A £20 million fund will be distributed across museums in England to ensure they remain open, the Government has announced.
The Museum Renewal Fund will be shared among 75 local and regional museums with the aim of improving and protecting public access to collections, community and educational programmes, opening hours and job opportunities for millions of visitors and local communities.
The grants also aim to strengthen the museums’ ability to attract tourists and employers to regions across the country, ensuring they remain fit for the future.
Birmingham Museums Trust, Barnsley Museums and Discover Bucks Museum are among the 75 to receive a grant, which could range from £11,000 to more than £1 million.
Among those receiving the highest grants are York Museums Trust, which will receive £1 million, and Hampshire Cultural Trust, which is expected to get £1,177,430.
Museums minister Baroness Fiona Twycross said: “Museums offer a place where people from all backgrounds can learn, be inspired and delve into our rich history, helping to understand the stories that led us to where we are today.
“The Museum Renewal Fund is contributing to the delivery of our plan for change.
“It ensures much-loved civic museums can remain open and continue to provide opportunities for future generations to learn about our shared heritage and how their local community has played its part in our national story.”
According to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s (DCMS), the fund aims to strengthen the nationwide network of museums and ensure that local communities have access to culture “for generations to come”.
It is part of the £270 million Arts Everywhere Fund and the Government’s wider Plan For Change to support economic growth and increase opportunities nationwide.
Sir Nicholas Serota, chairman of Arts Council England, said: “Travelling through cities, towns and villages across the UK, I have seen that museums and art galleries are often a proud focal point in communities, telling important stories about history, people and place.
“This funding will provide a crucial lifeline for local museums in stabilising their financial situation and building towards a sustainable future.”
Full list of recipients receiving a share of the fund: – London:
Headstone Manor & Museum – £419,420Fulham Palace – £571,033Gunnersbury Park Museum – £147,309Richmond Arts Service – £117,354Brent Museum and Archives – £121,851Haringey Council – £60,400
– West Midlands:
Culture Coventry – £384,390Museum of Royal Worcester CIO – £228,343Birmingham Museums Trust – £994,742Shropshire Council – £226,238Ford Green Hall Museum – £34,369Tamworth Borough Council – £139,120Warwickshire County Council – £37,690Museums Worcestershire – Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum – £239,922
– East Midlands:
Derby Museums – £799,700Derbyshire County Council Museums Service – £72,000Sharpe’s Pottery Heritage and Arts Trust – £42,019The Village Church Farm Museum – £14,085– North East:
Sunderland City Council – £102,280The Bowes Museum – £436,181Jarrow Hall – £38,669Middlesbrough Council Cultural Services – £239,551Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums – £438,300
– North West:
People’s History Museum – £652,157Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery – £598,775The World of Glass – £286,000Keswick Museum & Art Gallery Management Ltd – £217,103Manchester City Galleries – £74,184Bury Art Museum & Sculpture Centre – £67,600Lancaster City Museums – £40,500The Norton Priory Museum Trust – £52,000Lakeland Arts – £295,713
– South East:
Vale and Downland Museum – £53,190Windsor and Royal Borough Museum – £65,895Museum of Oxford, Oxford City Council – £227,952Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust – £533,084Bucks County Museum – £314, 000Wycombe Museum – £104,318Royal Pavilion & Museums Trust – £881,848The Banbury Museum Trust – £131,957Bexhill Museum £43,118Maidstone Museums – £75,000
– South West:
Exeter City Council – £114,202Wiltshire Museum – £11,077Bristol Museums – £495,320Weymouth Museum Trust – £43,725The Box (Plymouth City Council) – £184,215South West Heritage Trust – £503,131Bridport Museum Trust – £29,218Dean Heritage Centre – £58,285Trowbridge Town Council – £25,000BCP Council (Poole Museums) – £376,500Museum of Gloucester – £360,378Burton Art Gallery and Museum – £161,570King John’s House and Tudor Cottage Trust Ltd – £106,000Hampshire Cultural Trust – £1,177,430
– East of England:
Luton Cultural Services Trust – £530,528Norfolk Museums Service – £360,000Chelmsford City Council – £236,297Ware Museum CIO – £58,337Southend Museum Service – £39,794The Cromwell Museum – £240,300Peterborough City Council – £168,000Colchester Borough Council – £126,200The Food Museum Ltd – £351,112St Albans Museums – £85,000
– Yorkshire and the Humber:
Hull Culture and Leisure – £272,095Sheffield Museums Trust – £708,064Bradford Museums and Galleries – £125,000Wakefield Museums & Pontefract Castle – £82,807York Museums Trust – £1,000,000Leeds Museums and Galleries – £952,000Ilkley Manor House Trust – £16,782Barnsley Museum – £266,273Doncaster Heritage Services – £116,000
