Salisbury Museum is delighted to announce that it has been awarded £3.2million from the National Lottery Heritage Fund for our Past Forward: Salisbury Museum for Future Generations project.
This £4.4 million project is the culmination of our plans to redevelop the museum, delivering new permanent galleries, a flexible learning and events venue, along with new activities and the staff to run them. The project completes what we set out to do with the opening of the Wessex Gallery in 2014 – to create a high quality offer across the museum that will attract more visitors, introduce new income streams and provide increased opportunities for getting involved, thus building a stable platform for the future.
Thanks to money raised by National Lottery players, this funding will allow the capital work to take place over the next two years. Alongside this the museum is grateful to the many individuals, trusts and foundations who have contributed towards the £1.2 million needed in match funding. This includes the Devenish Bradshaw family, Garfield Weston Foundation and the Charles Hayward Foundation.
There is still an outstanding fundraising target of £500,000 but the museum has already successfully raised sufficient funds for the project to proceed whilst we continue to fundraise for the remaining amount. Wiltshire Council have also generously agreed to lend the shortfall should we need it to meet our target.
Adrian Green, Director of Salisbury Museum said: ‘ ‘This is incredible news from the National Lottery Heritage Fund – not just for the museum, but for Salisbury. Culture and heritage have a significant role to play in rebuilding the strength, confidence, vibrancy and profile of the city after the twin shocks of Novichok and COVID-19. By 2024 we will not only have an outstanding museum that will appeal to Salisbury’s visitors, but we will be working in new ways with the local community to ensure we truly reflect the wide-ranging history of our city’.
Jon Turner, Chair of Trustees for the Museum said: ‘We are over-the-moon with this fantastic news. Our hard-working, multi-talented team has worked so hard to secure this funding with a submission that shows an incredible vision for the future of Salisbury Museum, supported by a strong, far-reaching business plan. The Board would like to thank everyone who has helped us in achieving this brilliant success.’ The museum is hugely grateful to the National Lottery Heritage Fund Board and National Lottery players for their support.
Stuart McLeod, Director London & South at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: ‘We are delighted to support Salisbury Museum and help them to deliver major cultural and economic impact to the city and surrounding region. Investing in projects that engage local communities is a key priority for us and, thanks to money raised by National Lottery players, a wider range of people will be able to enjoy these internationally important collections, while benefitting from an ambitious and exciting programme of events and activities.’
