News / Fun
Local businesses help fund ss Great Britain
The ss Great Britain Trust has introduced a Corporate Club, giving businesses who back its fundraising efforts for a new public museum and visitor experience exclusive access to the venue ‘after hours’ and the first glimpses of plans.
Though funded in part by Heritage Lottery, trustees still need to raise a further £600,000 to complete the £7.1m project, and they’re looking to the local business community for support.
Becoming a member of the Corporate Club gives businesses the opportunity to invite guests and employees to come on board the ship after the crowds have gone home through a series of exclusive events leading up to the museum’s opening, as well as giving them recognition within the museum, which is expected to attract more than 200,000 visitors each year. Businesses to have joined so far include Renishaw, Arthur J. Gallagher Insurance Brokers Ltd, Hollandia UK Ltd, SMC Global Ltd, Wapping Wharf and Stannah.
The major redevelopment project – entitled ‘Being Brunel’ – will start in 2016 to enhance dockside buildings to house artefacts currently kept in the archive vault and recreate the look of a Victorian harbourside, allowing the public to immerse themselves in the engineer’s life and times, learn about his mistakes and celebrate his successes.
Artist’s impression of the Being Brunel museum. Photo credit – Easy Tiger Creative
Louisa Pharoah, director of development at ss Great Britain Trust, said: “Our Being Brunel Corporate Club is a fantastic opportunity for the ss Great Britain Trust to thank the local businesses that have thrown their support behind a project that is hugely significant not just for the ss Great Britain, but for the city of Bristol as a whole. This initiative is going to put the city on the map as a national hub for all things Brunel, drawing in new visitors to the region and inspiring the next generation of engineers.”
Being Brunel is expected to provide a boost to tourism in Bristol, contributing an extra £1m every year to the economy of the city, which is home to other well-known Brunel creations, namely Clifton Suspension Bridge and Bristol Temple Meads station.
More information about Being Brunel available online at ssgreatbritain.org/beingbrunel
Image – Daryn McCombe, Regional Driver Manager (Central) at Great Western Railway and Peter Rignall, Regional Retail Manager for Network Rail
Click for a glimpse of the ss Great Britain experience.