Colchester & Ipswich Museums to receive over grant of over £1m
It's will help support work with children and young people
Last updated 7th Nov 2022
Colchester + Ipswich Museums are set to receive a £1,194,048 grant from Arts Council England.
The grant will be over three years and will help to bring more major exhibitions and support their work with children and young people in the community.
The grant comes as the combined museums service has maintained its coveted National Portfolio Organisation status and has been awarded a higher band, recognising the hard work and achievements it has made over the previous four years.
The museum was up against bids from other museums, libraries and arts organisations across the country.
The maintenance of NPO status and the increased funding boost that comes with it will directly benefit the thousands of visitors to the six venues it manages - Ipswich Museum, Christchurch Mansion, Ipswich Art Gallery, Colchester Castle, the Natural History Museum and Hollytrees Museum.
Councillor Carole Jones, Ipswich Borough Council Portfolio Holder for Planning and Museums, said:
“This is wonderful news for the Museums service in Ipswich and Colchester. The Arts Council has awarded us an increased sum for the next three years, which will make a real difference in supporting the work we do preserving our collections and working with communities.
We received this funding increase because of the fantastic work our museum staff do. Many museums will have applied, so I want to express my thanks and gratitude to everyone in the Colchester and Ipswich Museums service for this success.”
Councillor Pam Cox, Portfolio Holder for Culture and Heritage at Colchester Borough Council, added:
“We are delighted to maintain and indeed increase our National Portfolio Status and to receive this record funding for the next three years. It will enable us to continue to provide our outstanding services and attract more visitors who can enjoy the many nationally important objects and treasures we hold across the joint service.
Working with our local communities, we will continue to ensure our collections are preserved and are fully accessible to our audiences. Today’s announcement is testament to the hard work undertaken during the last few years of Arts Council funding. This is a huge vote of confidence which will harness expertise and bring exciting exhibitions and experiences for our visitors.”
Arts Council England Chair, Sir Nicholas Serota, said:
“As well as continuing our commitment to our many established and renowned cultural organisations, I am deeply proud of the support we will be giving to those new organisations which will help ignite creativity across the country. We are facing economic pressures at present, but this funding is about an investment in our future. This portfolio will support the next generation of visionary inventors, makers, performers and artists. In particular, the growth of our funding for organisations that support and develop work for children represents a profoundly important long-term investment in our country’s talent.”