the Museum and a new group pf graduate engineers is already underway for 2013.
11. Knit one purl one
Our creative volunteer group, the Cable Stitchers, went from strength to strength in 2012. Among their latest creations are these beautiful learning resources for our KS2 workshop ‘Cornwall’s Sea Life.’ A spin-off remote volunteering group, The Castaways, was also formed.
12. LOTS of boxes!
Our Collections Teams has been busier than ever, preparing over 20,000 items for relocation to their new home. Our new archive facility will open this spring, with a behind-the-scenes event planned for later in the year.
Telegraph Museum Porthcurno: Development 