Bamford & Norden October 2020

taking place on certain days. Throughout
the tour, visitors will be guided by a team of
‘scientists’ who have travelled back in time to
gather information about the past with the help
of the audience.
They will learn about the dinosaurs, what
Rochdale was like 240 million years ago and
about the environment today, so they can go
back to the future, having found the world’s
missing knowledge, to create a better planet for
everybody.
Darren Grice, Deputy Chief Executive of Link4Life,
the charity behind the cultural venue, said:
“We’re really excited to welcome the public
back to Touchstones Rochdale and the totally
re-imagined Dippy exhibition, which is now led by
time travelling scientists! Thanks to support from
the National Lottery Heritage Emergency Fund,
families can visit for free but to help us manage
numbers and keep everyone safe, tickets for the
Dippy exhibition need to be pre-booked online.”
Opening hours for meeting Dippy at Number One
Riverside are:
• Monday to Friday - 9am to 5pm
• Saturdays - 9.30am to 5pm
Opening hours for the Dippy Exhibition at
Touchstones Rochdale are:
• Monday- Saturday 9.30am-4.30pm
The Dippy shop, located at Number One Riverside,
is open from 10.30am to 4.30pm from Tuesday to
Friday and from 10.30am to 4pm on Saturdays.
Toilets and baby changing facilities are available
at both sites.
Freya Stannard, Head of National Programmes
at The Natural History Museum, said: “We are
thrilled that Dippy on Tour is now able to welcome
back visitors. We have worked with Rochdale
to implement new measures and extend the
exhibition to allow plenty of time for people to
visit when they feel confident in doing so.
“We look forward to Dippy doing what he does
best once again, inspiring people and encouraging
a love for the natural world that we hope people
will carry with them long after their visit.”
Customer services also reopened at Number One
Riverside on Monday 7th September, but there
will be limited access and customers will use
a separate entrance. The customer services
section of the ground floor has been separated
from the Dippy exhibition area to help keep
visitors and customers safe.
Libraries, including the one at Number One
Riverside, will remain closed for the time being
to reduce the risk of infection through handling
books and using public computers, but a
dedicated request and collect service has been
launched to enable people to order books and
pick up from selected libraries.
Philippa Charles, Director of the Garfield Weston
Foundation, said: “We are delighted that Dippy
is now able to resume his adventure in Rochdale
and get back to his mission to inspire people
to explore the nature on their doorstep. Dippy’s
purpose has never been more important and
we are so pleased that Number One Riverside is
enabling people to visit Dippy safely.”
For more information on visiting Dippy
in Rochdale and to book for the Dippy
exhibition at Touchstones, go to:
visitrochdale.com/dippy
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