Dorset Museum has today launched a campaign to raise the remaining funds needed to finish its two-year £16 million redevelopment project. Supporters of the museum are being asked to give what they can to enable the team to tick the remaining items off their shopping list.
Since 2018, builders, architects, electricians, gallery designers, and curators have been hard at work bringing together the new Dorset Museum. The museum will include reimagined and inspirational new galleries which will collectively tell the story of 250 million years of Dorset’s history and display collections of National and International significance.
However, Covid-19 had a dramatic effect on progress over the last nine months with builders and staff following social distancing and lockdown rules. This has led to reopening being postponed until 2021, and has also meant that the costs to bring the new museum to life have increased.
We’ve launched our public appeal to ask the people of Dorset to donate whatever they can to help meet these additional costs and to furnish and fit out the new museum. A donation of £5, for example, could help purchase a cup and saucer for the new café, whilst a gift of £5,000 could secure a rack of shelving for the new library.
Dr Jon Murden, Director, said: “We’re hugely grateful to everyone who has got this very ambitious project to this critical stage, and are incredibly excited about sharing with you on reopening the transformed galleries and hidden treasures discovered through the project. We’ve launched this appeal today, putting this project back into public hands, to help us meet our goals in these critical final months. From a small gift of just £5 to an even bigger donation, we would appreciate any support you can give to help open the doors of what will be a fantastic cultural experience for those who live in or love Dorset.”
Amy Buzza-Blackwell, Head of Development, said: “The Tomorrow’s Museum for Dorset project has only reached its current position because of the hugely generous support of people in Dorset and beyond and we are so grateful for those who have already given. With your help today, we will be able to add the final finishing touches to the museum, and ensure that when we open in 2021 our treasures will be displayed to their best effect and visitors will have a wonderful experience.”
To find out more and to donate, please visit the website at dorsetcountymuseum.org/finishing-touches/
