Photo: slavery is a major part of the history of port cities such a Bristol, as children will learn inside the British Empire and Commonwealth Museum. Courtesy of the British Empire & Commonwealth Museum

Museums in Bristol are to receive extra funding from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, to take their Understanding Slavery project to schools and communities.

The project aims to demonstrate the role played by the transatlantic slave trade in shaping Britain’s culturally diverse society.

A grant of £350,000 is to be shared between a partnership of museums in port cities, where the past trade in enslaved peoples has played a significant role in shaping community identity.

The partnership includes Bristol Industrial Museum and The British Empire & Commonwealth Museum (BECM), which has already devised a workshop for students called Slavery: Interpreting the Evidence. The DCMS money means that partnership museums can provide more resources to accompany teaching sessions on the subject of cultural identity and diversity, human rights and active citizenship.

Photo: slaves on board a ship bound for cotton plantations in America. Courtesy of the Public Records Office

Dr Katherine Hann, Head of Education and Interpretation at the British Empire & Commonwealth Museum, said: "We already run a very successful school workshop on slavery. This grant will help us extend our work. We will be able to develop a collection of handling objects and offer opportunities to more school and community groups to visit the British Empire & Commonwealth Museum. Slavery is an important part of our shared history that we can help people come to terms with."

The DCMS funding will support the development of drama and role-play workshops, the provision of loan boxes to schools containing replica slavery artefacts and increased access to the museums’ primary resources.

The permanent gallery at the Bristol Industrial Museum tells the story of Bristol's involvement in the 18th century slave trade through a wide range of interactive features, including sound posts, panels and objects. The display confronts myths and misconceptions and gives voices and faces to those caught up in the trade.

Photo: exhibits at the BECM bring the story of slavery closer to home. Courtesy of the British Empire & Commonwealth Museum

At the BECM, visitors can see the legacy of history on modern multi-racial Britain. The museum explores the strength of African culture, resistance to enslavement and the events that led to the eventual liberation of African peoples and the abolition of slavery.

The funding will also help the partner museums to develop strategies for presenting their collections in a sensitive and considered way. There will be a continuing programme of discussion and consultation with schools and community groups across the country.

Thanks to the grant, future visitors to Bristol, Liverpool and Greenwich, can expect walking tours exploring slavery-related history and landmarks and arts-based workshops aimed at creating museum displays and web-based exhibitions.