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THE MUSEUM PEOPLE
WORKS ORCHARD SIDE GARDENS |
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The Cowper and Newton Museum
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Restoration and Development Appeal
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"A house of friendship and 'Amazing Grace' "
Mark Fisher, Britain's Best Museums and Galleries, Allen Lane, 2004 "You have captured a bit of Old England" Latest News: April 2005 Heritage Lottery Fund In August 2005, the Museum was awarded a Project Planning Grant by HLF amounting to £48,000. This sum includes 10% matching funding to be provided by the Museum, either in cash or kind: the MK Heritage Association has responded generously to this need by awarding the Museum £1,000 towards the total. The purpose of the Project Planning Grant is to enable the Museum to engage qualified experts to prepare Conservation Management, Audience Development, Access and Volunteer Training Plans to form the basis for a bid to HLF for a full Heritage Grant of up to £1m. The Museum has commissioned consultancy firm Matthews Millman and Jane Seaman, training consultant, to produce these plans. They are currently hard at work and are due to complete their reports by July 2006. The form of an ultimate Heritage Grant bid will be determined by the findings of these reports, but it is likely to cover not only the capital costs of necessary changes to the buildings and displays, but funding for temporary posts in such areas as education and volunteer coordination, to develop the Museum's capacity to deliver a much fuller service to the community. Shanks First (EB Bedfordshire) In addition to the building works completed in the winter of 2004-5, the grant from Shanks First also funded the purchase of a brand-new, state-of-the-art lace display case from Conservation by Design of Kempston, a leading firm specialising in museum display equipment. The Friends of the Museum have kindly agreed to cover the additional cost of fitting it out, which includes special fabrics for lining the drawers and the addition of clear acrylic covers to each of the drawers so that they can all be used for display as well as storage. When finished, the case will enable the display, in labelled drawers which can be pulled out for inspection by visitors, of a significantly larger proportion of the lace collection than has been possible in the past. Total cost in the region of £6,000. Continuing need for restoration and improvement Orchard Side and Gilpin House were built around 1700 and became a Museum in 1900. Although the main fabric has been secured by works carried out over the past five years, there is still much to be done to bring the Museum up to modern standards - to meet the requirements of legislation such as the Disability Discrimination Act, to fulfil our educational mission, and to compete effectively with other attractions. Our most urgent current priorities are to:
These improvements would be covered by a successful Heritage bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund, but of course there is no guarantee of such success, and in the meantime we must continue to do what we can. Whatever the outcome of the present exercise, we shall continue to apply to HLF and other sources, but it should be noted that most funding bodies require at least 10% matching funding from applicants before grants can be awarded. This contribution always has to be raised from our friends and supporters. Fund raising and support The Trustees of the Museum are fully committed to seeking adequate funds to develop the MuseumÕs considerable potential as an educational and heritage amenity, both for the town of Olney and for the expanding population of Milton Keynes. Their vision has been supported by sustained and growing interest locally, nationally and internationally. In 2004, a new reference book, Britain's Best Museums and Galleries, identified ours as one of the 350 best museums in the country; the number of hits on the website has grown to 19,500 per month; and the Annual Cowper and Newton Day attracts up to 120 participants. These are just some of the indicators of the quality of the Museum and the activities it sponsors. As indicated above we have ambitious plans for the Museum, but these can only be realised with generous support from individuals and funding bodies, as we rely entirely on grants and donations for future development. Making a donation If you would like to contribute to the Appeal, please get in touch with the Museum, either by phone (+44 01234 711516) or email N.B. If you are a UK taxpayer, please ask us about the Gift Aid scheme, which enables us to recover an additional 28p from the Government for every £1 donated. Leaving a legacy to the Museum Should you wish to consider the possibility of remembering the Museum in your will, here is a brief introduction to the subject. The Museum has no endowment to cover its ever-increasing costs, and has to rely more and more heavily on its own fundraising efforts and those of the Friends. As a result, the Museum Trust has in recent years had to dig deeply into its reserves, and is now in the process of rebuilding them as far as it is able - but this can only be done by cutting key elements of the budget, such as marketing and staffing. Inevitably, the performance of the Museum suffers as a result, and the goal of achieving the numbers of visitors which it deserves recedes ever further. Were you to consider leaving a legacy to the Museum, there are a number of ways in which it could be applied, and we would be glad to discuss these with you in confidence so that you can be sure that it is used as you would wish. The options include: funding work on the collections, enhancing the buildings or gardens, helping to establish a healthy reserve fund - or 'general purpose', if you are happy to leave the choice to us. The Cowper and Newton Museum is a registered charity, number 310521. With contemporary property prices so high, estates that are subject to Inheritance Tax are ever more commonplace. Since April 2006 the threshold above which Inheritance Tax of 40% applies is £325,000. Your legacy or bequest to the Museum, because of its charitable status, will be free of Inheritance Tax. In addition, if your gift is made in the form of shares or property, it will be exempt from Capital Gains Tax. The two most common ways of leaving a charitable legacy are:
It is advisable to consult your solicitor about the appropriate wording of a legacy or bequest. If you would like to talk over the possibility of leaving a legacy to the Museum in more detail before taking professional advice, please feel free to telephone, email or write to me for an informal discussion. Tony Seward Telephone: 01908 565260 Email: t.seward396@btinternet.com |
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