Fire museum wins top learning accolade

Fire museum wins top learning accolade

The volunteer-run Greater Manchester Fire Service Museum has become the first museum of its kind in the country to receive the Quality Badge award, presented by the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom.

The Quality Badge accreditation is awarded in recognition of the Museum’s efforts to provide an excellent learning experience for school pupils visiting the site. It acknowledges good quality education provision and effective risk management, giving teachers confidence when booking visits out of school.

The Museum, based at the former Rochdale Fire Station on Maclure Road, receives visits from schoolchildren across the region, offering sessions on the Great Fire of London, People Who Help Us, The Victorians and The Blitz. The Museum uses its unique offer to teach safety and life-skills lessons alongside the more traditional historical subjects.

Museum Curator and retired fire officer, Bob Bonner, said: “We are genuinely thrilled to have been awarded the LOTC Quality Badge. Much of the work carried out by our volunteers is related to school visits, so we are really proud that our efforts have been recognised by the awarding authority.

“We love having the children visit us and take our educational role very seriously, so it is really special to be the only fire service museum to hold this badge.”