00:00Sunderland City Council has secured £5.2 million in funding from the National Lottery
00:05Heritage Fund to revitalise the city's beloved Museum and Winter Gardens here,
00:10marking an exciting new chapter in its history. Speaking about the project, Councillor Beth Jones,
00:16Cabinet Member for Communities, Culture and Tourism, shed her enthusiasm for the Museum's
00:21future and the opportunities this transformation will bring to the local people. So we're absolutely
00:26delighted to receive £5.2 million from the National Lottery Heritage Funds so this will
00:34contribute to overall £13.1 million that is going into the redevelopments of the Museum. So the Museum
00:41itself, it's been in the city since 1879 and it was one of the first civic buildings outside of London
00:47so it really has a place on the Sunderland map and has been part of people's lives for decades if not
00:54centuries now. So the Museum itself, it does have something to offer for everybody, be that
01:00artwork, heritage, maritime, science, engineering, it really is a great offer but it is time to be
01:08modernised and brought up to modern day standards. Shaped by the views of local residents and visitors,
01:14the ambitious plans include relocating the Museum's main entrance into the award-winning Melbury Park,
01:20enhancing the connection between the Museum and its surrounding green space. The redevelopment will
01:26also introduce brand new exhibition galleries and refreshed displays offering visitors a richer and
01:33more engaging experience. So for the well the Museum itself it will close in in 2026 for a period of
01:41renovation but we will have a range of activities scheduled across the whole city to get communities active
01:48and involved in in the arts and the cultures but when the city when the Museum is reborn and we
01:54expect to see it transformed there will be new offers there'll be new exhibitions on display so it
02:00really really is an exciting time. So we know that the Museum itself brings in hundreds of thousands of
02:06visitors every year be that local people who were just returning we also know people travel far and wide
02:13to come and see some of the exhibitions so we do think that the Museum itself will naturally
02:18compliment Culture House when that opens and you know create a real cultural offer for the city to
02:26be proud of. Council leader, Councillor Michael Morday also welcomed the news saying I'm delighted with
02:33being successful in our bid to the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The last major investment in the Museum came in
02:39in 2001 also thanks to the Heritage Fund which enabled the addition of the Winter Gardens and interactive
02:45displays. The new funding is crucial for keeping our much loved Museum at the heart of family and
02:51community life while also allowing us to improve our collections and make them more accessible to both
02:57residents and visitors.
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