Museum trust launches new 'calm space' at Victorian town

The room, located conveniently at the heart of the Victorian town, is expected to be used by people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), mental and physical health conditions. It is also available to parents who wish to breast feed or bottle feed young children in a quiet space.

To develop the Sunflower Room the Trust has collaborated with local charity PODS (Parents Opening Doors) for advice and guidance. Inside the room there is comfortable seating, sensory toys and equipment, sensory tents, ear defenders and baby changing mats, among other things.

The Sunflower Room has benefited from funding from five trusts and foundations. The Richardson Brothers Foundation, Edith Murphy Foundation and an anonymous trust all gave funding towards the introduction of sensory bags at Blists Hill Victorian Town and the Sunflower Room. Funding also came from a significant donation from the Noel Sweeney Foundation and a short breaks small capital grant awarded by Telford & Wrekin Council. Staff from local company MyWorkwear, one of the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust’s Corporate Partners, recently spent time decorating the space. 

Andrea Nelson, Community Engagement & DEI Manager at the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust, a heritage and conservation charity, said: “We are thrilled to be opening our Sunflower Room at Blists Hill Victorian Town, to offer a calm space where our visitors with additional needs can take some time out. Providing the Sunflower Room is one way in which we can be more inclusive and support our local communities.”

Karen Davies, Interim CEO at the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust, said: “As an independent charity, we are extremely grateful to all the trusts and foundations that have given money towards the Sunflower Room. The Sunflower Room will make a big difference to our visitors and will help us achieve our objective of ensuring that everyone feels welcome at our museums.”

The Noel Sweeney Foundation, which provided the largest individual donation towards the project, said: “The Noel Sweeney Foundation strongly believes in the power of inclusivity, so we are proud to support the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust to make such a positive impact for children and young people with Special Educational Needs.

“Museums should be places where everyone, regardless of their abilities, can enjoy learning and exploration. The Here to Help Scheme is a fantastic initiative, creating a welcoming, safe and supportive environment for everyone to enjoy.”

Elaine Pearce, Project Manager at PODS, said: “We have been delighted to work with the trust to create the Sunflower Room, adapted to the needs of people with SEND. The trust has been able to draw on the insight and experience of our members who regularly visit Blists Hill Victorian Town to create a space that we know they will benefit from.”

The trust is continuing to raise funds towards the Sunflower Room to enable it to improve the facility and respond to visitor feedback once it is open. The project has been selected by Co-op as one of the causes its members can support in the year to October 2025 by voting for the project to receive more funds.

The Sunflower Room is the latest in a series of new initiatives the trust, a heritage conservation and education charity, has implemented to help improve access to its busiest museum. 

In December 2024, in time for its annual Victorian Christmas events, the trust launched sensory bags, designed to soothe visitors with SEND who may became stressed, agitated or anxious due to sensory overload. The bags, provided by MyWorkwear, contain items, funded by three private trusts and foundations, including ear defenders, pop fidgets, spiky light up balls, squeeze stress balls, a wooden kaleidoscope, and wooden twist and lock blocks. Also at Christmas 2024, the trust hosted its first Calm Christmas Grotto at Blists Hill Victorian Town, with sessions adapted to children and young people with SEND. Corporate volunteers from local companies including iconsys, MyWorkwear, Paycare and Wrekin Housing Group have also played an important role in introducing these initiatives, wrapping Christmas gifts for the Calm Christmas Grotto and painting the new Sunflower Room, among other things. 

As a registered charity, 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. All the proceeds from this initiative will go towards creating the Sunflower Room.

For more information about access for people with physical and hidden disabilities at the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust’s sites, go to: ironbridge.org.uk/plan/access-information.