4 Reasons to Support the Golden Ticket Programme 💫

Give a Golden Gift This Christmas

The Golden Ticket programme supports and actively works with local primary schools who are most affected by deprivation and face the most barriers to extra-curricular and educational days out.

From the 2–9 December 2025, every donation made to the SS Great Britain Trust through the Big Give Christmas Challenge will be doubled. Your £10 becomes £20, and your £50 becomes £100. For more information on our Golden Ticket programme, click here.

Through our Golden Ticket Programme local primary school children can experience the wonder of Brunel’s SS Great Britain – with coach travel, workshop costs, and museum entry covered by the programme.

In 2024, the Trust received the Sandford Award for excellence in heritage learning, recognising the strength of our education work, including the Golden Ticket programme. The judges highlighted our “outstanding education service, which inspires pupils through hands-on, experiential learning — from designing and building to problem-solving and re-enacting.”

Their verdict: pupils leave refreshed, inspired, and amazed by both the innovation and dedication behind the ship’s restoration.

Here are four reasons why your gift truly matters this Christmas.

Every child also receives a Golden Ticket to return for free with their family, becoming the expert who guides their loved ones through Bristol’s history. For some pupils, particularly those who are asylum seekers or new to the UK, a Golden Ticket visit is their very first cultural experience. As one teacher shared: “Half our class are asylum seekers, they loved it. Without the Golden Ticket, they simply could not have gone.” Your generosity helps ensure that no child misses out, and that every community feels welcomed, represented and part of the city’s story.

2. Feeling Represented in History

Children encounter real engineers, sailors and inventors, discovering that innovation does not only happen elsewhere. It happens here in Bristol, and one day it could happen through them.

Our Education Workshops give children the space to imagine, design, build and problem solve. Beyond developing key skills, these creative experiences have a wider impact. Research shows that learning through arts and culture improves behaviour, boosts attainment and can even increase the likelihood that young people will volunteer and vote.

You may have heard the phrase “representation matters”. On board, our stories highlight role models from many backgrounds. When a child steps onto the SS Great Britain, they are not just learning history. They are seeing how they fit within it.

3. Accessibility to All

Every SEND school in Bristol is invited to take part. Our Education Team makes pre-visits to plan accessible, sensory-rich experiences. For schools unable to travel, we send Sensory Loan Boxes to bring the ship directly to their classroom.

One teacher told us: “You really made our pupils welcome, they rarely get days like this. The workshops were set up so everyone could take part, independently and joyfully.”

Unlike many heritage sites, the SS Great Britain offers a fully immersive and accessible experience, with ramps, lifts, and hands-on learning throughout. Every child deserves to be part of history, not just hear about it.

4. Inspiring the Next Generation

Isambard Kingdom Brunel once encouraged his engineers to “go and see the world.” The SS Great Britain carried people to new horizons, and today we want to keep that spirit of opportunity alive.

Your support allows us to continue offering this life-changing programme, helping children dream bigger, learn deeper, and carry Bristol’s pioneering spirit into the future.