Visitors to Oxford University Museum of Natural History are set to enjoy new displays in the museum’s main court thanks to a £250,000 grant from FCC Environment, distributed by FCC Communities Foundation.
The money will be used to purchase a number of new conservation-grade display cases that will better protect and preserve the specimens on display. The project also offers the opportunity to create imaginative new displays that will offer visitors thought-provoking narratives around the sciences of the natural environment.
‘The generous grant from FCC Environment allows us to take the important first step in a longer-term plan to transform the museum,’ says Professor Paul Smith, Director of Oxford University Museum of Natural History. ‘With the installation of the new displays we will be able to safeguard our heritage, while conveying new messages and information to the museum’s large local, national and international audiences.’
Leading UK waste and resource management company FCC Environment is part of a global group with a strong heritage in providing services for communities and business. FCC Communities Foundation is a not-for-profit business that awards grants for community projects through the Landfill Communities Fund.
Steve Longdon, Regional Director for FCC Environment, says: ‘We are delighted to be able to support Oxford University Museum of Natural History in its aim to improve the visitor experience. The museum caught our attention because it has an internationally important collection of geological and zoological specimens, an award-winning education programme and a very active public engagement programme. The new display cases that FCC Environment are funding will be imaginative and captivate audiences, engaging them in thought-provoking and meaningful ways. This is a very exciting opportunity for us.’
The completed displays are scheduled to open to the public by late 2020.