Ipswich Museum awarded £110,000 for woolly mammoth gallery

A £110,000 grant is to be used to create a gallery for a museum's replica woolly mammoth.

The Wolfson Foundation's donation to Ipswich Museum will allow the exhibit, known as Wool-I-Am, to have its own space.

Children will be able to conduct the own archaeological discoveries using sensory and tactile exhibits.

It forms part of an £8.7m redevelopment project to display more of the town's collections, the museum said.

The replica mammoth was created for the museum in the 1980s to complement the displays of actual remains found in the Ipswich area, at sites including the Stoke railway tunnel.

The species is believed to have lived in the area until 11,500 years ago, the museum said.

Other funding includes £4.3m from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and £3.6m from Ipswich Borough Council, which owns the museum.

The replica woolly mammoth was renamed Wool-I-Am after a competition for children in 2014 - with the name inspired by musician Will.i.am

The museum is a late-Victorian, Grade II listed building which opened on the High Street in 1881.

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Councillor Carole Jones, the council's portfolio holder for museums, said they were "delighted" to receive the Wolfson Foundation support.

"As well as providing an impressive backdrop for Wool-I-Am, this new gallery will look in detail at the human story and the long-term impact early modern humans had on other species, our environments and the planet," she said.

The replica has been on display at the museum since the 1980s

The refurbishment of the building will include new heating, insulation and lighting to improve its environmental performance, as well as a new lift to improve access to galleries and toilets.

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