A museum has been awarded funding for a three-year education project.

The Hitchin British Schools Trust, which runs the British Schools Museum in the town, will receive £89,200 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for a project called Changing Learning, Changing Lives.

The funds will mean staff at the museum in Queen Street can deliver a range of informal learning activities and increase community engagement and outreach work.

The project is designed to make the museum’s heritage more accessible and engaging to a wider audience.

More opportunities will also be created for volunteering and work experience.

The British Schools Museum is located within a historic group of Victorian and Edwardian school buildings, where children were taught from 1810 until 1969.

The buildings are Grade II and Grade II* listed and include the monitorial schoolroom, built in 1837, as well as 47,000 objects relating to the history of education and the social history of childhood.

Museum manager Andy Gibbs said: “Learning is at the centre of what we do here at the museum and the work done by our volunteer team over the last 20 years is nothing short of remarkable.

“This grant will enable us to take our delivery of engaging and interactive learning programmes to a new level. Our volunteers will still be vital, but they will be led by a full-time museum learning professional with the skills and resources to build upon what we have achieved, develop a range of new activities and attract new audiences both here at the museum and with community outreach work.”

Robyn Llewellyn, head of the HLF for the East of England, said: “Hitchin is a historic site that tells stories of a very contemporary concern – great education for all.

“It is exciting that HLF support will help fund the new activity programme and help share this fascinating collection with even more people of all ages.”

For more information about the museum visit www.britishschoolsmuseum.co.uk or call 01462 420144.