Campaign to save Kidderminster's Museum of Carpet is launched
The UK's only museum dedicated to carpet has launched an urgent fundraising appeal to save it from closure.
Like many other cultural attractions, Kidderminster's Museum of Carpet has been forced to close its doors and suspend all exhibitions and bookings due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Trustees say they still have bills to pay and the loss of income poses "a real threat to the survival of the museum".
It does not receive any funding from local or central government and relies on the money it receives from admission fees, events, room hires and its shop.
They have now set up a crowdfunding campaign to raise £8,000 to make up the shortfall and help it weather the storm.
Even when it re-opens, trustees say the museum faces "a massive challenge" to restore income levels to what they were before the pandemic struck.
Trustee Vicky Bagnall appealed for people to support the museum which she says is a testament to the heritage of Kidderminster and the surrounding district, and the vital role played by the town in carpet design and manufacturing.
"If you care, as we do, about keeping industrial heritage alive, about preserving local history, and about providing a space for the community to engage, please support us.
"Please pledge what you can. The Museum of Carpet is the only museum in the UK dedicated to carpets and carpet manufacture, and the only museum and gallery space in Kidderminster.
"We need your help to survive in these challenging times.”
The Carpet Museum Trust was founded in 1981 with the aim of establishing a museum for the exhibition of items of local historical and educational interest connected with the production of carpets and similar textiles.
The collection includes machinery, designs and a large archive of ledgers, board minutes and accounts from the many carpet manufacturers based around the town.
In 2004 the Trust received its first grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund in order to develop the Carpet Archives Centre to catalogue and make accessible the thousands of items donated to and rescued by the Trust.
In 2008 it was awarded nearly £1.7m from the Heritage Lottery Fund in order to develop a new museum to be housed in the former Stour Vale Mill.
Since opening ts doors in the town four year later, staff and volunteers have been working hard to share 300 years of history.
Displays and artefacts also give an insight into the lives of the people who worked on the looms and the entrepreneurs who developed businesses, known throughout the world.
The museum also features a major centre-piece of two working power looms - an Axminster spool loom and an early 20th century Wilton Jacquard loom - as well as hand looms operated by volunteers.
Visitors can also find out how carpets were designed and even have a go at creating their own design.
To support the museum go to www.crowdfunder.co.uk/kidderminster-museum-of-carpet.
