Helping Hands is a project for children with disabilities which offers weekly sessions, holiday clubs and assisted visits to enable children to make the most out of their playful learning experiences at Eureka! Our aim is to inspire all children regardless of ability, and to ensure that we are offering the highest quality support for those with additional needs. We also want to attract ambassadors to the project who can help to shape the museum's services for children with disabilities.

With lead funding from the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, we have launched our Helping Hands programme which aims to reach out to isolated families with disabled children and provide a service to support their needs. For Eureka! to achieve this our staff require intensive and bespoke training to give them the specialist knowledge and skills to understand the complex and diverse needs of these visitors. Helping Hands will provide a reassuring and supportive environment for these families.

75% of the money raised will go towards providing essential training to our front of house team to deliver a high-quality, bespoke 'Extra Pair of Hands' service and our Saturday and holiday clubs for families. The remaining 25% will help subsidise the entry costs for these families visiting Eureka! Research shows that its costs three times as much to bring up a child with a disability or special needs, meaning a day out to a museum like Eureka! is often beyond the family budget.