Manchester Museum to pilot poverty awareness training

Manchester Museum staff will be trained as social justice researchers for a pilot addressing understanding of poverty and disadvantage.

Led by University of Manchester researchers, Local Matters will explore local and national poverty and use its findings to influence museum practice and policy.

“Too often policy makers and practitioners see poverty as having a simple beginning, middle and end. It is viewed as something that can be fixed if we all just 'do better,'” research fellow Carl Emery explained.

The museum will then make decisions with social justice, poverty and disadvantage in mind, according to Director Esme Ward.

Manchester Museum is currently closed whilst work on the final phase of its £13.5m restoration is completed. It is expected to reopen next year.