Baroness Blackstone made her comments last week at the Hands On! Europe conference in Stratford, east London, organised by the Kids' Clubs Network. In an address to delegates from all over the world, she said, 'I believe that providing museums for the youngest members of the community makes an important contribution to their learning needs and encourages them to live together with a better understanding of themselves and the complex world around them.'
The new 'Discover' centre is being developed in an old Edwardian hotel in Stratford. It will provide interactive learning for children aged two to seven when it opens in late 2002.
The Kids' Clubs Network's 'Centres for curiosity and imagination project' began in 1999 to help and inspire people to set up children's museums.