24 Hour Museum - official guide to UK museums, galleries, exhibitions and heritage
Gateway to Over 3,000 UK museums, galleries and heritage attractions
Skip to navigation
Herbert Museum's Kids In The Blitz Project Is A Winner!
By Roslyn Tappenden
26/05/2005
Modern day evacuees relive the experience of their 1940s forebears. Courtesy Triangle Theatre and Coventry City Council.
A groundbreaking theatre project, Coventry Kids in the Blitz, has won two national awards for excellence.
The three-week Renaissance-funded project, a joint venture between The Herbert and eight other organisations, culminated with the ‘evacuation’ of 80 school children in an overnight simulation of a real-life World War II scenario.
The immersive theatre event was so successful that it won both a Museums and Heritage Show Award for best education initiative and a Roots and Wings award from Curiosity and Imagination, an organisation that promotes hands-on learning for children.
“I was very confident in the project,” explained Robin Johnson, senior lifelong learning officer at The Herbert, “We took risks and we were innovative.”
Image: Shows a photograph of BBC newsreader Sophie Raworth presenting a plaque to Robin Johnson.
BBC newsreader Sophie Raworth presents Robin Johnson from the Herbert with the award for excellence.
The awards ceremony for the Museums & Heritage Awards for Excellence took place at the Café Royal in London on May 11. Robin Johnson went along with some of the actors and kids involved in the project.
“We all went along together, eleven of us in total,” said Robin, “We didn’t know we were going to win but I have a lot of experience with these kinds of projects and was very confident.”
The museum theatre project involved year six children from Holbrook Primary School and Southfields Primary School who underwent three days of training before being evacuated to Broadwater Camp in Meriden to be chosen by their WWII foster parents.
Everyone stick together! Evacuation recreated in 21st century Coventry. Courtesy Triangle Theatre and Coventry City Council.
“We were trying to get kids to think about what it was like to be evacuated,” said Robin, “and immersive theatre means you stay in character all the time. It was November when the evacuation took place so it was quite cold, the children had an evening of entertainment,” he added.
Other partners in the project included Coventry Transport Museum, Coventry Cathedral, Coventry Libraries and the Triangle theatre group, a world leader in immersive theatre projects.
Robin and the team will be heading down to London again next month to collect their ‘Roots and Wings’ award at a ceremony.
Image: Shows the Renaissance in the Regions logo.
Roslyn Tappenden is the 24 Hour Museum Renaissance student journalist for the West Midlands region. Renaissance is the groundbreaking initiative to transform England's regional museums, led by MLA, the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council.
The Herbert, Coventry
Herbert Art Gallery and Museum, Jordan Well, Coventry, CV1 5QP, West Midlands, England
Open: Mon-Sat 1000-1730
Sun 1200-1700
Related Articles
The Herbert Reopens After A £20 Million Transformation And Extension
News In Brief - Week Ending August 24 2008
Painting Left Insitu Survives The Herbert's Building Works Intact
Jacquard Loom Goes Back On Display At The Herbert, Coventry
Collecting Cultures - HLF Announces Grants For Acquisitions
Artist Makes Art Installation Out Of Herbert Museum Rebuild
MGM 2006 - Footsteps Festival Celebrates Giants Of West Midlands
E-news registration
E-mail story to a friend
Tell us what you think
Black Watch Museum Appeal Seeks To Raise £3million
News In Brief - Museums, Galleries And Heritage News
Newly-Accredited Medical College Invests In Mysterious Portrait
Photos Of WWII Codecrackers Go On Sale At Bletchley Park
Painting Returns To Queen Victoria's Dressing Room After 166-Year Absence
Cartoon Awards Ceremony Celebrates UK's Top Scribblers At Mall Galleries
Made08 - The Brighton Craft Fair 2008
Library Thief To Be Sentenced At Wood Green Crown Court Today
New Look For The Relaunched Garden Museum In Lambeth
Write Queer London Competition Holds Inspiration Day At The British Museum
Downs House Darwin Discovery Project Wins Funding Go-Ahead
British Museum Gets Set For Historic Egyptian Tomb Gallery
Stunning Wedgwood Relaunch Celebrates Potteries Heritage
Library Bid To Save Earliest Surviving Score Of Opera In English Language
Ryedale Folk Museum Lands Significant Harrison Collection
Portable Antiquities Scheme Is Fit For Purpose Say MLA
Leading Academics Call For Art Funding Support In Wake Of Titian Pledge
Glasgow Police Museum Edges Closer To A New Home
Search this site
Home Page
News Page
Exhibition Page
What's On
Trails Page
Website of the Week
Letters Page
Welsh Home
Graphical Version
Copyright © 24 Hour Museum
Information published here was believed to be correct at the time it was prepared. Welsh language pages developed with CYMAL: Museums Archives and Libraries Wales, funded by the Welsh Assembly Government.