DELIGHTED LOCALS are celebrating after Saddleworth Museum received a grant of £1,000,046 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).
The museum, run as a registered charity, celebrated its 50th year in 2012 as an independent museum serving the local community.
The funding will go toward its ‘Into the Future’ project which aims put the museum on a sound footing for the next 50 years.
Roger Tanner MBE, President and founder of the museum, said: “We have been working towards this project for a long time.
“It will mark the start of another chapter in the history of the museum which has already served the local community for over 50 years.”
The project will see the refurbishment of the old mill building, which dates back to 1862, extensions to the front and to the side with new reception and retail areas.
A lift will be installed into the reception area to give full disabled access and there will be a major re-display of the exhibition galleries.
There will also be conservation work on collections, improvements to existing stores, continued digitisation and a focus on making collections more accessible to all ages.
An educational programme is included which aims to open up the museum’s collections and promote Saddleworth’s rich history to people from pre-school to retirement.
The project has been put together with consultants Headland Design and the architectural planning work has been done by OMI Architects.
The Friends of Saddleworth Museum, who have more 300 members, welcomed the news of the grant for the development.
A spokesperson said: “We have supported the museum by raising funds for more than 50 years and it is encouraging this grant will assist our aim to put the museum on a sound footing.
“We particularly welcome the emphasis on creating full disabled access, enhanced educational focus, promoting Saddleworth’s rich history to people of all ages and making the museum collections more accessible to all ages.
“The Friends are very mindful of the continued need to raise funds to assist in the day to day running costs of the museum.”
The museum also acts as a meeting place for various groups and has a large gallery area that hosts exhibitions by local, regional and national artists.
It also provides an unfunded visitor information service to help to support tourism and local businesses in the area.
The museum will close at the end of June 2015 for works and there will be a formal opening in May 2016.
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