It’s been nearly two years since we hosted our first community consultation session as part of our transformational Sound and Vision project. Since then, we’ve spoken with over 270 local people, including community leaders in BD3 and BD5, young people, neurodivergent people and people with lived experience of being d/Deaf, blind or partially sighted. We discussed everything from storytelling on gallery, types of text panels, accessibility of museum spaces through to what a ‘warm welcome’ should look like.
Most recently, we invited groups to think about the museum’s public programme—the family activities, festivals, exhibitions, events, and cinema screenings that make up our visitor offer. Through designing their own posters, groups contributed their thoughts and ideas on the ‘who, what, where, when and why’ of our events to make the public programme the best it can be.
As expected, we had some brilliant ideas, which really showcase the growing enthusiasm and excitement for the reopening of the National Science and Media Museum in 2025. Some of the most creative suggestions included acrobats in front of the museum, learning the science behind synthesisers, and movie marathons at our beloved Pictureville Cinema. Participants also told us about their thoughts on QR codes, refreshments, BSL interpretation and even parking.
We learnt some very important things about the types of events people in Bradford enjoy, and why. Our top learnings were:
- Everybody loves events that have a ‘big wow’, but it is important to provide quiet spaces if loud or crowded spaces are likely.
- Most people are excited by the term ‘Sound and Vision’, but some are not sure exactly what it means (you can find out more about the Sound and Vision project on our website).
- It’s important that there’s something for everyone in the public programme, especially for people of all ages.
We’re now reading through all the feedback collected during this round of consultation and sharing it with staff, stakeholders and decision-makers who are working hard to ensure that our new Sound and Vision galleries are paired with an exciting, inclusive and unique public programme.
To stay up to date with any events or activities that we’re taking part in across Bradford, please check the website and subscribe to our community newsletter here.