attractions & museums


Council backs restoration of lower Derwent Valley


Derbyshire County Council is the latest partner to back a Heritage Lottery Fund bid to protect and restore a historic val- ley in the region linked to the birth of the industrial revolution. Derbyshire Wildlife Trust is leading


the bid for the proposed £2.3m develop- ment that would conserve and enhance the lower Derwent Valley, which includes the Derwent Valley Hills World Heritage Site. Te bid will be submitted in May, with a decision expected in September. Details: http://lei.sr?a=i4X7S


Funding boost for Fort Bovisand


Heritage Lottery Funding has been awarded to Plymouth’s derelict Fort Bovisand, to help it further develop its £16m plans to transform the sched- uled ancient monument site into a visitor attraction. Development funding of


£352,500 was awarded to Te Fort Bovisand Trust and could lead to a £4.32m grant for the public/private project, which will see part of the site con- verted into residences. Owned by former direc-


tor general of the BBC Greg Dyke the fort has been a defence feature since Tudor times and played a role in World War II when it was manned by servicemen with anti-aircraſt guns and searchlights. Development plans include site renovations, a visitor interpretation centre, a café and learning facilities. The Fort Bovisand Trust has had initial discussions


Te museum will double in size under the plans


Satrosphere launches £7m fundraising campaign


Aberdeen’s Satrosphere Science Centre has launched a £7m fundraising campaign as it unveiled plans to refurbish and double the size of its current facility. As part of the scheme, the centre would


also change its focus to the science of energy, a theme Satrosphere says is rarely emphasised in science centres throughout Europe. Te development will include new learning, teaching and corporate spaces, intended to increase Satrosphere’s visitor numbers from its current 55,000 to 70,000 annually. Details: http://lei.sr?a=m8Y4P


Madame Tussauds studio creates Houston tribute


A team of artists at Madame Tussauds’ stu- dio in London are creating four wax figures of singer and actress Whitney Houston to celebrate distinct events in her life. It is the first time in more than 200 years


of the history of Madame Tussauds that the attraction has created four distinct wax like- nesses of a single subject. Te process takes four months to com-


plete with the four figures costing £777,000. Te figures will be displayed at the four Madame Tussauds attractions in the US. Details: http://lei.sr?a=e0y1B


6 Te planned development with red representing the visitor attraction


with Plymouth educational establishments, Te Conservation Volunteers and the City Museum, aimed at engaging apprentices, vol- unteers and students. Councillor Tudor Evans said: “Tis plan all


helps add to the sense that Plymouth’s time is really coming.” Details: http://lei.sr?a=d1x1M


Plans for Windermere steamboat attraction


London architects Carmody Groarke have submitted a planning application to the Lake District National Park to redevelop the Windermere Steamboat Museum into a heritage attraction. Te £13.4m museum devel-


opment will include exhibition space, a wet dock to display heritage boats and an opera- tional conservation workshop open to the public. Highlights of the collection


will include steam launches of the 1890s and 1900s; SL Dolly (1850), the oldest mechani- cally powered boat in the world; and Beatrix Potter’s tarn boat that she used to sketch in on Moss Eccles Tarn. In addition to display space, the museum will feature a learning centre and café with views to the north of Windermere.


Te £13.4m development will include wet docks and a lakeside cafe The completed museum is expected to


attract 100,000 visitors a year and 200-300 school groups. It will create 94 direct and indirect jobs. Details: http://lei.sr?a=v6E0A


Suspected rhino horn thieves target Irish museum


Four rhinoceros heads have been stolen from a storage facility at the National Museum of Ireland, likely for the illegal trade of powdered horn that is used in traditional Far East medi- cine. A security guard was tied up by a number of raiders in the 17 April incident at the Dublin


Read Leisure Opportunities online: www.leisureopportunities.co.uk/digital


museum. A total of eight horns have been taken, which could have a street value in the region of €0.5m (£0.43m). In 2011 more than 50 rhino horn thefts


were reported from European museums and galleries. Details: http://lei.sr?a=A6P6q


Twitter: @leisureopps © Cybertrek 2013


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