Dorset Museum gets £250k to help secure long-term future

Dorset Museum and Art Gallery reopened in 2021 after a major construction project

A museum that relaunched during the pandemic after a £16.4m transformation has been awarded £250,000 to help secure its long-term future.

Dorset Museum and Art Gallery reopened in 2021 after a construction project lasting more than two years.

It said costs had increased as a result of the pandemic, cost of living crisis, Brexit and the war in Ukraine.

National Lottery Heritage Fund cash will fund work to help increase footfall and diversify its income.

Executive director Claire Dixon said the funding had come at a "critical time".

She said: "After significant investment in the transformation, we reopened in a climate of the Covid-19 pandemic, cost of living crisis, Brexit and the war in Ukraine - all of which have had a significant impact on our ability to drive visitor growth.

"Faced with significantly higher running costs, this support will enable us to focus on a small number of key areas to increase footfall, diversify income and ensure we are in the best possible position to survive long term."

Key areas of investment include marketing, the diversification of the museum's retail business, staff training and the development of a new organisational strategy.

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