Be one in a million - visit the Great North Museum!
cake for the 1,000,000th visitor celebrations
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Be one in a million - visit the Great North Museum
The Great North Museum: Hancock has welcomed its one millionth visitor through its doors this week.
Since opening in May 2009, the Museum has become the most popular visitor attraction in the region. Attracting 67,000 visitors in the first week and crashing through it its annual target of 300,000 visitors in less than three months, the Great North Museum: Hancock has broken all records for such a venue in the North East.To mark the occasion, the Museum hosted a day of celebrations, with giant balloons, a replica cake of the Museum, free entry into the Planetarium as well as a special craft activities for children on the day.
Ed Vaizey, Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries says:
“I was delighted to hear that The Great North Museum has this is month expecting to receive its one millionth visitor since it reopened its doors in May last year.
I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the Museum on reaching this impressive milestone. This is a phenomenal achievement and testament to the dedication and hard work of the Museum’s staff, the quality of the collections held by the Museum and the thirst for culture that is present in the North East.
“I have no doubt that with such continued commitment the Museum will build on this success and further embed itself as a dynamic and vital part of the North East’s cultural landscape.
“I look forward to hearing more about the Museum’s work and I would like to wish you all the very best for the future.”
Professor Eric Cross, Dean of Cultural Affairs, Newcastle University, says:
“Eight years ago, a group of people had a vision to breathe new life into the Hancock Museum and the University’s archaeological museums. Newcastle University is immensely proud to have led the partnership which has turned that vision into a reality. The staggering success of the Museum more than justifies its ‘Great’ title, and the best thing of all for everyone involved is that one million visitors agree”.
Cllr. Ged Bell, Chair of Tyne & Wear Joint Museums & Archives Committee, says:
"A million people have now visited us at this world-class museum. The quality of the collections and the visitor experience has brought people back time and time again. We have had an amazing response from visitors over the last year and we look forward to welcoming millions more to the Great North Museum over the years.”
Peter Davis, Chair, Natural History Society of Northumbria, says:
“We are totally delighted with the astounding success achieved by the museum; its exhibitions and educational activities have clearly had a major impact, attracting new audiences and many thousands of repeat visits. It is also encouraging to see so many people, including University students, now utilising the Library and archival resources, and that plans for increasing the research capability of the museum will soon reach fruition with the completion of the Resource Centre where the Society’s collections are held”.
David Breeze, President of the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne, says:
“The Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle has been collecting archaeological objects from the North-East for nearly 200 years. It is delighted that its archaeological collection has received a new lease of life through the creation of the Great North Museum and that it is helping visitors to appreciate the rich history of this special part of Britain”.
Stacy Hall, Director of Communications & Tourism at One North East, said:
“Great North Museum is a fantastic asset for the North East and its success, in such a short time, shows it has captured the interest of visitors.
“It has attracted people from far and wide and has quickly established itself as a world-class visitor attraction at the heart of NewcastleGateshead.”
Ivor Crowther, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for the North East said,
"It is brilliant news to see the Great North Museum celebrate its millionth visitor. Since we awarded £8.75million, one of our largest ever grants in the North East, the museum has gone from strength to strength and is a superb example of the economic benefits that lottery funding into our heritage can bring. The museum looks set to remain one of Newcastle's premiere tourist attractions, loved by people locally and enjoyed by visitors from afar."
Incorporating collections from the original Hancock Museum, and Newcastle University’s former Museum of Antiquities and the Shefton Museum, the Great North Museum: Hancock brings the North East’s premier collections of archaeology, natural history, geology and world cultures together under one roof.