The Insurance Museum (IM) is thrilled to announce it has been awarded a £249,700 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
The grant will go towards the IM project, Insurance Heritage at Risk, which will run over the next three years and will research insurance heritage and develop an education programme.
Director of the IM, Howard Benge says: “The £249,700 grant from the Heritage Fund will support programmes for schools, families, and young people. These programmes will introduce insurance, explore its history, explain how it supports people today, and highlight insurance careers for children and young people.”
Benge continues: “We are very grateful to The National Lottery Heritage Fund for awarding us this generous grant. This is a step change for the IM. With this increase in our resources, we can lay the foundations for engaging new audiences across the UK.”
As part of the project, the IM will examine insurance heritage, including available collections, and any that may be found in public or corporate archives. The grant will support the recording of oral histories from those who worked in the market from the late 1960s to the 2000s, and the archiving of Dr Mary Reynolds’ OBE personal collection, which charts her career in life assurance. Working with the IM to deliver the programme of activities and events will be the Chartered Insurance Institute, the Business Archives Council, the City of London Libraries and the Bank of England.
Stuart McLeod, Director, England – London & South at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “We’re delighted to support the Insurance Museum preserving and sharing the heritage of insurance. Thanks to National Lottery players, this project will not only safeguard important collections and stories but also inspire future generations to understand the role insurance plays in our lives today.”
The Insurance Heritage at Risk project will become part of the overall plans of IM, to establish a public museum space within the City of London’s insurance district and run a programme of events across the UK including digital galleries, talks, tours and webinars.
IM Chairman Reg Brown says: “The grant is a great honour for the insurance profession and I very much hope the whole sector will respond to the support we have received from the Heritage Fund, by also giving generously to the charity, through donations and sponsorship.”
To find out more, get in touch with us, enquire about memberships or sign up to our newsletter, please visit us via: www.insurance.museum For details on making a donation to the IM charity, please visit: www.insurance.museum/slip. Using money raised by National Lottery players, The National Lottery Heritage Fund supports projects that connect people and communities with the UK’s heritage.
