Carlisle MP urges museums to bid for funding

MP for Carlisle John Stevenson is calling on local museums and galleries across Carlisle and Cumbria to bid for nearly £17million in new funding to improve their displays and collections.

This new funding from central government and the Arts Council will fund maintenance, improve infrastructure, and level up access to culture.

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This cash boost is designed to help museums to conduct maintenance work to improve their building infrastructure for the benefit of visitors, staff, and their collections.

The department for digital, culture, media and sport is contributing the extra funding for the second round of the museum estate and development fund.

Museums can have bidded for grants of between £50,000 and £5million.

31 museums across England were supported by the fund in its first round.

Funding awarded has helped to complete structural work, prevent flooding, and increase public access, so that more people can visit their collections and enjoy our national heritage.

Funding from the previous round supported museums across the country including Bletchley Park near Milton Keynes, as well as museums in Birmingham, Bristol, Leicester, and Norfolk.

Mr Stevenson said: "We have a rich national heritage showcased in our local museums, of which we can all be proud, and we must preserve them for future generations to enjoy.

"The Government’s extra £16.9million in funding from the museum estate and development fund will protect and widen access to the historic collections in our museums and galleries.

"I urge museums and cultural venues across Carlisle and Cumbria to apply.

"This Conservative Government is levelling up access to culture across the country – safeguarding the best of our local history so that wherever people live they can be proud of our shared heritage."

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