THE wider world may be closed to us at the moment but through imagination and the invention of our re-opened museums we can transport ourselves to foreign lands.
Scotland’s museums re-opened last Monday and one of the most eagerly anticipated exhibits was the Lego Brick Wonders feature at the National Museum of Flight in East Fortune, East Lothian.
It recreates our favourite pyramids and puts a spin on the Grand Canyon, Great Barrier Reef and Safari from building blocks.
National Museums Scotland (NMS) reported a brisk return in the first week and are anticipating an increased interest as we move into the summer. A spokesperson said: “We’re not going to see the level of international visitors which we usually enjoy particularly through the summer period.
“So we’re very much looking at the local market and the staycation effect and being able to welcome even more of our local visitors and those further afield from Scotland.
“You can’t actually get off the tarmac and travel anywhere at the moment but you can look at all of those icons without taking off.”
The museum is also displaying a Lego model of its centrepiece Concorde under the Great Bird itself. Our museums have been working hard during lockdown to widen the visitor experience and fans of the National Museum of Rural Life near East Kilbride have been enjoying new features there too.
The spokesperson added: “We’ve got a wonderful Willow Sculpture Trail at our National Museum of Rural Life and that’s life-sized animals in willow and that’s proving really popular.
“And at the National Museum of Scotland at the end of May we will be opening our Galloway Hoard: Viking-age Treasure exhibition and that of course will be showing off that wonderful hoard of material that was discovered back in 2017.”
The benefits of the re-opening are clearly financial with NMS admitting that it has been a challenging year and the societal lift they give to us all.
The spokesperson concluded: “I think it’s hugely important for people’s wellbeing, for the positive mental health, to be able to return to the museums, to our indoor and outdoor spaces.
“It gives them inspiration, it gives them joy and it gives them solace after going through such a difficult time during the pandemic.”
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