A huge congratulations to Middlesbrough Council's Museums service which won big at the North East Culture Awards last week.
The team helped bring Ancient Egyptian artefacts to Middlesbrough's Dorman Museum as part of a pioneering national scheme.
The British Museum in your Classroom project saw items from the British Museum loaned to local primary schools, St Joseph's RC Primary in Middlesbrough and Billingham South Primary.
Children requested an authentic Canopic jar, used to store organs as part of the mummification process, to enhance their learning.
Middlesbrough Mayor Chris Cooke met the museums team after their award win to pass on his congratulations.
He said: "The team have had a fantastic year, following up this pioneering project with massively successful exhibitions on the Titanic and Lego at the Dorman Museum.
"Having artefacts from Ancient Egypt in Middlesbrough was a major coup, cementing our town's reputation for culture while inspiring local schoolchildren to engage with history.
"It was great to catch up with the team to express my thanks for their hard work, and say well done in person."
The project's aim was to bring pieces of the national collection directly to communities that might not get the opportunity to experience them, using them as a tool to inspire and bring history to life.
Work from the schools was displayed alongside the artefacts at the Dorman Museum during a major exhibition, held from November, 2022 to February, and also featured a popular Ancient Egyptian play space that was designed using young people’s ideas.
It won the Best Arts and Education Partnership award at a ceremony this week, beating stiff competition from across the region.
Mima was also a winner on the night, winning the Heritage award for its exhibition People Powered: Stories from the River Tees.