Latest news with #SaraWajid
Yahoo
07-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Birmingham museums chief puts out plea for 'angel investor' as Ozzy exhibition pulls in crowds
Birmingham museum and art gallery chief Sara Wajid has posted a heartfelt plea for an 'angel investor' in the mould of Blues owners Tom Wagner and Tom Brady to help the venue thrive after its landmark Ozzy Osbourne tribute exhibition. Sara, joint CEO of the trust that runs the Museum and Art Gallery, said more than 50,000 people had visited the city centre location in just two weeks - more than triple the number that would have attended in a typical fortnight pre-Covid. In a post on LinkedIn, she revealed that now was the time to capitalise on the interest of so many visitors. "This (number was achieved) against a backdrop of national declining visitor levels in a city where dire public finances are crippling public services, in a museum that is still only half open and hasn't even been able to open all week round. READ MORE: Sharon Osbourne makes incredible gesture to Birmingham so fans can continue paying tribute to Ozzy "There is no clearer indication of the value and need for free civic museums and of how hard our teams are working to overcome these incredibly adverse conditions," she said. The documentary series 'Built in Birmingham: Brady and the Blues' had shown how Birmingham City Football Club was turning fortunes around after being relegated, and what that means for its fans and the people of Birmingham - aided by the massive Knighthead investment, she said. She wrote: "I don't know much about football but what I take from this story is that we are achieving similar (to the Blues) but without an angel investor. "The time is now for a massive injection of cash into Birmingham Museums Trust. Our fate is not to be the plucky underdogs who were relegated. "We are winners - the rest of the world just needs to catch on to this incredible investment opportunity for social returns before they miss the boat." Read more: Moment Ozzy Osbourne tributes cleared from Black Sabbath Bench in Birmingham The city's cultural gem, next to Birmingham City Council House, closed in 2020 for essential maintenance works but partially reopened in 2022 for the Commonwealth Games. It then reopened in phases in 2024, with a number of spaces such as the Round Room Gallery welcoming members of the public for the first time in years. It relies largely on public funding and donations. The Ozzy Osbourne: Working Class Hero exhibition opened at the venue on June 25 to coincide with Black Sabbath's farewell concert at Villa Park on 5 July. Ozzy died two weeks later and his funeral cortege through the city drew another mass of fans into the centre. Initially, the free exhibition was due to close on Sunday 28 September, but demand from the public has caused the museum to display the exhibition until Sunday 18 January, "to allow for more fans to see it" - with the generous backing of the Osbourne family. Since the exhibition's opening, the museum has seen over 96,000 visitors through its doors.
BBC News
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
New exhibition of GIANT prehistoric animals coming to UK
A museum exhibition featuring skeletons and models of giant prehistoric animals is heading to Birmingham and will be able to get up close with six enormous 3D models and five nearly complete skeletons of life-sized ancient creatures - including a woolly mammoth, a megalodon shark and an ancient primate which was said to be three times the size of an will also be encouraged to step into the shoes of palaeontologists and biologists to interact with the scientific processes behind fossil discovery and purpose of the exhibition is to highlight the threat of extinction facing modern 'giant' animals, like elephants, rhinoceroses and whales and the "urgent need" to protect endangered species. The team behind the Giants exhibition say it will take visitors back 66 million years and bring them right up until the present day, immersing them in the natural habitats of previous giant species using huge Mensah and Sara Wajid, co-chief executives of Birmingham Museums Trust, said: "This inspiring installation not only captures the imagination with its monumental scale but also delivers a vital message about sustainability and our shared responsibility to protect the planet."The models are made of a metal structure covered by recycled felt panels which can be recycled exhibition will begin in August in Birmingham, before continuing to Edinburgh in January 2026. Who are the GIANTS? The Megalodon was a massive sea creature, similar to a great white shark. For millions of years, they were the number one predator in the world and grew up to 25 metres and had enormous teeth that grew up to 18 centimetres long. A woolly mammoth was a member of the elephant family. These grew up to over three metres tall and weighed up to over 8,000 for the snake lovers - a titanoboa roamed the Earth over 58 million years ago and would grow to more than 14 metres long. They weighed more than a tonne and could swallow a crocodile in one go!Another amazingly huge creature was the megatherium. It is an extinct species of giant ground sloth. It's scientific name, megatherium americanum, means 'great beast from America'. They were up to 10 times the size of modern sloths reaching weights of up to four tonnes.
