LSTM secured funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, thanks to National Lottery players, to help create an extensive programme of activity and events to celebrate its 125th anniversary offering an opportunity for audiences to engage with LSTM’s rich heritage and work. The project “LSTM – Past, Present, and Future” has left a tangible impact, fostering learning opportunities, enhancing skills, and strengthening community bonds. The project highlights included the co-creation of a captivating and engaging touring pop-up museum called the Tropical Medicine Time Machine and the preservation of LSTM stories through digitised archives.
A major component of the project involved science Artists Tom Hyatt and Natasha Niethamer creating the Tropical Medicine Time Machine, a touring interactive pop-up museum that explores LSTM’s groundbreaking work in vector biology, snakebite venom research, public health, and travel health, engaging audiences of all ages. The Tropical Medicine Time Machine journeyed to community hubs like the World Museum, Museum of Liverpool, and local festivals such as Africa Oyé.
In addition to these community venues and spaces, the Tropical Medicine Time Machine landed in classrooms which form part of Everton in the Community’s school network. Everton in the Community, the charitable arm of Everton Football Club, delivers more than 60 programmes and initiatives a year, each specifically designed to tackle societal challenges across the city. Working with Everton in the Community on this initiative provided Liverpool’s primary and secondary school students with the opportunity to explore the Tropical Medicine Time Machine and associated educational resources.
Mick King, Senior Programme Manager of Education and Pathways at Everton in the Community, said: “Working with LSTM on this initiative and taking the Tropical Medicine Time Machine into our partner schools aligned with the core aim of our STEAM education programme to provide unique learning experiences to our local communities. This innovative programme combined the use of technology with opportunities to learn about the institution that is LSTM, their innovators and their pioneering work over the past, present and the future.”
Over the past 18 months, the project has engaged over 5,000 people through these pop-up events and public talks, thanks to the efforts of 40 LSTM staff and students, as well as 25 community volunteers from Everton in the Community and Liverpool City Council Volunteer Service. LSTM-Past, Present, and Future also reached a wider audience of over 300,000 people passing through the World Museum and Museum of Liverpool, where visitors could explore a series of temporary static exhibits to learn about the remarkable lives of LSTM’s key historical figures: Dr Alwen Evans, and Professor Tim and Dr Joy Gordon.
Dr Elli Wright, Project Manager and LSTM’s Public Engagement Manager, said: “LSTM-Past, Present, and Future has laid the groundwork for a sustainable heritage legacy. By extending the reach of the Tropical Medicine Time Machine into schools and communities through partnerships with Everton in the Community, the project has brought LSTM’s captivating story to a wider audience and ignited their interest in science. Digitising elements of the Tropical Medicine Time Machine will ensure that the project’s impact extends far beyond its physical exhibits, reaching a regional and potentially global community. Also, crucially, strengthened partnerships with Everton in the Community and the invaluable contributions of community volunteers have created a sustainable foundation for future public engagement initiatives. We are grateful to National Lottery players and the Heritage Fund for making this project possible.”
The Tropical Medicine Time Machine will next stop at the New Scientist Live in London between 12th – 14th October 2024.
About Everton in the Community
Everton in the Community is one of the UK's top sporting charities and is considered one of the Premier League's leading community schemes due to the quality and reach of its programmes.
As the charitable arm of Everton Football Club, EitC is committed to building brighter futures and creating stronger communities. Established in 1988, the charity has become a powerful force for good; harnessing the unifying power of football to drive social change and addressing societal challenges across Liverpool City Region.
We deliver more than 60 projects and initiatives a year, each specifically designed and developed to combat these challenges. Our social programmes tackle issues such as inequality, health disparities, educational attainment, poverty, mental health, unemployment with a resolute commitment to making a tangible difference.
Our projects support people of all ages, genders, ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds. From providing children with the best possible start in life through our early learning programmes to supporting elderly members of the Liverpool community who are suffering from social isolation, EitC is open and inclusive to all.
For more information visit here.
About The National Lottery Heritage Fund
As the largest dedicated funder of the UK’s heritage, The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future as set out in our strategic plan, Heritage 2033.
Over the next ten years, the Heritage Fund aims to invest £3.6billion raised for good causes by National Lottery players to bring about benefits for people, places and the natural environment.
The Heritage Fund helps protect, transform and share the things from the past that people care about, from popular museums and historic places, our natural environment and fragile species, to the languages and cultural traditions that celebrate who we are.
The Heritage Fund is passionate about heritage and committed to driving innovation and collaboration to make a positive difference to people’s lives today, while leaving a lasting legacy for future generations to enjoy. Follow @HeritageFundUK on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.