Ipswich Museum given £200,000 from Clore Duffield Foundation to fund new learning space

A £200,000 grant from a charity will help fund a new learning space at Ipswich Museum as work to renovate the inside continues.

Ipswich Borough Council has announced that Friends of Ipswich Museum (FoIM) secured funding from the Clore Duffield Foundation to help expand learning opportunities when the museum reopens.

Funding will also go towards enhancement of the courtyard access to the new learning space and support towards travel costs for schools.

This follows a successful application to the charity by the group.

Richard Wilson, chairman of FoIM, said the studio was set to become a cornerstone of the museum’s educational outreach and a dedicated environment for innovative learning and engagement.

He added: "I’m delighted that the Clore Duffield Foundation have awarded us the full £200,000.

“This not only secures essential resources for our educational programmes but reinforces our commitment to excellence."

The new space will be called the Clore Learning Studio and is expected to cost £165,070.

Of the remaining funds, £16,500 will go towards the development of a courtyard and mosaic, while £5,230 will be used to reinstate the amphitheatre seating for outdoor events.

In addition, £1,200 will be allocated for a railed enclosure around the courtyard and £12,000 will support travel costs for schools.

Ipswich Museum has been shut to the public since October 2022 to allow for extensive renovations to take place.

These include new exhibits, additional lifts and a new coffee shop.

So far, the project has run more than £2.7 million over budget, with an estimated cost of £11.4 million.

Carole Jones, the borough council’s portfolio member for housing sand museums, welcomed the funding.

She said: “This is wonderful news for Ipswich and for the redevelopment of our much-loved Museum.

“My thanks go to the Clore Duffield Foundation, and also to The Friends of the Ipswich Museums for their success in getting this award, which will improve both education facilities in the new Museum and its external spaces.”