Jodrell Bank has been awarded £4m in the Autumn Statement to go towards a new project to promote the historical importance of the scientific work undertaken at the Cheshire site.
Subject to the approval of a business plan, the £4m completes the fundraising for the £20.5m ‘First Light’ project which combines a celebration of scientific heritage with an enhanced educational programme. The development will include construction of a new gallery, incorporating a spectacular exhibition and immersive auditorium.
‘First Light’ is supported by an offer of £12M from the Heritage Lottery Fund, with generous support from the Garfield Weston Foundation, the Wolfson Foundation, the Denise Coates Foundation, the University of Manchester Alumni and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation.
Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre currently attracts around 185,000 visitors each year, including 26,000 school pupils on educational visits. The new project is expected to increase the overall visitor numbers to 250,000, and reach an additional 6,000 school pupils each year.
The new facility will help people learn more about the history of the Observatory at Jodrell Bank, including its pivotal role in the development of radio astronomy, its work in space tracking and its contribution to defence during the cold war.
Read more at manchester.ac.uk