£250k grant to help Insurance Museum introduce insurance to young people

The Insurance Museum has been awarded a £249,700 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The funding will support the museum’s Insurance Heritage at Risk initiative, which will examine historic insurance collections held in public and corporate archives while developing education programmes for schools, families and young people.

The programme aims to introduce insurance, explore its history, explain its role in supporting society today and highlight career opportunities within the sector.

Howard Benge, director of the Insurance Museum, said the grant marked a significant milestone for the charity.

He said: “The £249,700 grant from the Heritage Fund will support programmes for schools, families and young people. These programmes will introduce insurance, explore its history, explain how it supports people today and highlight insurance careers for children and young people.

“We are very grateful to The National Lottery Heritage Fund for awarding us this generous grant. This is a step change for the Insurance Museum. With this increase in our resources, we can lay the foundations for engaging new audiences across the UK.”

Oral histories

As part of the project, the Insurance Museum will research insurance heritage at risk of loss, including material held in public institutions and corporate archives. The grant will also support the recording of oral histories from individuals who worked in the insurance market from the late 1960s through to the 2000s, capturing first-hand accounts of how the sector evolved during that period.

The project will also see the archiving of the personal collection of Dr Mary Reynolds OBE, which documents her career in life assurance.

Delivery partners for the programme include the Chartered Insurance Institute, the Business Archives Council, the City of London Libraries and the Bank of England, which will support a series of activities and events linked to the project.

Stuart McLeod, director for London and south at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said the funding would help safeguard the sector’s history while inspiring future generations.

He said: “We’re delighted to support the Insurance Museum preserving and sharing the heritage of insurance. Thanks to National Lottery players, this project will not only safeguard important collections and stories but also inspire future generations to understand the role insurance plays in our lives today.”