£90,000 of fun to mark Dippy’s visit
AFUN-PACKED programme is being planned for when Dippy the Dinosaur comes to Rochdale.
More than £90,000 of National Lottery funding will be used to create special museum exhibits and lessons
The Natural History Museum’s much-loved exhibit is currently on a tour of eight venues across the country, with Rochdale set to be its only North West stop in 2020.
The 85ft long diplodocus skeleton will be exhibited in Number One Riverside from February 10 to June 28.
Some of the money will be used to appoint a parttime community officer and part-time education officer.
An exhibition at Touchstones Rochdale looking at the natural heritage of Rochdale and how the landscape has changed over time will include augmented and virtual reality and will be put together with support from experts from the Natural History Museum in London and the University of Manchester.
Coun Janet Emsley, the cabinet member for neighbourhoods, community and culture, said: “Having a world class exhibit like Dippy, which has been seen and loved by children across the globe, right here in Rochdale is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our borough.
“That’s why we want it to be so much more than just a fantastic thing to marvel at.
“We intend to put on a full programme of activities during Dippy’s stay to get children and grown ups alike really passionate about science and the natural world and this stage one pass from HLF is a really important first step in helping us make that happen.”
The money will also be used for a seed planting programme to create a ‘corridor of bees’ in the borough.
The aim of this is to teach young people about biodiversity and help them understand the impact Rochdale’s industrial heritage has had on its natural environment.
Link4Life and the council are expected to submit another bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund in March 2019, with up to £159,000 of additional funding available to help deliver the activity programme, if the bid is successful.