Grant-Making Trusts and Foundations
Like many museums and heritage conservation charities, we rely on the generous support of grant-making Trusts and Foundations to enable us to carry out our ongoing heritage conservation and education projects.
The support we receive helps to protect some of the UK’s most important heritage and assists us to tell the unique story of the Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site and how it has shaped society since the 18th century.
We are currently reaching out to Trusts & Foundations and statutory funders to support a number of heritage conservation, restoration and capital projects, find some examples below.
cALM christmas
We know that the grottos and lively atmosphere of our successful Victorian Christmas Weekend events can be overwhelming for some of our visitors. So for the first time in 2024, we are hosting a special Calm Christmas grotto at Blists Hill Victorian Town suited to children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities, and the 'young at heart'.
Thanks to supporters of this project, we can deliver a quieter, more sensory experience, still harnessing the same Christmas spirit we always deliver, but with extended session times, quieter volumes, SEND trained festive characters, and sensory toys and activities.
the winding engine at blists hill victorian town
Can you help us bring our Steam Winding Engine back to life?
Sadly, one of our main Steam exhibits at our most popular museum, Blists Hill, has broken and has been out of service for over three years.
The Winding Engine is a remarkable piece of engineering that shows how the Victorians harnessed steam to power their engines to transport miners and coal up and down the mine shaft.
The pithead gear (outside) and steam winding engine are genuine items that have been relocated and re-erected as faithfully as possible and show visitors just how important this machinery was for mining.
It really is a magnificent piece of machinery and engineering, and it’s very sad not to see it operating as it should, in all its glory. We desperately want to raise funds to undertake the much needed repairs.
To find out more information about our current projects and how your Trust can support us, please contact Laura Dudley, Trusts and Foundation Fundraising Executive at laura.dudley@ironbridge.org.uk
We would like to gratefully thank all of our supporters who have made a significant difference to our work over the years.