Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust launches appeal for sponsors to fund mobility scooter at Blists Hill Victorian Town

The 52-acre museum, a recreation of a working-class town on the East Shropshire Coalfields in 1900, is spread across different levels with a steep incline between the upper part of the town, home to bustling Victorian shops and trade workshops, and the lower part of the town, home to an ironworks, mine, Victorian homes and more. 

The trust, a heritage conservation and education charity, would like to introduce all-terrain mobility scooters to help visitors with mobility challenges navigate the site. Each scooter costs £2,000, and the Trust is looking for businesses to sponsor the scooters. As well as knowing that they are supporting inclusivity and helping provide access to the museum to people who might otherwise struggle to fully enjoy the site, businesses’ involvement will be recognised by their logos being displayed on the scooter they have sponsored. 

Zoe Baxter, Major Donor and Partnerships Executive at the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust, said: “This initiative is particularly important to the trust as it is another significant step forward in our work to make our museums more accessible for all. By sponsoring a mobility scooter businesses can show their support for our heritage conservation and education work at the same time as demonstrating that inclusivity is important to them too.”

The trust, a heritage conservation and education charity, relies on donations to help it carry out its vital work. Each day it costs the trust £15,000 to run its ten museums. This includes conserving and restoring its collections and delivering its education and learning programmes. 

There are many ways that businesses can get involved in supporting the trust’s work. These include sponsoring a museum’s costs for an entire day with the Gift a Day initiative, becoming a Corporate Partner and sponsoring specific initiatives or loaning their staff for volunteer activities.

Businesses that would like to sponsor a mobility scooter or get involved with the trust’s work in other ways can email corporatepartnerships@ironbridge.org.uk.