East Lancashire museums to share 33.6 million to attract young visitors (From Lancashire Telegraph)

East Lancashire museums to share 33.6 million to attract young visitors

11:31am Monday 10th September 2012 in News By Peter Magill, Chief reporter

MUSEUMS across East Lancashire are set to share £3.6million to bring more young visitors into some of our most popular and historic venues.

Stronger partnerships with schools will be forged through the Pennine Lancashire Museums Consortium bid to the Arts Council.

Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery, Helmshore Mills Textile Museum, Gawthorpe Hall, Haworth Art Gallery, Queen Street Mill, Rossendale Museum and Art Gallery, Towneley Hall and Turton Tower, all feature in the partnership.

Museum officials in East Lancs will also be teaming up with the Sir John Soanes Museum, dedicated to the leading Victorian architect, in the London borough of Camden, to share ideas.

Steve Irwin, Blackburn Museum education officer, said: “We have a range of museums across Pennine Lancashire, housing a variety of collections, many of which are of national and international importance.

“This funding will enable us to work together and by sharing services we will be able to reach more of the region’s schools and children.”

Arts Council regional partner Curious Minds, based in Burnley, is helping to co-ordinate the work, which will be carried out over a three-year period.

One of the reasons the partnership has been selected is because there is a below-average take-up of arts and cultural services among young people.

Jane Beardsworth, Arts Council regional director, added: “The Museums and Schools Programme is a great opportunity to improve the offer of the museums in East Lancashire for children and young people.

“It also illustrates the Arts Council’s commitment to ensuring that they have access to and can experience the richness of arts and culture.”