Weald & Downland Living Museum launches £55,000 appeal to make the Museum Accessible to Everyone
Published 14:04 on 20 Nov 2025
The Weald & Downland Living Museum is celebrating its 55th anniversary with the launch of an ambitious new fundraising campaign: Accessible to Everyone 55 for the 55th, aiming to raise £55,000 to improve accessibility across its 40-acre site and ensure the Museum can be enjoyed by all for the next 55 years and beyond.
For more than five decades, the Museum has welcomed millions of visitors to explore its historic buildings, unique collections, woodland, and landscapes. However, the rural nature of the site means that some areas remain difficult to access for visitors with mobility needs, families with pushchairs, and those with additional accessibility requirements.
The new campaign will directly support a programme of improvements designed to open the Museum to new and existing audiences. These include:
§ New accessible paths, allowing wheelchair users, mobility-aid users, and families with buggies to move more easily across the site.
§ Inclusive play areas, offering spaces for children of all ages and abilities to play, explore, and rest.
§ Improved signage and interpretation, with easy-read formats and accessible design.
§ Site-wide accessibility upgrades to enhance navigation, comfort, and the visitor experience including sustainable travel measures.
A Museum for Everyone
We believe that heritage belongs to all of us, said Clare de Bathe, Museum Director at the Weald & Downland Living Museum. As we mark our 55th year, this campaign gives us a vital opportunity to make the Museum more accessible, more inclusive, and more welcoming for all communities. Every donation—big or small—will help us shape a better future for visitors for generations to come.
Special Rewards for Supporters
Donors can also enjoy a range of special rewards and completely unique experiences as part of the fundraising effort, including:
§ The chance to attend a Tudor Banquet in Bayleaf House
§ The Repair Shop Experience for two
§ An exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the Museum for two
§ Afternoon tea in the historic Whittakers Cottage
§ The chance to brew your own beer in the Winkhurst Kitchen
§ A Woodland Myth Walk
There are also high-level opportunities to sponsor a historic building and an inclusive play area.
These special rewards celebrate the Museums heritage and offer supporters one-of-a-kind experiences that cannot be found anywhere else.
We want every visitor, regardless of age, background, or ability to feel that this Museum is a place for them, added Sophie Parkin, Head of Audience & Development. By supporting the campaign, you are helping us preserve history while ensuring that everyone can enjoy it.