Community group will talk to councils about museum funding
Paul Coates
A group formed to save the Curtis Museum in Alton is entering talks with East Hampshire District Council and Alton Town Council aimed at securing a year’s financial breathing space.
Looming grant cuts facing the Hampshire Cultural Trust could force the museum’s closure next April unless alternative sources of funding are found.
Paul Sapwell - chief executive of the trust, which runs the museum - said: “Our position is that we do not want to close any of the venues we operate, but faced with substantially reduced local authority funding, we have had to consider some difficult options.
“We are in active conversations with potential partners and funders, including town and district councils, to find solutions that enable the longer-term operation of the Curtis Museum, and hope to be able to secure the support the museum needs to continue to open its doors.”
Now a group comprising residents, local organisations and councillors has come together with the objective of retaining the museum.
Called the Curtis Museum Community Partnership, it is initially seeking funds to keep the museum open for another year.
The aim is to use that time to link up with the trust and then jointly consult residents about how the museum should evolve for the future.
A spokesperson for the partnership said: “The intention would be to work with the Hampshire Cultural Trust to make the museum an even more interesting and attractive place to visit for all generations, without losing what already makes it a special place.
“Grant funding will then be jointly sought during this extra year to implement whatever is agreed during this consultation. The Curtis Museum Community Partnership believes that the museum has a bright future, but only if we can keep it open.
“The Curtis Museum Community Partnership is about to go into discussions with East Hampshire District Council and Alton Town Council, seeking this extra year’s funding.
“We are getting great support from local councillors and officers from both of these councils, but to be successful we need to be able to demonstrate the strength of feeling in Alton and the surrounding area about keeping the museum open.”
An East Hampshire District Council spokesperson said: “East Hampshire District Council is always willing to support local cultural heritage and has been working with the Curtis Museum and the Curtis Museum Community Partnership to support the organisation by exploring possible grant funding sources.”
The Curtis Museum, the oldest in Hampshire, opened in 1856 and moved to its present building in the High Street in 1880. Its array of local artefacts includes the Alton Buckle, believed to have been created around 600 AD.
A Save Alton’s Museum online petition, at www.openpetition.org, has so far attracted 541 signatures. A Facebook page, Save Alton's Museum, has been opened. Messages of support can be emailed to savealtonsmuseum@mail.com