Local MP Welcomes Culture Secretary To Swindon's Museum Of Computing

North Swindon MP Justin Tomlinson joined volunteers in welcoming Matt Hancock MP, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, to a special visit of Swindon’s Museum of Computing.

The Secretary of State previously served as the Minister for Digital & Creative where he had responsibility for broadband, broadcasting, creative industries, cyber and the tech industry. His family also ran a computer software company when he was younger, so the museum brought back fond memories.

The Museum, which is located in Theatre Square, exists to collect, document, safeguard, interpret & make accessible artefacts, and to provide a record of all aspects of the history of computing. They also run a computer club and put on educational & interactive classes for school groups.

Justin, who has been a keen supporter of the museum and its educational programmes, was keen for the Secretary of State to see the first museum in the UK devoted to the history of computing & digital development. He was also keen to highlight the hard work of the Museum’s volunteers to the Secretary of State, who is also responsible for the Office for Civil Society which looks after charities & volunteers.

Mr. Hancock thoroughly enjoyed his tour of the museum and taking a look at exhibits including ‘Calculators: From the Abacus to the Microchip’ and ‘Gaming on the Go – a 35 year history of the handheld games console.’ He also praised the volunteers, and thanked Chairman of the Museum Jeremy Holt and curator Simon Webb for their passion & dedication in providing such a fantastic venue which Swindon can be proud of.

Justin Tomlinson MP said: “Having visited the museum a number of times over the years, I was thrilled to invite the Secretary of State along to see the displays and meet the wonderful team behind it. Here in Swindon, we have a lot of businesses of all sizes working in computing, gaming and digital tech; so it is fantastic to have such a wonderful museum in dedication to the history of this area. Most of all, the Museum represents all that is wonderful about the voluntary sector by demonstrating that the hard work and passion of a few, can lead to enjoyment, entertainment and learning for a big number of us across Swindon. We are rightly very proud of our Museum of Computing – the very first of its kind in the UK."

Museum Curator Simon Webb said: “We were flattered and honoured for the Minister to pay us a visit in view of all the constraints on his time. I feel the interest that the Minister has shown is a testament to the wonderful work of the museum volunteers."