Mark Alleyne Opens the Museum and Learning Centre
15 May 2017
April 21st saw the opening of The MLC Experience, the new Museum and Learning Centre (MLC) at the Brightside Ground, Bristol. Among the 45 attendees, distinguished guests included The Lord Mayor of Bristol, The High Sheriff of Bristol, the next High Sheriff and Giles Clarke, CBE President of the England and Wales Cricket Board. Former England cricketer and Gloucestershire Captain, Mark Alleyne, performed the opening ceremony and got to meet a life-sized figure of himself whilst reliving some of his cup-winning years.
Mark Alleyne is an Honorary Patron of the MLC along with former England and Gloucestershire wicket-keeper, Jack Russell and Geoff Barrett, Managing Director of Clip Display Ltd. Jack was unable to be at the opening but sent the following message which was read out at the opening:
"I am delighted to be one of the Patrons of our Museum. A project close to my heart. I have to admit it feels a little surreal to be involved as a Patron while at the same time being an 'exhibit' inside! But I am honoured and thrilled to be both. As a player we are aware of the history of our County team and in whose footsteps we follow when we take the field of play. It all started with W G Grace, player number one, and we wear our individual player's numbers with pride. Being Gloucestershire born and bred I am also very proud that you have asked player 484 to be involved!
Congratulations to Wendy, Rex, Roger and everyone associated for your enthusiasm and dedication to the history of our great Club. The Museum will be a rich source of knowledge and will inspire many generations to come."
Jack Russell, MBE
Player Number 484”
The MLC has been developed by the GCCC Heritage Trust, an independent registered charity set up in 2013 to establish and maintain a museum and learning centre. It will safeguard and share Gloucestershire County Cricket Club’s rich past and continue to build its heritage for the future.
In his opening speech, Heritage Trust Chairman Rex Body said:
“We’ve spent three years trying to raise funds and planning what the MLC was going to be like and what it was going to do. And I have to say that we would not have reached this point without the support and expertise of Geoff Barrett and Clip Display Ltd. Clip has been a real pleasure to work alongside and we are enormously grateful for the way they have taken our fledgling ideas and transformed them into the reality of the MLC.”
The MLC is arranged in themed display areas such as Overseas Stars, Players lost in World War I, England Test Players, The 'One-Day Kings' and, of course, W G Grace; featuring a life-sized model of the man himself. The MLC Experience is designed to appeal to a wide audience ranging from cricket enthusiasts to children. Children might know little about cricket but they will be fascinated by the magnetic question balls, the size of the cricket boots belonging to Courtney Walsh, Gilbert Jessop’s own autograph book or the chance to try on Craig Spearman’s cricket pads! Another source of interest is the eerie looking batting glove adapted by Gilbert Jessop which featured in the BBC Points West coverage of the opening.
The MLC is open on match days and by appointment on other occasions e.g. for clubs or community groups such as the Sporting Memories Foundation which helps combat the effects of dementia, depression and loneliness. School groups will also be able to arrange visits to the MLC on non-match days.
The next phase of the MLC development will be to add tablets to each of the areas which will provide much greater depth of information for visitors. This will, inevitably, take time to complete in view of the research and writing involved. An Education Programme is also being developed which will enable primary school children to experience new things and apply the skills they are learning in school to meaningful and enjoyable heritage and cricket-related activities in the MLC. The Trust’s aim is to try and raise the necessary funds for a part-time Educator’s post to carry out this work rather than having to find and rely on teacher-trained volunteers.
The MLC is situated on the ground floor of the Grace Apartment Block at the Ashley Down Road end of the Brightside Ground. Entry is through the attractive, match-day Stumps Café alongside. Admission is free (although donations will be gratefully received!) and volunteers will be on duty during the MLC opening times which are:
• One hour before the start of play
• One hour during the lunch interval
• During prolonged stoppages for bad weather (if volunteers are available)
The Heritage Trust is actively seeking people to be on duty and keep an eye on things; volunteers can do as many or as few sessions as they wish on either a regular or casual basis. If you are interested, please leave your name and contact details at Reception to be passed on to Rex Body.
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