Evacuees visiting The MERL
On 28 November 2016, The MERL welcomed seven evacuees and their families to the Museum. The evacuees had agreed to allow the Museum to include their stories in the evacuee interactive and the day was designed to thank all involved for their participation. The day included showing the evacuees the interactive for the first time, […]
In the Garden: Reading Tree Wardens and MERL
It’s not every day that you spend the morning looking at trees, but recently a group of MERL staff did just that. Looking for information to be able to create interpretation in the gardens, we had called upon the expertise of the Reading Tree Wardens (http://www.readingtreewardens.org.uk/). So on a gloriously sunny day back in July, […]
Cricket farming Q&A with Newtri Foods (Part 2)
This is the second and final part of a Q&A with Matt Grant and Matt Hardy – Co-founders of Newtri Foods. Newtri Foods aims to be one of the first companies in the UK dedicated to the farming of crickets and the creation of cricket-based products (flour, protein bars and whole crickets) exclusively for human […]
Cricket farming Q&A with Newtri Foods (Part 1)
The founders of Newtri Foods talk to science engagement officer, Robyn Hopcroft, about cricket farming in Part 1 of a Q&A about their edible insect business. Edible insects have been touted as the next big thing in food. Even the United Nations has recognised edible insects as a “promising alternative for the conventional production of […]
Volunteers' Voice: Work Placement – Daisy
Daisy tells us about her work placement at MERL and the benefits of volunteering after university. The question of what to do with my life after I graduate has been particularly pertinent this week as, on Tuesday, I received the results of my history degree. I got a first, in case you were wondering. Even if […]
Fun and festivities at the Big Band Lunch
Science Engagement Officer, Robyn Hopcroft, reveals what we got up to at the Big Band Lunch on Sunday. Last Sunday we enjoyed glorious weather and fabulous big band music at the University of Reading’s annual Big Band Lunch. This was a chance to bring the University and local communities together over lunch, and celebrate the […]
Reading Readers – Felicity McWilliams
For this month’s Reading Readers blog, PhD student Felicity McWilliams (a familiar face at MERL) gives us an insight into how the MERL collections are playing a part in her research of draught power technology in the 20th century. Last September, I left my post as Project Officer at the Museum to embark upon an AHRC-funded Collaborative Doctoral […]
World Hunger Day: Where does MERL fit in?
Written by Science Engagement Officer, Robyn Hopcroft. Saturday, 28 May is World Hunger Day. It’s a chance to consider and act to create sustainable solutions to hunger and poverty. MERL is a museum “dedicated to the spirit of the English countryside and its people”. So what do we care about world hunger? Well, we care […]
Wellcome news! MERL has rural life down to a science
Our new Science Engagement Officer, Robyn Hopcroft, provides an update on the Wellcome Trust funded project: ‘Our Country Lives: Nutrition, Health and Rural England’. What is the relationship between rural life and science? In my role at MERL I’ll be investigating this question and finding new ways to work together with our visitors to explore […]
Countryside Forum: gathering stories
In her latest Activity Plan update, Phillippa Heath (Audience Development Project Manager), describes the fascinating conversations the team have been having (and are set to have) with farmers and individuals with different connections to the countryside, across the UK. One of our ambitions for the Museum of English Rural Life’s redevelopment is to draw out […]