The National Emergency Services Museum in Sheffield received a visit from Dr Alan Billings, South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner on Wednesday, 19 August.

During the visit Dr Billings handed over a cheque for £3,400 to the museum’s educational coordinator Clara Taylor after the museum was awarded the funding to help with their outreach work in schools across South Yorkshire.

Dr Billings said: “It was a very informative visit to the National Emergency Services Museum today. It is interesting to hear of the planned work they intend to do in South Yorkshire to reach young people in communities that would not normally get the opportunity to visit the museum.

“I wish them all the very best of luck with the project and look forward to seeing how this £3,400 contributes to helping young people across South Yorkshire.”

The National Emergency Services Museum (NESM) teaches not just the heritage of the Emergency Services but promotes the learning of vital life safety skills through hands-on learning.

Clara Taylor said: “Thank you to Dr Billings for his visit and the grant funding. Being awarded this grant will enable the museum to provide the ‘NESM ON TOUR!’ project to re-commission and preserve YN57 FDF: a Ford Transit long wheel base public order vehicle (riot van) retired from services from South Yorkshire Police in 2014.

“The museum wants to do more than just preserve the vehicle. ‘NESM ON TOUR!’ will transform the van into a fully mobile education unit allowing the NESM-LEARNING team to reach schools and areas of the community that are unable to visit the museum.

“Now thanks to the support from the South Yorkshire Police Crime Commissioner and visitors to the museum who have donated to our fundraising campaign we are a long way towards raising the £5,000 needed to fund phase one of the project.”

National Emergency Services Museum is the world’s only joint Emergency Services Museum showing an insight to the history and work of all Emergency Services. It is housed in one of Yorkshire’s first purpose built combined Police, Fire and Ambulance Stations dating back to the year 1900. NESM receives no regular funding and is reliant on donations in order to continue its work.

For more information on the National Emergency Services Museum see their website www.emergencymuseum.org.uk