AN arts consortium has come forward to save Rossendale Museum from closure.

The Whitaker Group, which includes members of Crawshawbooth’s See Gallery and Waterfoot’s Horse and Bamboo Theatre, will work jointly with the Friends of Rossendale Museum to run the site in Whitaker Park, Rawtenstall.

And it has announced the museum's doors will re-open from 1pm to 4.30pm on Saturday, although some items and exhibitions formerly on display have been removed by their owners.

Rossendale Council leader Alyson Barnes said she was ‘absolutely delighted’.

The museum has been closed since March 31 after a management agreement between Rossendale Council and Lancashire County Council expired.

Julian Williams, director of the See Gallery and one of the key partners in the Whitaker Group, said: “We are really pleased with the support we have been given from Rossendale Council and the Friends of Rossendale Museum to develop our ideas. The museum has great potential to be developed into a fantastic hub of activity for the community as a whole.”

The museum will initially only open on Saturdays and Sundays, with a view to extended opening in May. Geoffrey Atkinson, chair of the Friends of Rossendale Museum, said: “It’s great news that the museum will continue to open and we are working with the Whitaker Group to ensure that the museum continues to be a valuable family attraction.”

Bob Frith, joint artistic director at the Horse and Bamboo Theatre, said: “This is a very exciting opportunity for the Valley, and given that an alternative was total closure of the Museum, it is absolutely a move in the right direction. It will also be a positive step to develop the museum as an attraction for art and culture.”

Coun Barnes said: “There are potentially very exciting times ahead for the museum and I know the Whitaker Group will work hard to make it more of a visitor attraction.

“The business model will be sustainable, and it’s important we’ve got local people on board.”