1.  BACKGROUND

  1.1  The Making it! discovery centre is housed in a converted Victorian brewhouse which was gifted by the brewery to the Trust in order that something could be created which would assist children in understanding the how things are made through ideas, design and manufacturing, as well as marketing and waste products.

  1.2  Opened in April 2002.

  1.3  Funding of £3.777 million was sourced. 50% from the Millennium Commission with the other 50% from ERDF, New Opportunities Fund, district and county council and private businesses.

  1.4  A small revenue grant was provided by the County Council for two years to assist in setting up the discovery centre.

  1.5  Adjacent managed workspace (owned by the Trust) generates profit which helps to support the ongoing activities of the discovery centre.

2.  CURRENT POSITION

2.1  Visitor Numbers

  Visitors to the making it! discovery centre consist of families in the school holidays and school children (aged 5-13) during term time. Our budget for this financial year is 14,000 visitors generating income of £72,000.

2.2  Other income

  Our catering facilities are budgeted to generate £16,340 profit with £41,600 income from other activities.

3.  FUNDING

  Funding for the discovery centre is primarily out of our own reserves which are extremely limited. We do not have sufficient funds to refresh exhibits which are now five years old.

  Charitable donations are sought to help subsidise visits for children living in disadvantaged areas.

  Our efforts in securing funds to refresh exhibits have not met with any success due to our small size.

  We are the only discovery centre in the country which provides an educational resource for primary schools for design and technology and have built up an excellent reputation with schools within our catchment area who come year after year to enhance the curriculum activities for the children.

4.  THE FUTURE

  Trustees are conscious that without a cash injection of approx. £250,000 over the next two years to replace and refresh our gallery space, the exhibits will be outdated and unattractive to schools and that the resource may be lost as an educational facility.

  Feedback from schools has been fantastic and I know that closure of the centre due to lack of funding would be a major disappointment to the education sector.

May 2007