Opening Doors to STEM: Supporting Wonderlab at the National Railway Museum

The David Brown Foundation is proud to be supporting the National Railway Museum in York with a £2,000 grant, helping more children and young people from disadvantaged and underrepresented communities experience Wonderlab: The Bramall Gallery.

Our funding will provide 83 funded annual passes, distributed amongst the museum’s community partners and the children and families they support.

For us, this partnership represents exactly what the David Brown Foundation was created to do: remove barriers to education and give young people opportunities to learn, discover and thrive.

Making Science Feel Like It Is “For Them”

The National Railway Museum has a mission to build science capital in people and communities, breaking down socio-economic barriers to participation in STEM education and careers so that everyone can see science as something that is “for them.”

Wonderlab brings that mission to life.

The interactive gallery welcomes young visitors into the world of engineering, with hands-on exhibits and regular live science demonstrations exploring principles including gravity and aerodynamics.

Children are encouraged to experiment, solve problems, ask questions and discover answers for themselves, helping them develop new STEM-based skills through a fun and informal approach to learning.

But access to these opportunities is not equal.

Research highlighted by the National Railway Museum shows that coming from a lower socio-economic background is one of the biggest barriers to studying and pursuing careers in STEM.

There is also a significant gap in access to cultural experiences. Only 52% of 6–15-year-olds from lower socio-economic groups had visited a museum in the previous year, compared with 70% of those from higher socio-economic backgrounds.

The museum's Community Access scheme aims to tackle these inequalities directly.

Reaching Children Who Might Otherwise Miss Out

Through partnerships with voluntary and community organisations across York, funded Wonderlab tickets are provided to children, young people and families who may otherwise face barriers to visiting.

The museum works with a diverse range of community organisations supporting low-income households, SEND families, refugee and asylum-seeking families, young people experiencing homelessness, families accessing food banks, people affected by domestic abuse and those living with sight loss or visual impairments.

It also provides opportunities for young people who may experience challenges engaging with formal education, including school refusers and children whose education has been disrupted by difficult circumstances.

For these young people, a visit to Wonderlab is about much more than visiting a museum.

It gives them the opportunity to become an engineer for the day, to build, experiment, problem-solve and experience STEM in an environment designed to make learning exciting.

It can also help a young person begin to see that science, technology and engineering could be part of their future.

Making Learning More Inclusive

We were particularly impressed by the National Railway Museum's work to make Wonderlab accessible to children who may find a traditional museum environment overwhelming.

Many funded tickets have been used for the museum's Relaxed Wonderlab sessions.

These sensory-friendly sessions take place before the gallery opens to the general public and include designated quiet areas alongside adjusted lighting and sound.

For young people with autism and other special educational needs, these adaptations can make the difference between being excluded from an experience and being able to participate fully.

One visitor described the sessions as “a lifeline for SEN families.”

At the David Brown Foundation, we believe that children should have opportunities to learn in environments where they feel comfortable, supported and able to participate. Education isn't one-size-fits-all, and accessibility is an essential part of creating genuine educational opportunity.

From 574 Funded Tickets to a Goal of 1,000

The Community Access scheme is already making a tangible difference.

Over the past financial year, the National Railway Museum distributed 574 funded tickets amongst its community partners.

For 2026/27, its ambition is to increase this to 1,000 funded tickets, allowing even more young people and families to experience Wonderlab regardless of their circumstances.

The £2,000 grant from the David Brown Foundation will fund 83 annual passes to be distributed amongst the museum's community partners, directly contributing to the continued growth of the scheme.

These aren't simply tickets through a door.

They represent access to experiences that some children may never previously have considered available to them.

They provide an opportunity to discover engineering, develop new skills, build confidence and explore interests outside the traditional classroom.

Most importantly, they help reinforce the message at the heart of the National Railway Museum's work: STEM can be for everyone.

Delivering Brighter Futures

David dedicated his career to education and believed deeply in giving young people the encouragement, support and opportunities they needed to fulfil their potential.

That belief continues to guide the work of the David Brown Foundation today.

Supporting the Community Access scheme isn't simply about funding museum visits. It's about access, inclusion, curiosity and possibility.

It's about a child walking into Wonderlab, trying something for the first time and discovering that they enjoy it.

It's about a young person who has struggled within formal education finding another way to engage with learning.

And it's about ensuring that a family's financial circumstances, additional needs or background don't prevent their children from accessing experiences that could inspire them.

We are incredibly proud to award £2,000 to the National Railway Museum's Community Access scheme and to play our part in helping Wonderlab remain a fun, accessible place that widens horizons and opens up opportunities for all young people.

We look forward to seeing the impact of the programme throughout 2026/27 and sharing the difference our supporters' generosity continues to make.