Catalyst wins £1m National Lottery Heritage Fund bid
Boom! Widnes chemistry museum wins over £1m in funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund
[October, 2024] Catalyst Science Discovery Centre and Museum in Widnes, Cheshire, has been given £1m by The National Lottery Heritage Fund to help it educate and excite an even wider audience about the relevance of chemistry, the town’s chemical heritage and how this has shaped modern life today.
A charity launched in 1987, Catalyst celebrates the local chemical industry heritage and its influence at home and around the world with unique initiatives, hands-on experiences and rich industrial heritage archives. Catalyst welcomes visitors from local area and beyond, with special events for schools, families, and SEN groups all year round.
The £1,009,930 Heritage Fund grant will be used to create eight new jobs in the area, help refurbish parts of the museum and fund an extensive activity plan that will ensure an enhanced experience for the local community and visitors.
Nikki Mallott, CEO at catalyst said: “Widnes is proud of its chemical heritage. The industry that developed here has had a significant impact on the chemical industry worldwide and on the products we use every day. It has shaped the town, the wider North West region and the rest of the world and we’ll be using this funding to help more people understand not only its inception, but its relevance to the modern world.
“The future development of Catalyst will be made possible by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and thanks to the National Lottery players, we will be able spread the word about the rich history of chemistry in the region and the influence it continues to have today.”
Read the full press release here
About The National Lottery Heritage Fund
Our vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future. That’s why as the largest funder for the UK’s heritage we are dedicated to supporting projects that connect people and communities to heritage, as set out in our strategic plan, Heritage 2033. Heritage can be anything from the past that people value and want to pass on to future generations. We believe in the power of heritage to ignite the imagination, offer joy and inspiration, and to build pride in place and connection to the past. Over the next 10 years, we aim to invest £3.6billion raised for good causes by National Lottery players to make a decisive difference for people, places and communities.
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