Thanks to a £100k grant from our supporters, the Reece Foundation, Beamish is well placed to attract and inspire the engineers of the future. Over the last 12 years, the Reece Foundation has donated around £1 million to support and develop the STEM offering at the museum and its latest contribution will add to their new 1950’s street.
The latest exhibit is an electrical shop, named ‘A Reece Ltd, Radio and Electrical Services’, after North East engineer and founder of the Reece Foundation, Dr Alan Reece. This will benefit thousands of visiting families, schools and groups to take part in engaging, interactive STEM activities.
Sally Dixon, Assistant Director Partnerships & Communications at Beamish Museum, said: “We’re extremely proud of our long-standing relationship with Reece Group. The partnership was established in 2009 and has evolved and matured over time, and with the support for the electrical shop, the Reece Foundation has donated an incredible £1million to museum projects. Beamish is perfectly placed to support Reece in raising the profile of their key message, ‘engineers solve problems’, and we very much look forward to working with the team there for years to come, inspiring the engineers of the future.”
The activities downstairs in the shop will include electronics, circuitry and basic fault finding and repairs. Above the shop will be a bespoke STEM learning workshop set up just like a 1950s electrical repair space that will be used by a range of people including school groups, youth clubs, health and wellbeing groups, and for teacher training.
Anne Reece, Chair of Reece Foundation, said: “Reece Group and Reece Foundation are delighted to partner with Beamish Museum in their mission to bring the past alive and to use it to inspire the generations of the future. Right now we are realising the value of sustainability and the necessity to reduce waste – to repair and to reuse. We couldn’t have a more relevant place than the electrical repair workshop for today’s society – despite the fact it’s inside a village street from the 1950s. We must relearn and value those skills and our workshop will make a significant contribution to this aim.”
Find out more about the Reece Foundation and all of our wonderful supporters here.
Bring It On, The Exhibition for Future Engineers in the North East and the Tees Valley is about to enter its fifth successful year.