ATTRACTIONS


Budget cuts forcing UK museums to sell exhibits


A new survey from the Museums Association has shown that around one in every 10 UK museums are being forced to consider selling off parts of their collections to balance the books due to funding cuts. Te annual Cuts Survey revealed that


because of dwindling budgets, more than a third of museums have seen a decrease in school visits, while a quarter of muse- ums reported reducing the number of free events and temporary exhibitions. In some cases, hard-pressed museums have had to close their doors to the public altogether. Te survey also discovered that 52 per cent


of museums experienced a drop in income over the last year – the highest rate since 2011 – with public sector museums the worst hit. Details: http://lei.sr?a=b6r7h


SNP urges U-turn on £30m project


Te Scottish National Party (SNP) is urging Aberdeen City Council leaders to abandon a £30m renova- tion project to completely revamp Aberdeen Art Gallery amid claims of spiralling costs and wide- spread public objection. Te SNP tabled a motion


to be considered at a coun- cil meeting in December, calling for the tender pro- cess for the renovation to be “halted immediately.” The refurbishment


scheme already has the majority of funding in place and has gained planning permission, though some parties have described the gal- lery’s design as “cultural vandalism”, while many have been unhappy with the planned removal of the facility’s marble staircase. SNP councillor John Corall has suggested


that costs have soared for the project, particu- larly storage of the gallery’s collection, which is said to total around double the £3m estimate. Corall also said the gallery needed work to make it “wind and watertight,” adding: “I’ve


VR headsets are becoming popular in attractions


Virtual reality has significant effect on brain function: study


Neurophysicists have discovered that the space-mapping neurons in the brain react differently when exposed to virtual reality (VR), with a recent study on rats showing that VR makes a significant impact on the brain, though it is not yet known what effects this will have in future. Published in the journal Nature


Neuroscience, scientists studied the hip- pocampus – a region of the brain linked with diseases such as Alzheimer’s, stroke, depression, schizophrenia, epilepsy and post-traumatic stress disorder – and discov- ered that the same scene presented in both virtual reality and real life, produced com- pletely different sets of neurological data. For the study, researchers placed a small


harness around rats and put them on a treadmill surrounded by a “virtual world” on large video screens — a virtual envi- ronment they described as “even more immersive than IMAX”. The rats were then introduced to a real room designed to look exactly like the virtual reality room with data for both circumstances measured. Details: http://lei.sr?a=n5X9g


12 Concorde site lands slice of £21m HLF purse


The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has green-lighted more than £21m in funding for a variety of heritage proj- ects across the UK, including the renovation of a World War One social club, con- struction of Scotland’s first building conservation cen- tre and the creation of an aerospace centre. Among the projects that have received HLF funding, some of the most notable include: • Bristol Aerospace Centre


gained the largest slice of the funding pie, with the HLF donating £4.7m to create an Aerospace Centre at Filton airfield, one of the birthplaces of the British aviation industry. It will create a permanent home where people can access Concorde 216, the last British Concorde assembled at the Filton site which led the design, testing and production of the airliner. • Weald and Downland Museum near


Read Leisure Opportunities online: www.leisureopportunities.co.uk/digital £4.7m was given to create Bristol Aerospace Centre – home of the Concorde


which aims to transform the way in which vis- itors experience the open air museum from the moment that they enter the site. Te new “gateway” will be built around the


Chichester also received significant HLF funding, gaining £4m for its Gateway Project,


museum’s millpond, providing new orienta- tion and interpretation galleries alongside ticketing, retail and catering facilities, as well as the construction of an annexe for use as a classroom and venue for community events and functions. Details: http://lei.sr?a=w4k7Y


Twitter: @leisureopps © CYBERTREK 2014 Te gallery renovation is expected to take around two years to complete


not met a single Aberdonian with a good word to say about the art gallery redevelopment.” Work on the £30m refurbishment of the


130-year-old building is due to start in Q1 of 2015, with a £10m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), while the council has committed a further £10m. The approved plans include construction of a new rooſtop gallery and extension of the gallery’s iconic war memorial, as well as stripping the interiors. Details: http://lei.sr?a=J6Q8a


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