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Both Corus and the steelworkers' union, Community, is supporting the £33 million attraction by sponsoring the Museum's Learning Zone.

This dedicated flexible learning space can be enjoyed by everyone from toddlers to pensioners for formal education and informal fun activities.

The Museum, one of Amgueddfa Cymru — National Museum Wales's family of museums across Wales, tells the story of industry and innovation in Wales over the past three hundred years. It opened last October and has already attracted more than 120,000 visitors.

The Museum's Learning Manager Rosalyn Gee said: 'The Learning Zone plays a key role by providing a facility for people of all ages and can be used for anything from theatre to story telling, discussions to art workshops and much more.'

To celebrate the learning facility that both Corus and Community have helped create, Welsh Assembly Government Minister for Education and Life Long Learning, Jane Davidson, will visit the National Waterfront Museum on Monday June 12 at 12noon.

There will also be an opportunity for children from Llanmartin Primary School, Newport to chat to past and present Corus workers, some who feature on film at the Museum, to find out how working life has changed.

Speaking prior to the event, Jane Davidson said:

'This new learning zone offers an excellent opportunity to bring the Museum to life not only to children and young people but also to adults. I am confident that it will be a valuable resource for the local community and beyond and urge everyone to come along and take part in the activities already planned.'

Keith Farron, Corus spokesman said the company was delighted to be involved with such an innovative educational project.

'Swansea Docks was once essential to the growth of steelmaking in the region, providing the means of transport by which we were able to export to the rest of the world. The Learning Zone will allow visitors to discover how Swansea was a vital cog in keeping the wheels of Welsh industry turning' he added.

Steve McCool, Community's Regional Secretary for south Wales said the Learning Zone would play a vital role in helping future generations.

'The Learning Zone will help current and future generations understand the role that the steel, coal and other industries played in shaping Wales as we know it today and, certainly in the case of steel, will have a vital role to play in shaping it for the future.'

Amgueddfa Cymru — National Museum Wales operates seven national museums across Wales. These are: National Museum Cardiff, St Fagans: National History Museum, National Roman Legion Museum, Caerleon, Big Pit: National Coal Museum, Blaenafon, National Wool Museum, Dre-fach Felindre, National Slate Museum, Llanberis and the National Waterfront Museum, Swansea.

Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales celebrates its centenary in 2007. For more details visit our .

Entry to all the museums is free, thanks to the support of the Welsh Assembly Government.

Notes to Editors:

The NationalWaterfront Museum cost £33.5m, with funding from the largest Heritage Lottery Fund award to Wales (£11.5m), EU, WAG, the former WTB and WDA, City & County of Swansea and National Museum Wales. The museum occupies a former dockside warehouse of c.1902 and a new wing designed by Stirling Prize winning architects Wilkinson Eyre. To date the Museum has been long-listed for the Gulbenkian Museum of the Year Award and won a Civic Trust award.

For more information contact:

Fay Harris, Press and Marketing Officer on (01792) 638970
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