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A NEW children's museum could be making its way to Wirral.

Celebrating 25 years this year, the National Children's Museum Eureka! in Halifax revealed the plans to build a new museum next to Seacombe Ferry Terminal at a gala anniversary dinner on Thursday.

The plans have been backed by Wirral Council and Merseytravel and have support from Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram.


If fundraising is successful, the £11million project could open as early as 2021.

Leader of Wirral Council councillor Phil Davies said: “This announcement is fantastic news for the Liverpool City Region.


"A world-class, family-friendly, innovative and incredibly successful attraction like Eureka! is a welcome addition to the Mersey waterfront.

“Eureka would not only inspire children locally, but also attract visitors from across the North West and beyond, driving additional passenger traffic onto the Mersey Ferry and increasing visitor spend across the city region.

“Working with organisations such as Eureka is definitely the way forward to promote learning while inspiring the next generations of scientists and engineers, and to also support our commitment to supply the skills for future growth and bring new businesses to the city region.

"This announcement is yet another compelling reason to visit and invest in Wirral and the wider city region.”

The building will be designed to focus on an older seven to 14-year-old age range and will boast activities that develop the technical and digital skills of children and teenagers.

Eureka! chief executive Leigh-Anne Stradeski said: “Eureka! has always had ambitions to extend beyond West Yorkshire and we have actively been looking for sites for development throughout the UK.

"The Wirral site - if it goes ahead - will be funded by grants, donations and partnerships and we have planned it to concentrate on skills-based learning while continuing to use play and discovery as a means of engagement.


“We want to create a thriving children’s community of budding scientists and engineers, actively engaging them to contribute their ideas while learning about real world problems.

“Liverpool City Region is already home to big names across maritime, manufacturing, motoring and energy.

"We hope these plans for Eureka! Merseyside will excite people enough to open up opportunities for local children to aspire to work in jobs within these companies and sectors.

"This could fill the current skills gap by capturing their interest in STEM subjects.”

Announcements about the second Eureka! will be made in the coming months and it is hoped the development could bring 28 full-time posts and 91 jobs to the area and boost local economy by £6.2million.

http://www.wirralglobe.co.uk/news/15552430.Wirral_could_welcome_new_children_s_museum_by_2021/

There is nowhere to increase 'visitor spend' unless they want to call into HomeBargains before the coach departs!

Whilst I have no objection to this, I suspect the educational value is damn near zero. My experience with my children visiting these science museums is that it is a bear garden with kids running around randomly pressing buttons or twirling knobs before running on to the next.

As a boy, I recall my father taking me to the science museum in London. At that time it was a rather austere place. There was a children's gallery in the basement, but I was interested in the electrical exhibits and on asking an official about an exhibit, he went and found an expert who came out and spent several hours taking us around the gallery and explaining the science and significance of each exhibit. He carried a pad of paper the better to explain how things work. It was fascinating.

Since then the place has become 'Disneyfied' and the exhibits turned into amusements for kids with an attention span measured in seconds. I guess they have to compete for footfall, and the dedicated 'science museums' like Eureka have taken this to extremes.

I regret this. The main task of museums is to show some respect for the work that was done by the people whose exhibits are shown, not turn it into a slideshow. I recall that we had Faraday's original transformer explained to us in terms we could understand. The Eureka equivalent seemed to be a hand-cranked alternator and a large dial, seen by the excited kids as no more than a competition as to who could turn the handle fastest.

Nothing wrong with entertainment of course, but museums are - or should be - a bit more than that.

Space museum died on its own feet so merseyravel will need another income generating footfall. This will obviously raise the level of the local intelligence yoof so should be encouraged 😆

Unless they reduce their entrance fees from what they are in Halifax, (£12.95 per head) I doubt many will rush. Spaceport £24.95 two adults and 3 children. Bit of a difference !
Having said that, the one in Halifax has been going a long time but it is a bit more centrally located, and not in a cul-de-sac like Wirral .
Probably find that the Ferries will do a deal to incorporate a cruise and entrance fee, as they always do, but it could end up being another summer time attraction and few locals in the winter months. That is when the Ferries miss out. Three attraction is one small area could be a parking problem too.

The education centre would take over the spaceport as mersetravel would or not support both competing with each other . They have a better chance of viditors in new brighton which is another reason to put the ferry back.

I like the idea. Agree with Ex that the full educational value probably wont be taken from it, but if the educational part is there to be had alongside and within the entertainment, then hopefully there will be a % of children who make use of and learn from it , (and also adults who may not be into hardcore information ). That has to make it worthwhile. Kids essentially want fun,and things presented that way , are more readily learned surely ?

Yet another bit of junk to be built (probably with public money), there are so many empty buildings around that are crying to get re-used. These include schools which seems very apt for a children's museum or what about Birkenhead Town Hall?

With the recent track record on Wirral museums being opened and closed it makes you wonder what next.

Hopefully Spaceport and this museum would do some sort of combination ticket.

Oh here we go again, does anyone use the one they built next to the fire station in Birkenhead, its going to cost £11 million! I'll just say that again £11 million and by 2021 this will be £22 million
As Council tax payers that means we are paying towards this as well, as Merseytravel get a cut from Council tax to supplament bus travel for OAP'S!
Why does it have to be built next to the ferries, build it next to the new college, but again there's no where to park!
And just cause it worked in Halifax doesn't mean its going to work here, maybe it Wirral Council hadn't cut so much off their budget, ie youth clubs, libraries etc the children could find something of intrest there, and the £11 million go to wards fixing the street lighting, unblocking the gulleys, repairing pot holes, pavements, over grown trees, getting the streets cleaned of litter etc etc

Totally agree with you on that one Keef666.

If they do nothing in the area they are criticised, if they try to do something they are critised. Maybe they should just open centres to give out free drugs and benefits as it seems to me that's all that people want these days. Moan over