Medieval Gallery at Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery
Shropshire Council’s Museum and Archive Service has been awarded a £226,238 grant from Arts Council England’s Museum Renewal and Renewal Top Up Fund.
The grant offers critical support that will help the Shropshire Museum and Archive Service to continue its outstanding work, helping the service to sustain engagement with local communities, and protect Shropshire’s rich cultural heritage despite ongoing uncertainties.
Fay Bailey, Shropshire Council’s culture and heritage development manager, said:
“Museums across the UK continue to face a range of long-term challenges that pose serious risks to their sustainability. This funding will help to maintain levels of employment in 2025/26 thereby preventing any reduction in programming and opening days at Shropshire Museums & Archives. The generous grant from DCMS will also enable the development of income generating areas of the service like the museum café and shop.
“We are very grateful to DCMS and Arts Council England and to the English Civic Museums Network who have successfully lobbied on behalf of all regional museums to help us gain this vital support.”
This funding comes at a critical juncture, as local authority museums across the country are grappling with severe financial strain and uncertainty.
James Owen, Cabinet member for housing and leisure, said:
“We are immensely proud of our teams. This grant from Arts Council England recognises the vital role our museums and archives play in Shropshire’s identity during these challenging times. It will help us to continue our work of research, heritage management and community engagement.”
Arts Council England’s Museum Renewal Fund was specifically established to provide urgent assistance to local authority museums, recognising the unprecedented and long-term challenges that threaten their survival. As the sector faces mounting pressure, this emergency funding is essential for safeguarding jobs, maintaining opening hours and programming, as well as enabling museums to find new ways to generate income.
