Birmingham museums offer 15% off gifts for Museum Shop Sunday, including a new Joe Lycett range

Christmas shoppers looking for something a little different can pick up a gift and support Birmingham's museums at the same time, with 15% off at four museum shops on Museum Shop Sunday, 29 November.

Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum and the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter are all taking part in the annual global event, which encourages people to "shop with a purpose", the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce reported on 12 November. The discount applies both in store and online, and in-person shoppers will also find edible festive treats.

Gifts with a Birmingham story

Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery has a wide range of unusual products, many of them made locally and reflecting the city's past and present. They include Benny's Babbies, Pre-Raphaelite-inspired gifts and a new range from comedian Joe Lycett, linked to his exhibition Every Thing Must Go.

For curious minds, Thinktank stocks science and space-themed gifts, while the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter offers items celebrating creativity and craftsmanship, fitting for a museum set in a perfectly preserved jewellery workshop.

Every purchase helps

Museum Shop Sunday aims to help sustain museums and cultural venues that play an important role in their communities. More than 2,300 museum shops and cultural venues across 25 countries are taking part this year.

Adam Keegan, head of enterprise at Birmingham Museums Trust, said: "Our shops offer a wonderful way to take a little piece of your museum experience home with you, whether that's a gift inspired by our collections, something made by a local artist or a special treat for yourself."

"Museum Shop Sunday is a great opportunity to discover the creativity and stories behind the products we sell, while supporting Birmingham's museums," he said. "Every purchase helps support our work to care for the city's collections, share its stories and welcome people into our museums."

Why it matters

Birmingham Museums Trust is a charity, and like museums across the country it relies on income from shops, cafés, events and donations, as well as public funding, to look after the city's collections. Money spent in the museum shops goes back into caring for those collections and keeping the doors open.

Make a day of it

Museum Shop Sunday falls on the last weekend of November, as Birmingham's Christmas season gets into full swing, with the Frankfurt Christmas Market in the city centre. A visit to the galleries can easily be combined with present shopping, and for anyone who cannot make it in person, the online shop discount means the city's museums can still benefit.

The 15% discount is available on 29 November at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum and the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter, and through the Birmingham Museums online shop.