STV News
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- STV News
Exhibition of prehistoric Giants to make UK debut
An exhibition of giant prehistoric animals will make its UK debut this year. Giants, developed by the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences and toured by Nomad Exhibitions, will open at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery on August 2. It will then move to the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh in January 2026. The exhibition focuses on creatures such as the woolly mammoth, which roamed the Earth after the extinction of the dinosaurs. Giants spans a period of 66 million years to the present day, and highlights the need to protect existing giant species such as elephants and whales. It features life-sized 3D models and nearly complete skeletons, including giant shark Otodus megalodon; the Mammuthus primigenius or woolly mammoth, which weighed between six and eight tonnes; and Gigantopithecus blacki, an Asian primate the size of three orangutans. Visitors of all ages are encouraged to step into the shoes of palaeontologists and biologists, using interactive resources and engaging with the scientific processes behind fossil discovery and reconstruction. PA Media A life-sized 3D model of a megalodon features in the exhibition (National Museums Scotland/PA). Immersive projections recreate the natural habitats of previous giant species, providing context to their existence and extinction. The exhibition also warns of the threat of extinction posed to elephants, rhinoceroses and whales and the 'urgent need' to protect endangered species. The announcement coincides with World Environment Day on Thursday, which this year is focused on ending plastic pollution. Zak Mensah and Sara Wajid, co-chief executives of Birmingham Museums Trust, said: 'We are delighted to welcome the Giants exhibition to Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. 'This inspiring installation not only captures the imagination with its monumental scale but also delivers a vital message about sustainability and our shared responsibility to protect the planet. 'Birmingham Museums is committed to using storytelling to engage communities with the challenges of our time and Giants does exactly that in a powerful and accessible way.' Dr Nick Fraser, keeper of Natural Sciences at National Museums Scotland, said: 'We're really looking forward to bringing Giants to Scotland next year. 'Popular attention on prehistoric life tends to focus either on dinosaurs or on our own earliest human ancestors, which leaves a relatively neglected gap of around 60 million years of natural history. 'Giants is a striking invitation to us all to think about that period, to see how nature adapts over time, and also to reflect on the ways in which current human activity is denying that time to today's endangered giants.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Rhyl Journal
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Rhyl Journal
Exhibition of prehistoric Giants to make UK debut
Giants, developed by the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences and toured by Nomad Exhibitions, will open at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery on August 2. It will then move to the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh in January 2026. The exhibition focuses on creatures such as the woolly mammoth, which roamed the Earth after the extinction of the dinosaurs. Giants spans a period of 66 million years to the present day, and highlights the need to protect existing giant species such as elephants and whales. It features life-sized 3D models and nearly complete skeletons, including giant shark Otodus megalodon; the Mammuthus primigenius or woolly mammoth, which weighed between six and eight tonnes; and Gigantopithecus blacki, an Asian primate the size of three orangutans. Visitors of all ages are encouraged to step into the shoes of palaeontologists and biologists, using interactive resources and engaging with the scientific processes behind fossil discovery and reconstruction. Immersive projections recreate the natural habitats of previous giant species, providing context to their existence and extinction. The exhibition also warns of the threat of extinction posed to elephants, rhinoceroses and whales and the 'urgent need' to protect endangered species. The announcement coincides with World Environment Day on Thursday, which this year is focused on ending plastic pollution. Zak Mensah and Sara Wajid, co-chief executives of Birmingham Museums Trust, said: 'We are delighted to welcome the Giants exhibition to Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. 'This inspiring installation not only captures the imagination with its monumental scale but also delivers a vital message about sustainability and our shared responsibility to protect the planet. 'Birmingham Museums is committed to using storytelling to engage communities with the challenges of our time and Giants does exactly that in a powerful and accessible way.' Dr Nick Fraser, keeper of Natural Sciences at National Museums Scotland, said: 'We're really looking forward to bringing Giants to Scotland next year. 'Popular attention on prehistoric life tends to focus either on dinosaurs or on our own earliest human ancestors, which leaves a relatively neglected gap of around 60 million years of natural history. 'Giants is a striking invitation to us all to think about that period, to see how nature adapts over time, and also to reflect on the ways in which current human activity is denying that time to today's endangered giants.'
Glasgow Times
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Glasgow Times
Exhibition of prehistoric Giants to make UK debut
Giants, developed by the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences and toured by Nomad Exhibitions, will open at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery on August 2. It will then move to the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh in January 2026. The exhibition focuses on creatures such as the woolly mammoth, which roamed the Earth after the extinction of the dinosaurs. Giants spans a period of 66 million years to the present day, and highlights the need to protect existing giant species such as elephants and whales. It features life-sized 3D models and nearly complete skeletons, including giant shark Otodus megalodon; the Mammuthus primigenius or woolly mammoth, which weighed between six and eight tonnes; and Gigantopithecus blacki, an Asian primate the size of three orangutans. Visitors of all ages are encouraged to step into the shoes of palaeontologists and biologists, using interactive resources and engaging with the scientific processes behind fossil discovery and reconstruction. A life-sized 3D model of a megalodon features in the exhibition (National Museums Scotland/PA) Immersive projections recreate the natural habitats of previous giant species, providing context to their existence and extinction. The exhibition also warns of the threat of extinction posed to elephants, rhinoceroses and whales and the 'urgent need' to protect endangered species. The announcement coincides with World Environment Day on Thursday, which this year is focused on ending plastic pollution. Zak Mensah and Sara Wajid, co-chief executives of Birmingham Museums Trust, said: 'We are delighted to welcome the Giants exhibition to Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. 'This inspiring installation not only captures the imagination with its monumental scale but also delivers a vital message about sustainability and our shared responsibility to protect the planet. 'Birmingham Museums is committed to using storytelling to engage communities with the challenges of our time and Giants does exactly that in a powerful and accessible way.' Dr Nick Fraser, keeper of Natural Sciences at National Museums Scotland, said: 'We're really looking forward to bringing Giants to Scotland next year. 'Popular attention on prehistoric life tends to focus either on dinosaurs or on our own earliest human ancestors, which leaves a relatively neglected gap of around 60 million years of natural history. 'Giants is a striking invitation to us all to think about that period, to see how nature adapts over time, and also to reflect on the ways in which current human activity is denying that time to today's endangered giants.'
