More cultural landmarks to receive a share of £7m of cultural funding

Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, Ironbridge Gorge Museum and the Museum of Cannock Chase are among a host of organisations to benefit from nearly £7m cultural funding for the West Midlands.

It comes from a national £48m fund to support cultural organisations and venues across the country through the government’s Cultural Investment Fund.

Five organisations in the West Midlands have received funding which is broken down into three streams: the Cultural Development Fund, the Museum Estate and Development Fund (MEND) and the Libraries Improvement Fund.

MEND helps fund museum and local authority infrastructure projects and urgent maintenance works beyond their day-to-day budgets.

Sara Wajid and Zak Mensah, co-CEOs of Birmingham Museums Trust, said: “We are passionate about caring for our collections and stories. Our buildings are as much a part of the experience as any object, and this fund will provide a much-welcomed opportunity to address some long-standing concerns at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, which will ultimately improve the visitor experience and safeguard the collection for generations to come.”

The Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust, which runs 10 museums and manages multiple historic sites within the Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site in Shropshire, has been given £1,064,348.

The funding will be used to pay for vital infrastructure and maintenance work at mock Victorian town Blists Hill, as well as additional repairs at its other venues.

The Museum of Cannock Chase, a community museum on a former colliery site that explores mining history, has been given £71,688 for maintenance works, accessibility equipment, flood protection and conservation work on its outdoor exhibits.

Lee Bellingham, Cannock Chase Museum service manager, said: “Securing funding from the MEND fund will have a huge impact on the Museum of Cannock Chase and enable us to make significant and far-reaching improvements to our site, safeguarding it for the future and vastly improving the experience of visitors, staff and volunteers, as well as making sure that we can provide the best possible care for our collections.”

The Libraries Improvement Fund aims to transform library services in England by helping them upgrade their buildings and digital infrastructure so they can respond to the changing ways people use them.

Sandwell Library and Information Service have been awarded £495,000, which is to pay for maintenance works and improvements to the service’s digital offering to its users including new tablets, self-serve kiosks and apps.

Worcestershire County Council has also been given £182,000 to pay for improvements including investing in conferencing and live streaming facilities.

In addition to the £120m investment already received by the West Midlands from the Culture Recovery Fund, 13 places last month were designated as Levelling Up For Culture Places which will be prioritised for funding from Arts Council England.

The Arts Minister, Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay said: “The West Midlands is home to a great number of much-loved cultural institutions and this funding will help more people to enjoy them, now and for many years to come.

“We want everyone to have the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of culture and the arts, whoever they are, and wherever they live. That’s why we’re so pleased to be making these awards today.”