Relief at £800,000 cash boost for Derby Museums

Tony Butler, executive director of Derby Museums, said he was delighted its attractions have the new funding

Government funding of nearly £800,000 to Derby Museums is both a "relief" and a "boost".

The £20 million Museum Renewal Fund, announced on Wednesday, will be shared among 75 local and regional museums to "ensure they remain open".

Derby Museums, run by charity Derby Museums Trust, is responsible for the city's Museum of Making, Pickford's House and Derby Museum and Art Gallery.

Tony Butler, executive director of Derby Museums, said he was "relieved and delighted" by the funding.

The Museum of Making was devastated by flood water during Storm Babet

From the fund, Derby Museums receives £799,700; Derbyshire County Council Museums Service, £72,000; Sharpe's Pottery Heritage and Arts Trust, in Swadlincote; £42,019.

The money comes a year after museum bosses in Derby signed an open letter which called for emergency government funding for the nation's most "at-risk" museums.

Derby was among several cities named in a letter by the English Civic Museums Network (ECMN) that said museums faced a "perilous" financial position, which could mean the "imminent threat of the sale of collections or closure".

Mr Butler said: "I and a number of other directors round the country have been grappling with rising costs and years of reduction in public investment from local authorities and elsewhere, and this is a relief."

He added that the money would be spent on expenditure between August this year and January next year, and some would be set aside for audience development and marketing.

Baroness Fiona Twycross said museums offered a place where "people from all backgrounds could learn, be inspired and delve into our rich history"

After the funding announcement, museums minister Baroness Fiona Twycross said: "It ensures much-loved civic museums can remain open and 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."

According to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), the fund aims to strengthen the nationwide network of museums and ensure local communities have access to culture "for generations to come".

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

Sir Nicholas Serota, chairman of Arts Council England, said: "Travelling through cities, towns and villages across the UK, I have seen that museums and art galleries are often a proud focal point in communities, telling important stories about history, people and place.

"This funding will provide a crucial lifeline for local museums in stabilising their financial situation and building towards a sustainable future."