The Peterborough Museum & Art Gallery have been awarded a Certificate of Excellence for Geological Education for its 2022 Extinction exhibition, acknowledging a geological topic that addresses the aims and objectives of the Geologists’ Association.
Dr. Haydon Bailey, Chairman of The Curry Committee of the Geologists’ Association presented the award at Peterborough Museum, on 11 December, joined by Cllr Judy Fox, Deputy Mayor of Peterborough and guests from Peterborough City Council, Buglife, Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences and Natural England.
Competition and criteria for this certificate is tough, therefore Peterborough Museum are thrilled to be recognised for the fantastic success of the Extinction exhibition which was developed with funding from The Curry Fund - The Geologists’ Association, Arts Council England, and Forterra.
Glenys Wass, Heritage Collections and Museum Exhibitions Manager commented, “We are delighted that Extinction has been awarded the Certificate of Excellence for Geological Education from the Geologists' Association, Curry Fund. Extinction benefitted from the support of local and national environmental organisations enabling us to produce an informative and family friendly exhibition. The Museum’s permanent display in the Geology gallery has been reworked to include the Must Farm plesiosaur display, allowing continued access to this this engaging specimen, for general visitors and school groups alike.”
Extinction, was the Museum’s showcase exhibition of 2022. It ran from 9th July – 6th November 2022 and engaged with over 29,000 visitors:
“Very interesting and informative”, “10/10” and “I learnt why things go extinct and how we can prevent it, it kept me hooked”, are just a few of the many positive reviews received from visitors.
Extinction affects us all and one in ten of our wildlife in the UK is critically endangered. Scientists have identified five periods of mass extinction over the geological record and the question is now being asked: are we in a sixth? This exhibition successfully encouraged public understanding of, what extinction is, mass extinctions of the past, global extinctions, local extinctions, biodiversity, climate change, laws and legislation, conservation and what we can do to make a difference.
The exhibition addressed this fascinating topic of extinction and journeyed through the demise of the dinosaurs and marine reptiles, death of the ice age mammoths and the impact of humans on the dodo. One of the highlights of the exhibition included the sensational Must Farm plesiosaur – a long-necked marine reptile, which can be dated back to 165 million years ago. With thanks to Forterra and volunteers, the museum were been able to excavate the specimen and proudly have it on display for the first time since its discovery in 2016!
Peterborough Museum & Art Gallery is open Tuesday – Saturday, 10am – 4pm, and the permanent galleries and current exhibitions are free to visit. Plan your visit today, peterboroughmuseum.org.uk.