BACKING of £50,000 has been pledged by Cotswold District Council if a £1 million museum project gets off the ground.

At a Cabinet meeting last week the council gave the nod towards financial help which, if successful, will see a large expansion of the Corinium Museum, in Cirencester.

The Community Discovery project envisages the complete redesign of the Prehistory, Iron Age and early Roman galleries, enabling the museum to interpret and display exceptional new finds which are not currently on show. The improvements would also enable the Museum to expand its formal learning programme, especially for primary school students. Additionally, a new Discovery Centre at the front of the building will serve as a valuable new space and a community heritage hub.

The Cotswolds Museums Charitable Trust and Friends of the Museum has backed the plans and CDC officers have already met with the Heritage Lottery Fund to discuss the project. A local trust provided funding to appoint consultants to design the new proposals and Sports and Leisure Management has also contributed money towards the £1 million project. The £50,000 set aside by the Council from its Priorities Fund will aid the submission of the application to the Heritage Lottery Fund.

However, the Lottery bid is not successful, the council will not have to pay any money.

Councillor Carole Topple, the CDC Cabinet Member for Leisure and Cultural Services was very pleased with the outcome:

“The Museum underwent an extensive renovation ten years ago and the improvements are there for all to see. This new project revisits the parts that weren’t upgraded at the time and we are confident that the improvements envisaged will be stunning. We estimate that the project can increase visitor numbers significantly and should boost income by 20%. Residents and visitors will be able to view exhibits previously stored away, and see the work of restorers and other support staff at close quarters for the first time.”

If the grant application is successful, a further report will be submitted to the Cabinet providing more details.