The Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust will be celebrating along with the rest of Telford in November when the town marks its 50th birthday.

Named after the famous civil engineer Thomas Telford, Telford has long been associated with the ‘Birthplace of Industry’. In the Ironbridge Gorge, pioneering technological and industrial breakthroughs made 300 years ago started the Industrial Revolution that was to change the world forever.

And the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust itself marked 50 years in 2017 – when it was awarded a £1 million National Lottery grant via the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to help protect some of the most significant industrial heritage in the world by building an endowment.

Every pound the Trust raises for this campaign up to 2021 will be matched by HLF, to a maximum value of £1 million.

“Telford is a great, thriving, ever-developing town and it is wonderful to be a part of it,” said Karen Davies, Director of Museum Development at the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust.

“We will be celebrating along with everyone else on November 29 to mark the date of the designation of the new town, and we hope that the people and businesses of the town will also help us to ensure the industrial heritage of the Gorge is conserved for the next 50 years and beyond.”

Telford50 is the campaign that marks this significant milestone in the ongoing development of the town and Fund for the Future is the campaign to support and protect the industrial landmarks of the Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site.

“We want to include everyone in helping us to raise the money that will help ensure that the museums, historic monuments and listed buildings in our care are secured for future generations.

“We are holding a number of events that everyone can get involved in,” added Mrs Davies.

“For businesses we will soon be launching a brand new networking opportunity that will allow members of the business community to take a tour of our sites and see exactly what it is we are conserving for future generations.

“For the public there will be a number of opportunities to get involved, including a fancy dress Parkrun on August 11th and new opportunities for the children over the Summer.”

For more information about the project visit https://www.ironbridge.org.uk/ or donate online at www.justgiving.com/campaigns/charity/ironbridge-gorgemuseum/fundforthefuture

Becky Leath, visitor sales assistant at the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust.