£2M boost for museum
The transformation of Paisley Museum into a world- class destination has been given a £2million boost.
The Scottish Government has revealed it will plough cash into the revamp, which is expected to be completed in 2022.
The cash injection comes on the back of Renfrewshire’s Economic Strategy 2020 to 2030 being launched.
This sets out plans to boost the area’s economy over the next decade and includes tourism as one of its key sectors.
Paisley Museum Reimagined will telling the town’s story and is expected to draw audiences from Scotland, the UK and abroad and almost quadruple visitor numbers to 125,000 a year.
The Scottish Government’s support for the museum was revealed during the launch of the Economic Strategy by Scotland’s Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs Fiona Hyslop at an event also attended by Scotland’s Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Economy and Fair Work and Renfrewshire North and West MSP Derek Mackay.
Renfrewshire Council leader Iain Nicolson said: “Paisley Museum Reimagined will enable us to share our story with the world and create a world-class destination that will attract more visitors to Renfrewshire.
“I am delighted that the Scottish Government is fully behind the project and welcome their support as we invest in our unique culture and heritage to transform our future.
“Growing our tourism and visitor numbers is a key focus of our work to create a strong, thriving local economy, bringing more people into work, with more secure jobs and better wages.
“We have set out our ambitions in a new economic strategy developed through close collaboration between the private and public sector and this partnership approach will be central to achieving Renfrewshire’s inclusive economic growth.”
Renfrewshire’s Economic Strategy 2020 to 2030 has been developed by the region’s Economic Leadership Panel, which draws together leaders from across the private and public sector, enterprise agencies and education and skills experts.
It projects that the area will benefit from a £ 1.4billion i nvestment in economic infrastructure, innovation and skills and, as revealed by the Paisley Daily Express, details a series of actions to add more than 9,000 jobs to the economy and reduce economic inactivity by 15 per cent by bringing 3,000 local people into the workforce.
There is a major focus on growing the tourism and visitor sectors through projects such as the museum and by expanding Renfrewshire’s creative industries.
The area already attracts around 2.25 million day visitors each year — worth a combined £62.5million to the local economy, according to Renfrewshire Council.