Winchester MP, Steve Brine, spoke at a parliamentary debate in support of Winchester Science Centre and Planetarium.
The debate addressed the importance of science and discovery centres in supporting education and broadening access to future careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects.
Unlike zoos and museums, Winchester Science Centre, a non-funded educational charity, has not been eligible for financial grants since the pandemic started. Despite this, and having no visitors through its doors for the vast majority of the last 12 months, the team has continued to promote STEM through new initiatives, such as Science@Home challenges and activity packs.
During the debate, on Wednesday 24th March, Mr Brine said: “Winchester Science Centre has been excluded from applying for additional government support, namely the Culture Recovery Fund… when other organisations doing similar activities in the local area have received large grants. It has created a very uneven playing field.
“The country benefits... because of their obvious support for education in science and careers in the STEM subjects. And boy have the last 12 months shown how we need them.”