Peterborough Museum has been awarded £168,000 in funding aimed at improving visitor access and exhibition engagement. The grant is intended to enhance how current and future exhibitions are experienced by a broader audience.
The investment will support several upgrades: improving physical access (ramps, signage, pathways), enhancing display cases, lighting, and interpretative design to make exhibitions more intelligible and inviting.
Museum staff plan to redesign some permanent galleries to better integrate interactive elements, clearer narratives, and improved visibility for objects that are currently less accessible or under-lit.
Another key focus is on visitor engagement strategies: adding digital touchpoints (audio guides, interactive screens), accessible materials (large-print and braille), and optional guided walks and storytelling for those with different learning or sensory preferences.
The funding also supports staff training in interpretation, accessibility, and public programming, ensuring that exhibition content is communicated effectively and inclusively.
Community consultation is part of the plan; curators will work with local groups, schools, and accessibility advocates to ensure that the upgrades reflect visitor needs and cultural relevance.
The enhancements are expected to increase visitor satisfaction, lengthen time spent in exhibitions, and likely boost overall attendance, particularly among groups who may have felt excluded or less catered for by existing displays.
For Exhibition Globe’s audience—museum directors, exhibition space designers, accessibility consultants—this is a good case-study of how funding can be deployed not just for more exhibits, but for better exhibitions: more inclusive, more engaging, more thoughtfully designed.
