With the rail message changing to Travel with Confidence, you can now enjoy a relaxing trip along our wonderful coastline leaving the train at Whitehaven railway station to visit The Beacon.

THE WORLD’S best wildlife photography will be exhibited in Whitehaven when The Beacon Museum reopens its doors next week.

The harbourside museum, which has been closed for more than four months, in line with Government restrictions, is set to re-open on Tuesday, May 18.

The Beacon Museum is one of only five venues, outside of London, to host the prestigious exhibition, which features 99 awe-inspiring images from around the world.

The exhibition will also be accompanied by exciting animal related activities for children during the half-term week (May 31 – June 4).

In addition to the prestigious exhibition on offer to visitors, the museum has also made a significant investment in its digital offer to visitors with several new attractions installed during the lockdown period.

The Beacon Sparks project aims to revitalise the visualisation of local history with subjects including history, art and science transformed for visitors to learn and enjoy.

The interactives include:

• Whitehaven’s much celebrated geological landscape being brought to life by the Reverend Ceasar Caine, a local vicar and keen amateur archaeologist and geologist during the late 19^th century. Audiences can explore Caine’s hut in discovering the wonders that lie below the earth’s surface around Copeland.
• Visitors being able to steer their own ship into an ever-evolving Whitehaven harbour, with the changes to the landscape depicted within a unique interactive game.
• Budding merchants trying their hand at trading around the world using some of the routes and ships that made Whitehaven a world renowned trading port.
• An audio-visual tour around Whitehaven brings to life some of the landmarks of the local skyline, along with some lesser-known stories that surround them.
• Visitors can now follow the step-by-step process involved in the creation of the Irton Sword.
• A Roman soldier enlightens visitors about life in the area during the Roman period.
• A reinvention of three of the museum’s flipbook experiences support the telling of fascinating local stories.
• A caricature Lowther family tree including pop up profiles of key family members.
• A digital dress up interactive allows visitors to try on garments held at the museum from as far back as the early 19^th century.

Heather Holmes, Customer and Visitor Experience Manager, said: “We’re thrilled to be reopening with one of our most exciting exhibitions in our calendar.

The world-renowned Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition entices visitors from all over the north, who travel far and wide to experience the stunning portraits of species from across the globe.

The photographs are exclusively entered into the competition, so it’s the only chance for people to view these phenomenal portraits of some of the world’s most fascinating creatures up close.

There has also been a number of renovations to the museum whilst the doors have been closed, which have revitalised our exhibitions using modern technology to bring history to life.”

For up-to-date information on what is on offer at the museum, visit www.thebeacon-whitehaven.co.uk.