South East museums to receive share of over £1.5m

Maidstone Museum will be receiving £75,000

Over £1.5m will be distributed across four museums in Kent and Sussex to ensure they remain open, the government has announced.

The Museum Renewal Fund, which is a total of £20m, will be shared among 75 local and regional museums in England with the aim of improving and protecting public access to collections, community and educational programmes.

It is part of the £270m Arts Everywhere Fund and the government's wider Plan For Change to support economic growth and increase opportunities nationwide.

Museums minister Baroness Fiona Twycross said the fund would ensure "much-loved civic museums can remain open and continue to provide opportunities for future generations to learn".

The museums in the South East receiving funding are:

• Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust - £533,084

• Royal Pavilion & Museums Trust - £881,848

• Bexhill Museum £43,118

• Maidstone Museum - £75,000

Among those receiving the highest grants nationwide are the York Museums Trust, which will receive £1m, and the Hampshire Cultural Trust, which is expected to get £1,177,430.

Sir Nicholas Serota, chairman of Arts Council England, said: "This funding will provide a crucial lifeline for local museums in stabilising their financial situation and building towards a sustainable future."

Additional reporting by PA Media.