Newsletter: August 2025
Welcome to the latest edition of the Royal Mint Museum Newsletter. A particular highlight for the team this month was welcoming the new Chair of the Board of Trustees to the Royal Mint Museum in Llantrisant. Read on to find out more.
Summer at the Royal Mint Museum: A Season of Planning, Creating, and Refreshing
While the school summer holidays bring a pause to the lively buzz of visiting school groups, they also give our Learning Team a golden opportunity to recharge and get ready for the new academic year. With outreach sessions and Virtual Visits on hold, August becomes our time to refresh, reorganise and let our creativity shine.
One of our big summer tasks is a full stocktake of workshop materials. With so many schools visiting during term time, it’s easy for things to get a little worn or go walkabout. So we’ve been busy replacing equipment, tidying up storage spaces and making sure everything is in tip-top shape for September.
This summer has also been an exciting time for new ideas. Our Education Manager and Museum Assistant have been hard at work developing a brand-new workshop for schools: Make Do and Spend: Money and the Mint in the Second World War. Aimed at pupils aged 7 to 11, this hands-on session explores what life was like for Royal Mint workers during wartime. Students will handle real historical coins to learn how to calculate pre-decimal money, dive into the world of rationing and test their budgeting skills in our immersive War Time Shopping activity.
Creating this workshop has been a real team effort – and a lot of fun. Our brilliant Museum Assistant even spent hours recreating wartime labels for tins of corned beef to help bring history to life.
Want to get involved?
If you’d like to book an in-person workshop at the Royal Mint Experience, you can do so here. And if you're based further afield, don’t worry – we also offer free virtual visits for schools, so you can explore the fascinating history of coins and coin production from wherever you are.
Coming Soon: Our Short Story Competition
Keep an eye out later in the autumn term for details of our next short story competition. It’ll be launching after Christmas, with entries open from spring half-term. This year’s theme is GOLD – think buried treasure, glittering coins and vaults filled with gold bars. You can register your interest here and we’ll send you all the details.
Calling All Teachers
We’re also turning our attention to the digital side of things by reviewing how teachers and students use our learning pages on the Museum website. Our goal? To make them even more useful and engaging.
We’d love your help in shaping the future of our online learning resources. If you're a teacher and would like to take part in our research – and receive a £50 voucher as a thank you – please fill out our short survey:
👉 Click here to take the survey
A Special Visit from Sir David Cannadine
We were delighted to welcome Sir David Cannadine, the new Chair of the Royal Mint Museum Board of Trustees, to our site in Llantrisant this August.
Sir David spent time with each member of our team, learning more about the unique roles we play in bringing the Museum to life. It was a real pleasure to share our work with him and his genuine interest and thoughtful questions made the day feel extra special.
During his visit, Sir David met with Anne Jessopp, Chief Executive of the Royal Mint and Amanda Brady, Director of People, before enjoying a whistle-stop tour of the exhibitions in the Royal Mint Experience.
The whole team thoroughly enjoyed the day and came away inspired by the depth of knowledge, enthusiasm and experience Sir David brings to the role. We’re excited about the future and grateful for his support as we continue to share the fascinating story of the Royal Mint.