Hastings Museum & Art Gallery secures Going Green Grant to teach local children about climate change

Hastings Museum & Art Gallery and Bexhill Museum have been awarded a £2,000 Going Green Grant by Museum Development South East to deliver a climate change workshop for schools in partnership with local taxidermist and artist Jazmine Miles-Long. 

This joint funding will enable the museums to highlight the climate change emergency and encourage action by informing children about environmentally friendly practices. The taxidermy collections held at the museums will provide an opportunity for them to learn about the impact of climate change and its connection with flooding, desertification where once fertile land becomes unusable, and the loss of creatures and habitats.

Cllr Andy Batsford, lead for Health and Culture at Hastings Borough Council, said:

"As a council climate change is a key priority, so being awarded this grant provides an excellent opportunity for us to help teach younger generations about the importance of protecting the world we live in, not only for us but for the animals we live alongside.

"We will use this grant funding to help children explore environmental sustainability, with a focus on ecosystems and the decline in different species due to humans and climate change. This includes looking at the impact on habitats and food supplies, and our local ecosystem to understand in detail what is affecting the species we see on our doorsteps. Focusing on animals that children could potentially see in gardens, parks, and on their way to school, such as sparrows and swifts, which are now both on the Red List, as they are endangered."

The scheme supports the Environmental Responsibility investment principle in Arts Council England's Let's Create strategy for the cultural sector.