Simon Overington-Hickford

Simon Overington-Hickford is the Project Coordinator and Evaluation Officer for Tees Valley Museums. A National Portfolio Organisation supporting six museums and an art gallery, across five local authorities. Simon has supported this project from its conception and will share its impact on our museums.

Simon’s background includes work with theatres, public libraries, funders and heritage sites.

Simon Overington-Hickford will be speaking at the Museums & Public Programs Summit 2026 :

Welcome to the Wonder Room: How we’re making Tees Valley Museums more playful.

The Wonder Room is an immersive playscape, co-designed with children.
Inspired by the heritage and collections of the Tees Valley, artists engaged children with activities to help shape the design of the installation, tailoring it to early childhood play.

Now on tour across the region, learn how we’ve embedded this into our programming, providing a sensory-rich experience that promotes play and attracts new audiences.

The Wonder Room is a collaboration between Theatre Hullabaloo and Tees Valley Museums Group funded by a Reimagine Grant from the Art Fund, Borderlands Creative People and Place, Arts Council England and Tees Valley Combined Authority.