National Motorcycle Museum facing major funding shortfall

Museum Director James Hewing said he had been a motorbike enthusiast from the age of 12

The boss of the National Motorcycle Museum has spoken of the heartbreak of selling off some of the collection to stay afloat after the pandemic.

The site in Solihull hosts the largest collection of British motorcycles in the world and costs nearly £1m a year to run.

Its income dried up during the pandemic as it closed for more than a year.

Museum Director James Hewing said he feared for its future after missing out on coronavirus recovering funding.

"We had to sell nearly £3m worth of bikes just to keep going and come out of Covid-19 on the other side," Mr Hewing said.

"We could afford to do that and not affect the collection too much, however that is the last thing that any museum ever wants to do - it was absolutely heart-breaking.

"It's partly because we received no help."

The collection includes motorbikes produced by more than 170 British manufacturers

Mr Hewing said the museum was "overlooked" for a £750,000 grant from the culture recovery fund and had subsequently had to cut staff.

"It's heart-breaking not to be considered as culturally significant. I think it's very important that people realise what can be lost if things don't improve," he said.

The museum opened in 1984 and was the brainchild of William Roy Richards. Despite his death in 2008, his family have continued his legacy.

The attraction's display features a collection of motorbikes from more than 170 British manufacturers.