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Date: 27/09/2018 | Ref. 770539
27 September 18, Mandatory Credit Press Eye/Darren Kidd
Dippy on Tour opens to the public at the Ulster Museum (Friday 28 September 6 January). The 26 metre long Diplodocus cast from the Natural History Museum, London, is touring the UK to inspire the next generation of scientists and encourage visitors to explore, discover and protect the world around them. Dippy on Tour: A Natural History Adventure has been realised in partnership with the Garfield Weston Foundation. Pictured children from Botanic Primary School visiting Dippy for the first time.
Press Release
27 September 2018
Crowds expected to flock to Ulster Museum to see UKs most famous dinosaur
Dippy, the UKs most famous dinosaur, is ready to greet visitors to the Ulster Museum tomorrow (Friday) as the long-awaited Dippy on Tour: A Natural History Adventure exhibition opens to the public.
The Natural History Museum's iconic 26-metre-long Diplodocus cast arrives in Northern Ireland fresh from Birmingham where a staggering figure of more than 255,000 visitors went to see him. His Belfast visit will be the only chance to see Dippy on the island of Ireland.
Thousands of free tickets have already been booked to see Dippy on Tour at the Ulster Museum and anyone planning to visit is strongly encouraged to book tickets online at www.nmni.com/dippy
Director of the Natural History Museum, Sir Michael Dixon says: The public response to Dippy so far has been fantastic. Over a quarter of a million people visited him in Birmingham - whilst he tripled the annual number of visitors to Dorset County Museum in under three months. The local communities in both Dorset and Birmingham have reported impressive economic gains as a result though most importantly of all, our beloved Diplodocus cast has been doing sterling ambassadorial work for the natural world,encouraging people to engage with the nature on their doorstep. Im delighted to be attending Dippys unveiling in Belfast where I have every confidence he will continue to inspire the next generation of inquisitive minds.
Dippy, a plaster cast of the fossilised bones of a Diplodocus found by railroad workers in Wyoming, USA in 1898, took a full week to build by a team of four technicians and two conservators from the Natural History Museum. At the Ulster Museum he will sit within an exhibition which explores the uniqueness of our natural world and biodiversity across the island of Ireland, and visitors can discover why so few dinosaur fossils have ever been found here.
Kathryn Thomson, Chief Executive of National Museums NI, said: Dippy is finally here and we cant wait for visitors to meet him.
Were thrilled to be the only venue in Ireland to be hosting the iconic dinosaur and we hope that after seeing Dippy visitors are inspired to explore, discover and protect the nature on their doorstep.
Dippy starts a vital conversation about the importance of understanding and caring for our natural world and its great to make the connection with our own unique and extensive natural science collections, some of which will sit alongside him.
Dippy on Tour: A Natural History Adventure has been brought about by the Natural History Museum, in partnership with the Garfield Weston Foundation and supported by Dell EMC and Williams & Hill.
Philippa Charles, Director of the Garfield Weston Foundation, says:We are delighted that Dippy has enjoyed hugely impactful stays in Dorset and Birmingham. We are thrilled to help bring him to Northern Ireland, his first time across the Irish sea! Dippy on Tour is a wonderful way to celebrate our 60th year working in partnership with inspiring charities across the United Kingdom and we hope to work with more in Ireland in the future.
Belfast is the third stop on an eight-venue-tour over almost three years which aims to introduce 1.5 million people to this fascinating exhibit, to inspire the next generation of scientists and to encourage families to explore nature on their doorstep.
Highlights from National Museums NI own collection in the exhibition include:
Pieces of bone from Irelands only dinosaurs
Irelands Lost Monsters the fossil evidence of some of the monsters that lived here not so long ago but are now extinct. Paintings, by renowned local wildlife artist Julian Friers, of how woolly mammoth, giant deer, brown bear and others might once have looked, will be displayed for the very first time.
From Whales to Snails a display of some of the largest and smallest animals seen in and around the island of Ireland
Irelands Special Places highlighting Irelands most special habitats and the unique plants and animals that live there
Displays of bugs, birds and mammals that live on our island.
There will also be a supporting programme of exciting events and activities to accompany Dippy on Tour including science workshops for families, Dippy at Dark events, guided tours, Dippy in-depth talks, films, late night sessions and bespoke dining experiences.
