The UK government has announced a new £4 million Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund to enhance accessibility. We hope these improvements will include Auracast.
It is the latest round of funding from an ongoing partnership between the DCMS (Department for Culture, Media and Sport) and the Wolfson Foundation. Over the past 24 years, it has funded more than 440 projects to help more people engage with arts and culture.
The independent grant-making charity was founded in 1955, and with a focus on research and education. Its aim is to contribute to civil society by supporting high-quality projects in science, health, heritage, humanities and the arts: so far it has awarded some £1 billion (£2 billion in real terms) to more than 14,000 projects.
A total of 24 museums across the country will receive a share of the funding with a focus on accessibility, and we hope that Auracast installations will form part of this, especially as the technology can be utilised for both self-led and organised tours.
Projects include The Black Country Living Museum, which will receive £272,000 to revive the Museum’s historic but currently inactive electric trolleybuses and extend the route into the local 1940s-60s High Street.
Kirkleatham Museum will receive £272,000 to reimagine its galleries around three themes – People and Place, Industry and Innovation, and Heritage and Discovery, with modern, accessible and inspiring displays that reflect the heritage of Redcar and Cleveland.
And £103,000 has been awarded to the Museum of Barnstable and North Devon to create a new gallery which will showcase some of the finest silver spoons from the 16th and 17th centuries.
Alison Mills, Director of the Museum of Barnstaple and North Devon, said: “We are delighted to receive this funding boost from the DCMS and the Wolfson Foundation. A community of silversmiths grew up in the town, and we will now be able to showcase their work alongside some of the most beautiful silver we have in our collection.”
On Thursday, 9 April, the Museums Minister Baroness Twycross and Paul Ramsbottom, Chief Executive of the Wolfson Foundation, visited Norwich Castle to launch the schemes. The castle has been awarded £228,900 to upgrade the gallery infrastructure, remodel and update display cases and reinterpret collections, improving the visitor experience.
Baroness Twycross said: “We want to ensure that everyone, everywhere can experience arts and culture in the area they call home, and this fund plays a key role in making that possible.
“The DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund demonstrates how public funding and private philanthropy can work together to open up access to museums and galleries for those who might otherwise face barriers, and help more people enjoy the UK’s world-class collections.”
This was echoed by Mr Ramsbottom, who said that museums are among the great treasures of British cultural life, preserving collections and stories that chart our heritage.
“This latest round of funding from the long-standing DCMS/Wolfson partnership allows museums – and particularly regional museums – to upgrade their facilities and improve access to their collections, so more of us can enjoy the fascinating wonders on our doorstep.”
Which museums have received the funding?
North West
- Platt Hall (Manchester City Galleries) – £38,700
- Manchester Museum – £200,000 to create new, state-of-the art facilities that are more accessible and bespoke naturalistic environments for the animals it cares for
North East
- Segedunum Roman Fort – £213,100
- Seven Stories, National Centre for Children’s Books – £316,200
- Museum of Hartlepool – £218,400
- Kirkleatham Museum – £272,000
South East
- Reading Museum – £80,000
- Weald and Downland Living Museum – £227,000
- Booth Museum of Natural History – £139,900
- Pitt Rivers Museum – £55,000
South West
- SS Great Britain – £46,300
- Museum of Barnstaple and North Devon – £103,000 for a new silver gallery
- Bristol Museum and Art Gallery – £317,100
- The Burton at Bideford – £86,500
West Midlands
- Barber Institute of Fine Arts – £150,000
- British Motor Museum – £147,700
- Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery – £183,100
- Black Country Living Museum – £272,000
East Midlands
- National Tramway Museum – £210,600
East of England
- Food Museum – £357,600
- Norwich Castle – £228,900 to tell the story of Boudica and her rebellion
London
- Garden Museum – £75,000
Yorkshire and the Humber
- Thackray Museum of Medicine – £39,900
- Hepworth Wakefield – £22,000
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