Save Wedgwood Appeal: £700,000 raised in first two weeks

THE appeal launched to save the Wedgwood Museum collection has raised £700,000 in its first two weeks.

That amounts to a quarter of the money needed to keep the collection together.

The museum in Barlaston, near Stoke-on-Trent, went into administration in 2010 after the firm collapsed and its £134m pension debts were transferred to the museum trust.

This is in turn placed the future of the collection in doubt.

Wedgwood campaign logo

The world-famous collection includes art, pottery and writing and could be saved after administrator Begbies Traynor negotiated the sale of the collection to The Art Fund.

But only if the shortfall of £2.75m is raised in the next three months.

The Art Fund, which needs to raise the money by November 30, said 4,000 members of public had raised money over a fortnight.

It said that although it had “some way to go” to reach its target, the early signs were “hugely promising”.

Donations to the appeal can be made here.  

The Art Fund has said it planned to lease the collection to the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London, if its bid was successful.

The V&A would then loan it to WWRD, the firm that now manufactures and sells the Wedgwood brand, for display at the Wedgwood Museum.

The Save Wedgwood Appeal is being backed by TheBusinessDesk.com 

 

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