Shropshire Council bringing cultural sites to you online as facilities are closed

Although cultural sites managed by Shropshire Council may be closed as England is in its third lockdown, you can still access services online from your home.

Since the start of the pandemic in March 2020, council services have worked out to develop new online resources and improve those already in place.

At a time when we’ll be spending more time at home, libraries, museums, Shropshire Archives and more have a range of online services available for you to access.

Lezley Picton, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for culture, leisure, waste and communications, said:

“Staff across Shropshire Council have worked hard to develop a strong online offer for you, your family and friends so you can continue to access important services whenever is most convenient for you.

“Now that we are once again being asked to stay at home to protect our loved ones, these online resources from libraries, museums, Shropshire Archives and more are even more important.

“I’d encourage you to visit the websites listed and explore our cultural sites online. I will certainly be dipping into a book or two on E-Library!”

Museums

As museums across the county have closed their doors for lockdown, they remain very much open online bringing collections and their stories alive in your home.

Mindful Museums

The museums team have produced a series of short videos offering you a mindful exploration of artworks and objects held in the collection of Shropshire Museums. The videos are accompanied by a restful audio track by artist & educator Lindsey Kennedy, which encourages you ‘to look, to breathe and to be curious’.

You can listen to the videos on the Shropshire Museums website.

Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery for schools

Join historian and educator, Anna Kavanagh, as she talks about some of her favourite objects from the handling collections at Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery (SM&AG) and explores how they can help us to imagine the everyday life of people from Shropshire’s past.

You can explore the collections with Anna on the Shropshire Museums website.

Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery at home

Get creative with the family with some simple, make at home art and craft ideas inspired by the SM&AG collections.

Artist and educator Sasha Morris-Bhatia, who brings you HeyDay Arts, takes you through some craft sessions with the commendable help of her children.

Explore your creative side by visiting the Shropshire Museums website.

Libraries

Although library buildings are closed, Shropshire Libraries are still running the popular Ready Reads ‘click & collect’ service offering tailored book choices for you to read or listen to.

There are also a range of online resources and events available bringing libraries to your home at a time when buildings are closed.

Meet authors, join live Rhyme Time events and virtual story time sessions in what are just some of the online events being offered by Shropshire Libraries to support you through lockdown.

Through ‘Libraries at Home’ you can also entertain your children with fun activities, feed your curiosity with the free online learning package include TED Talks, Ancestry and Shropshire Archives or improve your digital skills and much more.

Shropshire Libraries also offers an extensive E-Library and with more titles being added regularly, there is sure to be something to indulge your love of reading.

For more information about libraries and the services you can access, visit the Shropshire Council website.

Shropshire Archives

While the Archives building is closed, enquiry and copying services remain available. Access to these services will be reviewed on an ongoing basis.

You can also continue to access the online catalogue with images and information at your fingertips to support your quest to learn more about local and family history.

For more information, visit www.shropshirearchives.org.uk or email archives@shropshire.gov.uk.

Theatre Severn

Theatre Severn is closed to the public but Box Office telephone service remains open 10am – 5pm, Monday to Saturday for bookings and enquiries. Full programme information and online booking is available at www.theatresevern.co.uk.

Country parks and green space

At a time when so much is closed, country parks, heritage sites and public Rights of Way remain open.

During lockdown one in 2020, Shropshire’s stunning outdoor spaces provided a lifeline for many of us as we accessed the countryside for fresh air and exercise.

Please follow Government guidance. You should minimise time spent outside your home, but you can leave your home to exercise. This should be limited to once per day, and you should not travel outside your local area. Walk or cycle from your home where possible.

You can exercise in a public outdoor place:

• by yourself
• with the people you live with
• with your support bubble (if you are legally permitted to form one)
• in a childcare bubble where providing childcare
• or, when on your own, with 1 person from another household”

The number of people visiting the county’s outdoor spaces has greatly increased since March 2020. To help protect Shropshire’s countryside, we urge you to behave respectfully. The best way you can do this is by following local coronavirus rules and the Countryside Code.

You can discover sites and walks across the county by visiting the Shropshire’s Great Outdoors website.

COVID-19 guidelines

Every social interaction is the opportunity for the virus to infect and spread. The new lockdown restrictions for Shropshire will mean everyone must Stay at Home and may leave only for a limited set of reasons. These include:

• Shop for basic necessities, for you or a vulnerable person.
• Go to work, or provide voluntary or charitable services, if you cannot reasonably do so from home.
• Exercise with your household (or support bubble) or one other person; this should be limited to once per day, and you should not travel outside your local area.
• Meet your support bubble or childcare bubble where necessary, but only if you are legally permitted to form one.
• Seek medical assistance or avoid injury, illness or risk of harm (including domestic abuse).
• Attend education or childcare – for those eligible.

If you have any of the following symptoms – a high temperature, a new, continuous cough or a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – you should book a test and not leave home for at least 10 days. If you have symptoms, book a test by calling 119 or at www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test.

For local advice and support during the pandemic (especially if you are self-isolating or shielding), call Shropshire Council’s COVID-19 Helpline on 0345 678 9028 (lines open on the weekend on Saturday from 9am-4pm and Sunday 9am-12pm) or visit our website at www.shropshire.gov.uk/coronavirus.