Museum in Suffolk says they've had to diversify to survive

Nearly three in five small museums in the UK fear closure according to new research according to a new study by GoDaddy in partnership with Kids in Museums

The survey of 40 small, independent attractions, which is classed as having fewer than 100,000 annual visitors, also found that four in five (78%) reported the current period as the most challenging the sector has faced.

Additionally over half (58%) said income has not returned to its pre-Covid levels.

"It's becoming harder to deliver"

We spoke to Jenny Cousins the director of the Food Museum in Suffolk, and she told us, as a larger organisation they're less worried about closure than others, but they're still facing a "pressured environment."

"We're certainly thinking about it (cutting costs), but what we've done so far is just not reappoint to key posts.

"So it's sort of stretching services. It's becoming harder to deliver.

"I think we already had not a lot of people to do quite a lot and that's made that a lot harder.

"I think we have to look over time at what changes we might make and what we might not be able to do."

"You end up doing less and less on the collection and more and more on like trying to just keep the doors open"

Jenny also explained that Museums are not funded as a statutory service like libraries, subsequently they have to find their income in things like ticket admissions and grants.

But at the Food Museum, they've even taken to hosting events, such as weddings, the town's bonfire night and even having animals on location.

"I'd say to run a museum in the 21st century is to run quite a complicated business which might do all kinds of different things.

"You're part venue, part, education educator, part school, part visitor attraction.

"It's lots and lots of different things. And you kind of need fingers in all of those pies in order to be able to survive.

"You end up doing less and less on the collection and more and more on like trying to just keep the doors open.

"... A lot of museums have had to diversify to survive. Without being in lots of different spaces and without a certain amount of kind of luck and ingenuity, it would be a very difficult world to survive in."

"I think we should be valuing it (museums) more highly than we do"

She told us that because they have to do all of this to keep doors open, she feels as though there is less attention given to core education.

"Museums are one of the few places where you can go throughout your life and you can learn something new.

"You can have your viewpoint challenged, you can have it stretched. You can see things which make you see the world differently, and there aren't a lot of spaces like that.

"It's really important what museums provide to society, as well as capturing the memories of people and reflecting those back, it is about giving people access to issues, ideas and things which they don't necessarily come across if they don't go out and seek this stuff.

"So it's really important. I think we should be valuing it more highly than we do."

Jenny told us she wanted to see more investment from the government to keep these spaces alive

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