The exhibition will be at the Ulster Museum until 6 January 2019.
Tickets to the Dippy on Tour exhibition are free. To make a booking and for further information on the exhibition and associated events, visit www.nmni.com/dippy
#DippyOnTour
ENDS
Media contact: Andrea Kennedy, JComms, andrea.kennedy@jcomms.co.uk 07808 761857 or Gillian Grattan, gillian.grattan@jcomms.co.uk, 07841 448763.
Notes to Editors
Dippy on Tour: A Natural History Adventure Tour Dates
Dorset County Museum, 10 February - 7 May 2018
Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, 26 May - 9 September 2018
Ulster Museum, 28 September 2018 - 6 January 2019
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow, 22 January - 5 May 2019
Great North Museum, Hancock, Newcastle upon Tyne, 18 May - 6 October 2019
National Museum Cardiff, 19 October 2019 - 26 January 2020
Number One Riverside, Rochdale, 10 February - 28 June 2020
Norwich Cathedral, 11 July - 31 October 2020
The Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum exists to inspire a love of the natural world and unlock answers to the big issues facing humanity and the planet. It is a world-leading science research centre, and through its unique collection and unrivalled expertise it is tackling issues such as food security, eradicating diseases and managing resource scarcity.
The Natural History Museum is the most visited natural history museum in Europe and the top science attraction in the UK; we welcome more than 4.5 million visitors each year and our website receives over 500,000 unique visitors a month. People come from around the world to enjoy our galleries and events and engage both in-person and online with our science and educational activities through innovative programmes and citizen science projects.
In partnership with the Garfield Weston Foundation
Celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2018, the Garfield Weston Foundation is a family-founded charitable grant-making foundation which supports causes across the UK with grants totalling over 60million each year. 2018 also marks its 1billionth donation since it was established. One of the largest and most respected charitable institutions in the UK, the Weston Family Trustees are descendants of the founder and they take a highly active and hands-on approach. The Foundations funding comes from an endowment of shares in the family business which includes Twinings, Primark, Kingsmill (all part of Associated British Foods Plc) and Fortnum & Mason amongst others - a successful model that still endures today; as the businesses have grown so too have the charitable donations. From small community organisations to large national institutions, the Foundation supports a broad range of charities and activities that make a positive impact in the communities in which they work. Over 1,500 charities across the UK benefit each year from the Foundations grants.
Tour Sponsors
DELL EMC
Dell EMC, a part of Dell Technologies, enables organizations to modernize, automate and transform their data center using industry-leading converged infrastructure, servers, storage and data protection technologies. This provides a trusted foundation for businesses to transform IT, through the creation of a hybrid cloud, and transform their business through the creation of cloud-native applications and big data solutions. As a supplier of the Natural History Museum, Dell EMC technology has supported the work of its scientists for many years. Through Dippy on Tour, Dell EMC and the Natural History Museum have the opportunity to inspire the next generation of scientists and encourage them to engage with the natural world. The digital world has a huge role to play in this, and the web app Dippys Naturenauts created as part of this partnership, demonstrates the role online and mobile technology can play in encouraging people to explore the outside world.
