Virtual tour launched at Pioneers Museum in response to pandemic

‘Renting the film helps our charity to reach a worldwide audience to spread the message of co-operation’

Rochdale Pioneers Museum has created a virtual tour to allow people from around the world to view the site during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

A statement from the museum said: “With increased demand for digital services in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, we understood that some groups would find it harder to visit in person.

“Ours is a shared global heritage and we wanted to find a way to make it more accessible to international co-operators just as many are recovering and committing once again to deepening their co-operative identities for the future.” 

The virtual tour follows a narrator, Payal, on a journey from Toad Lane in Rochdale to the neighbouring city of Manchester. She walks in the footsteps of the Pioneers to understand how they started their venture in a time of crisis and find out why their values and principles are still so important to co-ops today.

The film can be rented and download the film with English subtitles from https://vimeo.com/ondemand/virtualpioneers2021; the price is £20.31 with a 48-hour streaming period.

This can be followed up with a live Q and A, by emailing the museum at [email protected] to find out.

The museum added: “Renting the film helps our charity to reach a worldwide audience to spread the message of co-operation for young people as well as supporting the work we do with international members and communities in the UK.”

A discount is available to smaller community co-ops in developing nations on request.