Argylls Museum gets £40k towards revamp
The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Regimental Trust has secured £40,000 towards the refurbishment of their museum at Stirling Castle.
The project is one of 15 to benefit from a share of £466,000 being distributed by Museums Galleries Scotland (MGS) from their Museum Development Fund.
The trust is drawing out stories from their collection which will appeal to wider audiences and the funding will allow them to revamp gallery space with new display cases and audio-visual interpretation.
MGS is the National Development Body for museums and galleries in Scotland and offers strategic development support to the sector. Through the Museum Development Fund, MGS distributes a general funding grant from the Scottish Government as well as the ring-fenced grants for Scotland’s Recognised Collections.
John McLeish, Interim CEO of Museums Galleries Scotland, said: “MGS is pleased to be strengthening and supporting the resilience and ambitions of the sector by funding such a diverse range of projects. This was a strong round of applications and we look forward to seeing the long-term benefits brought by our Museums Development Fund for the museums and their visitors.”
The redevelopment of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Museum at Stirling Castle attracted almost £1million of National Lottery funding earlier this year towards the £4million cost of the upgrade.
The award was the most significant boost to date for the Thin Red Line Appeal which was set up to raise money for the improvement. Patron of the appeal is Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge.
Work on the museum is aimed at improving the museum’s ability to interpret and commemorate for modern visitors the history of the regiments synonymous with the Stirling area.
The revamped museum is set to re-open in the summer of 2019, and visitor numbers are expected to exceed 250,000 per year when re-opened.