The Director of the Heritage Education Trust has said that Stockport is “a beacon for heritage education”.
Gareth Fitzpatrick MBE made the comments as he presented the prestigious Sandford Award to Staircase House in Stockport for the second time.
Left: Pictured left is Gareth Fitzpatrick MBE, Director of the Heritage Education trust, with Councillor Iain Roberts.
The Museum Learning Team with the Sandford Award are, from the left, Alison Moore, Helen Collins, Sharon Giles, Elaine Topham, Judy Pridgeon and Catherine Bates.
The national award is an independently judged, quality assured assessment of education programmes at heritage sites, museums, archives and collections. It focuses on formal, curriculum-linked education opportunities offered to schools by heritage sites, and informal learning such as family programmes.
The judges said:
“Staircase House Museum offers an excellent learning experience for school groups. It is housed in a Jacobean House with a cage newel staircase which gives the museum its name. The facilitators are knowledgeable and approachable and give the children a first class experience of life in the 17th century.”
Mr Fitzgerald said:
“In recent years Stockport Council cultural heritage sites have been awarded eight Sanford Awards for excellence. This is unparalleled and the best achieved by any local authority in Britain in the 35 year history of the Award, making Stockport a beacon for heritage education and learning within and about cultural heritage”.
Councillor Iain Roberts, Executive Member for Regeneration and Economic Development, added:
“I am immensely proud of the Learning Team at Staircase House as the Sandford Award shows that we offer a very high quality education experience to schoolchildren who visit the site.”
The award is valid for five years. Staircase House gained an award for the first time in 2008.
For more information about the education programme at Staircase House contact the Education Team on 0161 474 4449 or visit www.stockport.gov.uk/museums
Staircase House is open Tuesday-Friday 1pm -5pm; Saturday 10am-5pm; and Sunday and Bank Holidays 11am-5pm. Admission is Adults £4.45, concessions and under 16s £3.25, Leisure Key and under 5s are free.
Jpeg caption: Pictured fifth left is Gareth Fitzpatrick MBE, Director of the Heritage Education trust, and sixth left is Councillor Iain Roberts. The Museum Learning Team with the Sandford Award are, from the left, Alison Moore, Helen Collins, Sharon Giles, Elaine Topham, Judy Pridgeon and Catherine Bates.