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From music festivals and the BBC Stargazing
Live series to schools outreach, Jodrell Bank
shares the excitement of science with
the public.
Following the 2011 launch of its new £2.9 million Discovery
Centre, the Observatory now attracts 160,000 visitors,
including over 20,000 school children, each year. This public
engagement programme has created over 30 new jobs and has
brought £8 million into the local economy.
The Discovery Centre’s exhibits cover many aspects of
astronomy and physics, including work undertaken by
University of Manchester researchers working within Jodrell
Bank. The popular ‘Meet an Astronomer’ sessions inspire
children – the next generation of scientists – while adult
audiences are attracted to sell-out public lectures.
The science performed on site itself has a major economic
impact, and not just in the UK. The Observatory has been a
world-leader in radio astronomy for more than 70 years and has
recently been chosen to host the international headquarters of
the Square Kilometre Array – which will be the world’s
largest telescope.
Outside of education, Jodrell Bank organises award-winning
festivals which reach out to new audiences. In 2016 the Centre
launched Bluedot - a weekend festival featuring music, science,
arts and technology which was attended by 15,000 people.
Media engagement contributes to the high public perception
of Jodrell Bank - an online survey showed that 54% of the UK
population is aware of the science facility.
The site is now shortlisted for UNESCO World Heritage Site
status as ‘a major modern scientific development which has
greatly enlarged human understanding of the Universe’.
The popular ‘Meet an
Astronomer’ sessions inspire
children – the next generation
of scientists
Case Study: Public Benefit
Enthusing the next
generation about science
£8m
Jodrell Bank brought
to the local economy
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