40,000 visitors joy for Walsall Leather Museum
A record number of visitors have flocked to Walsall Leather Museum in 2012, new figures have shown. Just over 40,000 people flocked through the doors of the venue in the past year, up from 33,000 the year before.
Delighted bosses today said the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations and free admission at the Littleton Street attraction had helped boost visitor numbers. More schools have also visited the attraction, which details Walsall's illustrious saddle-making history, over the past year.
Mike Glasson, senior curator at Walsall Leather Museum, said: "It is very pleasing news and people have worked very hard and we're delighted. It's nice to be doing well at a time of doom and gloom when many businesses are struggling."
Mr Glasson said the success was down to a big mix of things. "We have worked really hard with schools and school provision and the number of schools visiting us has gone up 20 per cent," he said.
"The cafe was recently refurbished and it is now being run by Walsall College students and is proving really popular.
"We had an exhibition for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee on the subject of local royal warrant holders, which proved popular. The museum also has free admission, which is welcomed at a time when many families are feeling the pinch."
Walsall has been famous for its leather and saddle industry for the past 200 years and the museum opened in 1988, on the site of a former leatherworks.
It hosts a series of exhibitions, as well as adult and children's craft workshops. News of the museum's success is announced in leisure boss Anthony Harris's review of developments in his portfolio, due to be presented to full council on Monday.
Councillor Harris said: "The Leather Museum has received record numbers of visitors in 2012 with the total expected to exceed 40,000 for the first time."