Williams & Hill
Williams & Hill have built up a reputation for excellence by firmly establishing themselves as the leading Specialised Transporter of Fine Art, Antiques, Design Furniture and Decorative Objects. With a highly experienced team working for the worlds major galleries and exhibition venues they have a true understanding of the requirements for methodical care, consideration and appreciation of whatever may be in their care. No two days are the same, and the excitement of working in their own ever changing art gallery never fades. williamsandhill.com
Tour venues and partners
Dorset County Museum is one of the leading independent, charitable, heritage organisations in the Southwest of England. It has a learned Society with 2000 members and receives over 47,000 visitors a year. Its diverse collections contain over 4 million objects including internationally significant geology, archaeology and literary collections. The Museum is a registered charity and operates independently with financial support from Dorset County Council and West Dorset District Council. In May 2015 the Museum was awarded 11.3million from the Heritage Lottery Fund to enable an ambitious redevelopment project. dorsetcountymuseum.org
The Jurassic Coast was designated Englands only natural World Heritage Site in 2001. Day to day site Management of the Jurassic Coast is the work of the Jurassic Coast Trust, a small independent charity with a huge remit. The Trust works to inspire people to love, understand and value the Jurassic Coast, and was instrumental in bringing Dippy down to Dorset in collaboration with the County Museum. jurassiccoast.org
Birmingham Museums Trust is an independent charity that manages the citys museum collection and venues on behalf of Birmingham City Council. It uses the collection of around 800,000 objects to provide a wide range of arts, cultural and historical experiences, events and activities that deliver accessible learning, creativity and enjoyment for citizens and visitors to the city. Attracting over one million visits a year, the Trusts venues include Aston Hall, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, Blakesley Hall, Museum Collections Centre, Museum of the Jewellery Quarter, Sarehole Mill, Soho House, Thinktank and Weoley Castle. birminghammuseums.org.uk
Come face to face with dinosaurs, meet an Ancient Egyptian Mummy and see modern masterpieces with a visit to the Ulster Museum. As Northern Irelands treasure house of the past and present, the museum is home to a rich collection of art, history and natural sciences and free to all visitors. The Ulster Museum, part of National Museums Northern Ireland, welcomes nearly half a million visitors annually. nmni.com/um
Glasgow Life is the charity which runs services and facilities on behalf of Glasgow City Council. We work in every area of the city and with every community to try and inspire Glasgows citizens and visitors to lead richer and more active lives through culture, sport and learning. More than 18 million attendances were recorded to the facilities that we run across the city between 2015 and 2016. Glasgow Museums is the largest museum service in the UK outside London and operates nine easy to reach, accessible and family friendly venues across the city. We are open year-round and entry is free. Glasgow Museums house an extraordinary permanent collection of fine art, historic objects and natural history exhibited in some of Glasgows most stunning public buildings. glasgowlife.org.uk
Great North Museum: Hancock is managed by Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums on behalf of Newcastle University. The Museum brings together the North Easts premier collections of archaeology, natural history, geology and world cultures under one roof. It incorporates collections from the original Hancock Museum, Newcastle Universitys former Museum of Antiquities and the Shefton Museum. The Great North Museum is a partnership between Newcastle University, Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums, Newcastle City Council, the Natural History Society of Northumbria (NHSN) and the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne (SANT). greatnorthmuseum.org.uk
Situated in the heart of Cardiffs elegant civic centre, National Museum Cardiff houses Waless national art, geology and natural history collections as well as major touring and temporary exhibitions. On the ground floor of the museum, take an amazing journey in The Evolution of Wales from the very beginnings of time to the present day. The story begins in space with the Big Bang and takes you on a 4,600 million-year journey, bringing you face to face with dinosaurs and woolly mammoths along the way. Witness Wales's diverse natural history on an expedition that begins at the seashore and ends in the mountains. Experience some of the unique environments that make Wales home to over 900 Sites of Special Scientific Interest. The art collection at National Museum Cardiff is one of Europe's finest and includes five hundred years of magnificent paintings, drawings, sculpture, silver and ceramics from Wales and across the world, including one of Europe's best collections of Impressionist art.
Rochdale Borough Council is a local authority in the North West of England which serves more than 200,000 residents. Sitting in the foothills of the Pennines and close to the major cities of Manchester and Leeds, the council is playing a key role in the Northern Powerhouse, and its priorities are people, place and prosperity. Link4Life is the Rochdale Boroughwide Cultural Trust, delivering leisure and cultural provision across the Rochdale borough, including the award-winning arts and heritage centre, Touchstones Rochdale. rochdale.gov.uk
Norwich Cathedral is a Christian presence in the heart of Norfolk and the Diocese of Norwich. It began, over 900 years ago, as the Cathedral church of a Benedictine Monastery, built to inspire by its sheer size and magnificence. The Cathedral continues to fill todays visitors with a sense of awe and wonder. The primary purpose of a Cathedral is to be a place of Christian worship. It was at the centre of the monastery and the focus of the monks most important work, the worship of God. Norwich Cathedral is also the focus of both city and county life. As well as playing host to special civic and legal services, it is also a venue for concerts, talks, exhibitions, degree ceremonies and other community events. cathedral.org.uk
