Agenda


‘It was a big learning curve – the manhole cover entrance created a bottleneck and long queues formed’


featuring fi rst-hand stories of ex-pupils who had attended the school during the war. ‘We decided to open for tours on four Saturdays in May, during the festival,’ says Mackintosh. ‘Guided tours lasted 30 minutes and we held a 1940s fair in the playground. It was a big learning curve – the manhole cover entrance created a huge bottleneck and long queues formed. Tours took much longer than 30 minutes. By the fourth day we had started to get things under control.’


Two fundraising groups The following year, the team were


keen to invest money on the shelter presentation to create a better visitor experience. In the interests of fi nancial transparency, it was agreed that the FODJ and Take Shelter groups should spilt and that income would be kept separate. This way, the FODJ would be able to demonstrate that all monies raised were spent on the school, and Take Shelter could invest in the museum and demonstrate that the project was profi table.


A thriving museum These days, Take Shelter is managed


by a team of volunteers (some of whom continue to be involved in the FODJ), with the fi nances overseen by the premises manager and head teacher. Revenue from school tours and public open days goes directly to Downs Junior School and is used for the upkeep of the shelter and to improve project resources. Every week, during term time,


other schools can book trips to the museum. Each visit lasts for two hours and includes a tour of the shelter and a handling session run by a veteran volunteer who was a child in Brighton during World War II. Visitors watch interactive video and


Holding a VE Day celebration?


This year, the fi rst bank holiday in May has been moved from Monday 4 May to Friday 8 May to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day in World War II, when fi ghting between the Allies and Nazi Germany stopped in Europe. The team at Take Shelter have given us fi ve suggestions for events if you want to commemorate this special occasion.


● Hold a VE Day themed summer fair with a 1940s fancy dress parade. Award tokens in pounds, shillings and pence, which can be exchanged for prizes. Hold planting activities with a ‘dig for victory’ theme. Stop for a three-minute


silence at 3pm. ● Organise a history day in the classroom: invite local veterans to speak and create a newspaper page announcing the


end of the war. ● Hold a 1940s shindig –


an evening event for adults with a bar, live


music and dressing up. ● Plan a World War II art display – you could look at propaganda posters – and display the results at the school. Play 1940s


music and sell cakes. ● Hold a street party with 1940s-inspired games, fl ag-making and spam sandwiches.


pta.co.uk SPRING 2020 11


audio clips and experience a bombing simulation. Above ground, there’s a playground photo opportunity with dressing-up clothes and a Spitfi re backdrop made by a FODJ dad. The shelter is open to the public for paid tours during the Brighton Fringe festival and free of charge as part of the Heritage Open Days event.


Working together Using funds jointly donated by


the FODJ and Take Shelter, Downs Junior School has been able to upgrade the school canteen to incorporate a new computer, two new projectors, electric screens, a PA, blackout blinds and electric blackouts for high windows. These improvements have transformed the canteen into a modern presentation space used by everyone involved in the school. A new outdoor classroom has also been added. Take Shelter currently raises


around £12,000 each year, but revenues are growing and the team hope to raise over £20,000 per annum in the near future. Take Shelter expects to welcome its 10,000th visitor in summer 2020.


The FODJ is also hard at work with its schedule of events, designed to reach out to the parent community, such as fairs, quizzes and the school fi lm-making competition (see p58) and raises around £10,000 a year. While the FODJ raises most of


its money from events for the school community, Take Shelter brings in people and volunteers from outside. Working together and sharing facilities, each organisation is able to accomplish more than it would ever be possible to do alone.


● To fi nd out more, visit takeshelter.org.uk


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60