This application is to buy some models of extinct animals to use in outreach events and for displays in the new Cafe Trilobite situated adjacent to the Cole Museum in the new HLS Building. The Cafe will house several cases, one of which is the ichthyosaur case supported by the Friends back in 2003. There will also be a 3 m case containing fossils, a large case for temporary exhibits and a flat bed case containing fossil footprints.

Case 14 contains fossils and gives an overview of animal evolution from 600 – 65 million years ago. We have some fantastic fossils, but sometimes it is difficult for non-experts to visualise what the animal would have looked like. Models bring these animals back to life and will provide added interest to the case most visible to the public (since it is in the cafe). Once covid restrictions have eased we are planning a programme of outreach events, one of which will be related to our fossil collection and extinct animals. These events will be jointly run with our undergraduate student volunteers who are given a fantastic opportunity for extra-curricular engagement with the museum and additional training. A significant number of our ex-volunteers have gone on to careers in natural history museums.

We have already purchased a couple of small models from https://www.paleozoo.com.au/ and would like to have the full set. This costs $AU 1342 which is currently £738. I am therefore asking for up to £750 to cover the cost of purchasing an additional 15 small models.