Museum of Brands

Opening access

Museums change lives. They can increase our sense of wellbeing; help us feel proud of where we have come from; inspire, challenge and stimulate us; and enhance our life chances. The Museum of Brands wants to widen its reach so that more people in the local area can feel these benefits.

We have supported the Museum of Brands since 2022 and are pleased to do so again, with a £15,000 grant for their project Widening Reach. As well as encouraging more local people to enjoy the museum, especially those on lower incomes, this will be used to create new sustainability activities. You can read more about our previous work with the Museum of Brands here.

The Museum of Brands is the only UK museum dedicated to consumer history and brand heritage.
The museum reached 14,626 learners in 2022.
130 people volunteer with the museum each year.

Inclusivity and sustainability

To achieve their goal of reaching more than 20,000 children and young people in the 12-month period from August 2023, the museum will deliver a programme of activities for families around holiday periods and other opportunities such as Valentine’s Day and Halloween. To encourage visitors, no matter their income, they’ll pilot a campaign offering free entry for parents, carers or grandparents receiving universal credit. They will also promote their discounted sessions for schools with pupil premium students and offer cheaper, self-guided alternatives for their three most popular taught workshops.

The museum aims to be a specialist in sustainability for the next generation. Learners will explore the history and future of waste management, energy and water conservation, sustainable transportation, food and farming, plastic pollution and environmental activism in a new set of sustainability sessions for learning groups. Families will explore sustainability by looking at changes in products and packaging in a scavenger hunt through the museum’s 200 year Time Tunnel. Older learners will learn about corporate social responsibility, ethical consumerism and consumer behaviour in three new, self-guided higher education resources.