Entry prices at Ironbridge museums axed for flood-hit primary schoolchildren

Bosses at the Ironbridge Gorge Museums Trust will open the doors to Enginuity and Blists Hill Thursday and Friday for schoolchildren who attend closed primary schools including Ironbridge & Coalbrookdale School.

The pupils and their accompanying adults will all enjoy free entry in a bid to ease the pressure of keeping the children occupied during unprecedented floods.

The free entry is for both the primary school pupils and their parent/guardian for the day. The museum bosses ask parents/carers to ensure there are adequate adults to supervise the children in their care.

Nick Ralls, CEO of Ironbridge Gorge Museums Trust, said the move was aimed at giving the children an opportunity of making the most of their unscheduled extra couple of days off.

“Flooding has really hit us all hard in the Ironbridge Gorge and when we heard about the local school closure we felt we would like to do something to give people the chance to get out and enjoy a day at one of our museums,” he said.

“Enginuity and Blists Hill Victorian Town are always popular attractions with visitors and we are delighted to be able to offer free admission over the next two days to the pupils from our local primary school at these sites.

“The terrible conditions have limited what people have been able to do over the half-term break - we look forward to seeing children continuing their learning despite not being in the classroom.

“We hope that by making this offer we can help make it an interesting day out with plenty to see and do at our museums.”

The Furnace restaurant is open on the same site as Enginuity and Blists Hill restaurants are open too.

Museum staff ask that an appropriate number of adults accompany the children to ensure the safety of the children in their care. There is no limit on how many times the children can visit over the two days or how long they wish to stay.

The remaining Ironbridge museums are closed due to the flooding.