When visiting the centre you are asked to pay if you would like to add any of these options i) Food and drink ii) Print and waterproof ‘pockets’ iii) Stories in Sound on your old mobile phone or iv) A service of recording & transcription of past stories e.g. from your family, friends or work colleagues.
A little cash goes a long way
An hour or so just talking for free, is fine for some topics. But the Mining-related stories and activities definitely need to involve food and cooking! And generally most people find it adds a lot to their enjoyment on a visit if they can have some kind of refreshments.
With a little warning we can provide whatever you fancy, however you will need to plan ahead and bring enough real money e.g. coins and notes. With children in mind our usual bananas, buns and cake will be cut up, small; apple juice will have warm water added to reduce the sugars. For adults, cold drinks are usually elderflower or similar cordials; hot drinks are a variety of tea and coffee bags, but no sophisticated Latte and Cappuccino choices! It is help yourself, quite basic, but with a range of gluten free, plant-based and other choices, given sufficient notice.
Juice, small biscuits, cubes of buns, occasionally marshmallows are given out like rewards during the stories, in return for 50p pieces in the bucket. Adult hot drinks are £1.50.
STORIES in SOUND and/or PRINT
The picture also refers to an old mobile phone. We need lots! If you can donate that would be great. Initially we can only load stories onto your own old phone to take away and play on a walk, or to your class at school or wherever. In the future, if we can build a bank of phones, then there will also be an option to pay more for the 2 things together. In any case, to qualify for stories you will be asked to sign a Guarantee of Respect (refer to the Home page for explanation).
Further details for all the sets of stories coming available will be in the Catalogue from January 2026.