The Ironbridge Gorge Museums, a world heritage site and Telford's most visited attraction, will shortly receive a further £1.14 million from the Cultural Recovery Fund to ensure it is financially supported.
The pandemic has had a major impact on our heritage sector, given the inevitable drop in footfall and visitors. The Museums were able to access the Cultural Recovery Fund, a Government scheme designed to support the cultural and heritage sector, simultaneously protecting jobs and our history.
The Museum Trust experienced severe flood damage in February 2020, followed by the enforced closure during its peak activity period due to Coronavirus. The Trust and its CEO, Nick Ralls, have been working hard to secure support and recover from these setbacks.
The Cultural Recovery Fund has provided a vital lifeline to the Museums and other cultural and heritage sites across the UK.
CEO of the Ironbridge Gorge Museums, Nick Ralls, said:
"I am very confident that with this assistance in place, the Museum will have every opportunity to thrive as lockdown measures are relaxed this spring. In preparation for a stronger and brighter future the Trustees have requested that a new 10-year Vision and Strategy be prepared for the Museum.
I am currently drafting this document and have undertaken workshops within the Trust and with external stakeholders to produce a new Trust road map that will focus on the continued renewal of the Museum re-establishing Ironbridge’s significance as the birthplace of the industrial revolution and the heart of the World Heritage Site."
Lucy Allan MP said:
"I am pleased that the Cultural Recovery Fund has supported the Ironbridge Museums throughout the pandemic, enabling the staff to look ahead to its full reopening.
As a regular visitor to the Museums, particularly Blists Hill Victorian Town, I am looking forward to returning as soon as I can."
Picture above: Lucy Allan MP and CEO Nick Ralls
