£50k boost for new Wordsley museum
A new museum in the Black Country has taken a huge step towards completion after being awarded a £50,000 grant.
Trustees behind the White House Cone Museum of Glass in Wordsley have spoken of their joy after receiving the crucial funding which will help keep the ambitious project on track.
The museum is being created at the former Stuart Crystal factory, near the famous Red House Glass Cone.
It has been made possible thanks to a £2.1 million cash injection from the European Development Fund and a £900,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Now a further £50,000 has been donated from the Garfield Weston Foundation, which will be vital in ensuring the project gets across the finishing line.
The money will help pay for a full internal fit-out of the museum. The work is needed to ensure the project does not fall behind schedule. It is hoped it will be open next summer.
Trustees are continuing to appeal for donations from the public towards the museum.
Graham Fisher, from the British Glass Foundation, said: "This is big. It is something we applied for but still came as a surprise as there is a lot of people applying for it.
"We will be using the funds towards the fit-out and of course will make life a lot easier. It is a great relief."
As well as completing the interior of the attraction, bosses also need to have it accredited as a museum, a key step if it is to host top artefacts.
Mr Fisher said: "We have to get full accreditation before we can call ourselves a museum and so we can borrow stuff off the British Museum.
"After that there is the small matter of running it."
He added: "It is unbelievable to have got where we are. It's very exciting.
"The fact we have got all this money gives them (funders) the confidence we are doing it properly. We're over the moon."
To help visit crowdfunder.co.uk/the-white-house-cone-museum-of-glass
