Museums get share of £20m to help remain open

Bursledon Windmill is one of 23 sites run by Hampshire Cultural Trust

Museums in the south of England will receive a share of £20m worth of government funding to help ensure they remain open.

The Museum Renewal Fund will be spread across 75 museums in the UK with the aim of protecting public access to collections, as well as offer more job opportunities.

Hampshire Cultural Trust will receive more than a million pounds.

Others to benefit include Weymouth Museum Trust, The Museum of Oxford, Banbury Museum, Poole Museum and the Windsor and Royal Borough Museum.

Museums minister Baroness Fiona Twycross said the support will mean "much-loved civic museums" can remain open.

"It ensures museums can continue to provide opportunities for future generations to learn about our shared heritage and how their local community has played its part in our national story," she added.

The full list of museums benefitting in the South include:

• Windsor and Royal Borough Museum - £65,895

• Vale and Downland Museum - £53,190

• Museum of Oxford, Oxford City Council - £227,952

• The Banbury Museum Trust - £131,957

• Weymouth Museum Trust - £43,725

• Bridport Museum Trust - £29,218

• BCP Council (Poole Museums) - £376,500

• Hampshire Cultural Trust - £1,177,430

According to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport's (DCMS), the fund will also help ensure that local communities have access to culture "for generations to come".

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."