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Short $1 million to open on schedule in its new home by year’s end, the London Children’s Museum is urgently appealing for donations to help close the gap.
Already delayed by a year and a half in the fallout of the pandemic, which drove up costs by more than one-third, the opening of the new museum at 100 Kellogg Lane could be pushed back again if the money isn’t raised by then, museum director Kate Ledgley said.
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“The reality is that we need a million dollars in order to be able to open our doors on time by the end of the year, and we just want to be open and honest with the community with where we’re at,” she said, adding the museum hopes to avoid having to forestall its opening.
“If we don’t raise this additional million dollars, it’s possible it will delay the opening,” Ledgley acknowledged. “We would have to see how quickly we can raise these funds to determine how long of a delay (for the opening).”
Only months from completion, the new museum is in its final stage of development at 100 Kellogg Lane, a growing entertainment and retail zone housed in the former Kellogg cereal factory in east London that closed in 2014.
At a total cost of $23 million, the new museum will be double the size of the existing one, housed since 1977 in a former school building on Wharncliffe Road South. The new site will include eight hands-on customized exhibits and interactive play areas.
More than $19 million has already been raised for the project, through support and donations by governments, businesses, foundations and families.
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Ledgley said the COVID-19 pandemic stalled the project and caused a “huge impact” on the bottom line, leading to a 35 per cent increase in costs.
“Costs come from the overall immersive nature (of the new museum) – these exhibits are customed and will be here for a very long time,” she said. “It’s a long-term investment in the community.”
To save money, the museum postponed the development of an outdoor component to focus on the exhibits inside.
“We tried to find as many savings as possible but we know that the long-term impact of the space, once it’s built, will be so significant that we didn’t want to compromise any more of the design or the space,” Ledgley said.
The museum said about 84 per cent of the financial targets for the new centre have been hit. And while fundraising will continue, “$1-million is urgently needed now” to open in December.
“With the community’s support, we can meet the growing demand for our services, and ensure this city remains a special place for children to learn, grow, and play for generations to come,” Emily Schinbein, the museum’s board chairperson, said in a news release.
The new museum, first announced in 2018, is expected to attract an estimated 150,000 visitors a year, up from the 100,000 who visit the existing museum annually.
For more information, including how to donate, go to londonchildrensmuseum.ca
bbaleeiro@postmedia.com
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