Hundreds respond to plea to keep Grantham Museum open

More than 200 people have responded to an appeal to keep Grantham Museum open.

A charitable trust was formed to take over the museum after Lincolnshire County Council announced it would withdraw funding last June.

The bid was granted permission by the county council in December and over 200 volunteers have now offered their services to help run the museum.

The museum, in St Peter's Hill, will close in March and be reopened by the trust in July.

'Exciting time'

Alistair Hawken, from the new Grantham Museum Community Heritage Association, said: "It's a fantastic response.

"We couldn't have asked for any more. In Grantham people are so passionate about the museum and local heritage that they have come forward to keep the museum alive.

"It's an exciting time. We've got the opportunity to take the museum to a level it's never been before."

Among the attractions on show at the museum is a Baroness Thatcher display, which features a blue suit she wore and one of the original Spitting Image puppets depicting her.

The county council announced it was withdrawing funding for museums in Grantham, Stamford and Skegness as part of cost-saving measures.

An agreement has been reached for Church Farm Museum in Skegness to be taken over by the community, but a bid to keep Stamford Museum open was not seen as viable by the county council.