Museums at home

Museums play a crucial role in our communities. Through their objects, we see, hear, and feel forgotten experiences. We make connections across time, space, and continents, and discover shared stories that unite us.

These experiences help us overcome loneliness and isolation, and inspire creativity, well-being, and learning for life in people of all ages.

"I have the most wonderful memories of the museum. As a child, I loved the revolving doors that took me into a new world of mystery and magic, and into what is still one of the most beautiful atriums in the world. The museum still has the power to uplift my spirits and to discover the new and rediscover old favourites. What a place!," a member said

Since 2013, support from players of People’s Postcode Lottery has helped people enjoy three of Scotland’s national museums: the National Museum of Scotland, in Edinburgh; the National Museum of Rural Life, in East Kilbride; and the National Museum of Flight, in East Lothian.

Over £2 million has been raised for National Museums Scotland, thanks to players.

"The museum is special to me because being there gives me a sense of peace and relaxation. Whether it is sitting quietly at the Balcony Cafe having a cup of tea or wandering round the various exhibitions and showcases, it's all lovely," says a museum visitor. "As a child, my family and I visited Edinburgh every two years and always came to the museum... wonderful abiding memories."

On 17 March, due to the Coronavirus pandemic, National Museums Scotland made the decision to close their museums to protect the health of the communities they serve.

Overnight, donations and income from the museums' shops and cafes stopped—but the Museum’s work to protect their remarkable collections and share them with people did not. Right now, support from players is helping to care for these intriguing objects while the museums are closed, ensuring National Museums Scotland will be ready to welcome people back once it is safe to reopen.

But that isn't all. At this time of intense isolation and uncertainty, we all need to feel connected and inspired. To help people learn, discover, and enjoy the objects they love and the stories behind them, National Museums Scotland has created Museum at Home. Players’ support has enabled a hub of online games and activities, specifically for families, that draw on the National Museums' collections and lets people experience them together.

They can be found at www.nms.ac.uk/museumathome

National Museums Scotland’s museums are places for discovery, for learning, for well-being, and for joy. With support from players, they can be those places again.

A visitor said: "Thank you for providing such a thought-provoking, inspirational, and creative space to visit. Long may it continue."