BLIND and partially-sighted visitors can now get their hands on sundials, animal skins and even a narwhal tusk at Oxford's museums.

A new range of Sensing Culture Touch Tours, held monthly, are part of a drive by Oxford University Museums to offer a richer experience for the visually-impaired.

Nicola Pamphilon, a stay-at-home mum with limited sight, travelled from Tackley to join one of the first of the new touching tours this month.

The 43-year-old said: "It was a brilliant experience and I’ll definitely be going back – I already have all the dates in my diary."

The new tours offer visitors with sight problems the opportunity to experience the museum exhibits through sound, smell and touch.

Groups can handle objects, smell items and listen to immersive audio descriptions.

Mrs Pamphilon, who runs a social group for visually impaired people in Oxfordshire, said: "I get really frustrated when I go to a museum and there’s no way to experience it.

"I appreciate some things have to be kept behind glass, but there’s lots of ways to make the collection accessible – you can offer replica objects and audio descriptions.

"Having things you can touch and feel just opens up a whole new world."

Staff and volunteers have been trained to offer the sensory experiences at the University Museum of Natural History, the Pitt Rivers and the Museum of the History of Science.

The scheme follows on from an existing project run by the Ashmolean Museum to offer "hands-on" tours for the visually impaired.

Susan Griffiths, community engagement officer at Oxford University Museums, said: "We want to make sure that the experience is as sensory as possible for people who might not otherwise come to the museums because of barriers to accessibility.

"We helped visitors on a recent tour to learn about historical drug jars and medical containers by providing cloves, roses and other old fashioned remedies that these jars would have contained. Having the smells really brings it to life."

Caroline Cheeseman, who runs the volunteer support service at Oxford University Museums, said: "We’ve spent a lot of time going round each museum and practicing our skills. Of course, the museums are all so different and there are different challenges in each space.

"We've had to learn how it can work and how people move around the spaces in order to provide the right opportunities for visitors to learn and engage."

The new initiative has already been welcomed members of Oxford’s visually-impaired community.

Mrs Pamphilon revealed: "It’s important to get the word out about these opportunities. Lots of people aren’t aware of what’s out there, but it’s so worthwhile.

"It’s great to see these things being done because it does make a real difference."

Sensing Culture is part of a wider partnership between the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) and several museums in the South East.

To find out more about attending one of the monthly tours contact outreach@museums.ox.ac.uk