The Centre for Computing History receives £1m funding boost
Cambridge,15 July 2019 – The Centre for Computing History (CCH) today announced it received a £1m funding boost, enabling the purchase of its Cambridge premises. The donation provides a permanent home for over 38,000 historically significant artefacts covering computers, software, games consoles and games, documentation, peripherals, books, brochures and more. The funding was donated by Mike Muller, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and one of the founders of Cambridge-headquartered technology leader, Arm.
"This incredible donation is transformative for us. Our vast collection now has a permanent home, providing long term security for the collection. It allows us to concentrate our efforts on developing what we can offer to visitors and students, such as our increasingly popular education programme,” said Jason Fitzpatrick, CEO, The Centre for Computing History.
"There is a fantastic team of staff and volunteers who make the museum something unique. We do it because we believe in it and we are deeply grateful to Mike for recognising our efforts and believing in the project along with us,” added Jason.
"I have been involved in the Centre for Computing History for years, and am consistently impressed by how imaginative and ambitious the team is in their mission is to tell the story of one of the world’s most important inventions - the computer,” said Mike. "I hope this investment will help the museum to continue on its trajectory and urge others in the industry to support it – the preservation of this history plays a key role in inspiring the next generation of tech talent.”
Through interactive displays and exhibitions,a schools programme, learning events and workshops and its vast collection,the Centre for Computing History helps people to understand how tech has shaped the modern world and revolutionised the way we live, work and play.In the last year the museum has had over 3,000 students visit and interact with the collection through computing history tours and microprocessor demonstrations using the record-breaking ‘MegaProcessor’.
CCH recently received accredited museum status from Arts Council England and was awarded a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant to preserve items and documentation relating to the story of the LEO computer.
But there is more to do ... In order to purchase the premises outright the museum has taken out a loan of £250,000 and are hopeful that other companies and individuals will join Mike in helping secure the future of the museum. If you or your company can help, please contact jason@computinghistory.org.uk or use one of the methods below ... we thank you.
Note to editors:
This donation builds on the over £2M Mike Muller has already donated to other charities including the funds to purchase 184 and 186 Gywdir Street Cambridge enabling the creation of the David Parr House.
About The Centre for Computing History
Established in 2006, the Centre for Computing History (CCH) is a pioneering educational charity that opened at its current site in Cambridge in August 2013. CCH was established as an educational charity to tell the story of the Information Age through exploring the historical, social and cultural impact of developments in personal computing. It maintains a long-term collection of objects to tell this story and exploits them through education and events programmes.
The growth and innovation of the computing revolution has been fast and furious. Having created our global society, whereby our thinking, means of communication and the way we organise our lives have been irreversibly transformed, it is now impossible to envisage a world without computers or the Internet.
There is now a generation growing up who know very little about how this has all come to pass. The Centre for Computing History tells this story.
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Date : 15-07-2019 |