St Neots Museum awarded £15,000 Covid crisis funding
Liz Davies, curator at the St Neots Museum - Credit: Archant
A £15,000 boost has been given to St Neots Museum so that it can stay in touch with its visitors during the coronavirus lockdown.
The money has come from Arts Council England as part of its emergency response fund to support the arts and museums which have been hit by the Covid-19 crisis.
The museum has been awarded £14,845 to develop ne digital ways to connect to the local community while its doors are closed to the public.
Lesley Sainsbury, the museum’s learning officer, said: “Having the museum closed has been a challenge so we are really pleased to have been given funding and are working hard to get great local history content on our website www.stneotsmuseum.org.uk and social media for local people to enjoy.
“This has only been made possible thanks to public funding from the National Lottery through Arts Council England.”
Museum staff have been busy making films for their website aimed at toddlers, primary school children and adults interested in local history.
There are already 13 films telling the fascinating history of local people like James Toller, the Eynesbury Giant, and a selection of Victorian criminals.
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New articles and exhibitions are also available online, the latest of which shows the work of St Neots artist Richard Walker.
The funding will also support the museum’s social media and marketing to let people know how it is taking is collection and knowledge out into the community during lockdown.
As a result of the coronavirus lockdown the Arts Council has developed a £160 million emergency response package, with nearly 90 per cent of the money coming from the National Lottery, to help organisations and individuals who need support.
Arts Council England, the national development agency for creativity and culture, expects to invest £1.45 billion of public money from the government, and estimated £860 from the National Lottery, between 2018 and 2022 to deliver a climate in which creativity is valued and given the chance to flourish, with a target date of 2030 in place.
The initiative also proposes that everyone should have access to a range of high quality cultural experiences.
