The Framework Knitters Museum has been awarded £33,000 from Arts Council England’s Museum Resilience Fund. The funding, which starts in October 2016, will help the museum achieve its aim of redeveloping its existing site and expanding into the recently-acquired Gunn Cottage, which sits in between the museum and Chapel buildings.
Paul Baker, Museum Manager, comments: ‘Funding like this is imperative for an independent, charity-run museum such as ours. This money means that not only will we be able to continue to provide a fantastic experience for our visitors, but also continue to produce internationally-recognised projects.’
As the name suggests, the Museum Resilience Fund is designed to help museums become more sustainable and resilient as businesses. Through the Redevelopment & Expansion Project, the Framework Knitters Museum will be able to offer additional high quality exhibitions, better visitor facilities, a wider range of activities and events, improved access to family history research facilities – and more. As a result, more visitors can be accommodated, increasing income and helping the museum become more self-sufficient.
When the funding begins, there will be opportunities for local people to get involved in fundraising and other activities relating to the project. Training courses and workshops will be offered, so there’s also the chance to learn new skills and brush up on existing ones. If you’d like to help or find out more, please contact the museum on 0115 984 6914 or call in during office hours (Wednesday to Friday, 10:30am to 4:30pm).
Faye Stenson