A MUSEUM has been handed a financial lifeline to help support the organisation until it can re-open following a major refurbishment project.

The coronavirus pandemic has caused a four-month delay to the planned launch of the new look Priest’s House Museum in Wimborne after more than a year of closure. Emergency funding to the tune of £115,000 has been awarded from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to support the Museum of East Dorset during this turbulent period.

The museum was set to reopen in June, however, when the pandemic was declared and lockdown began, all construction work ceased. The heritage organisation’s trust said it had no option but to furlough all the staff apart from the director for more than three months, with the opening now planned for next month.

David Morgan, chairman of the trust said: “Thanks to the National Lottery and its players we can now look forward to the long-awaited reopening of the museum in October, confident that we have all the measures in place to ensure the safety and enjoyment of our visitors, our staff and our volunteers.

“We are grateful that The National Lottery Heritage Fund is supporting us at this crucial time – it’s a lifeline to us and others who are passionate about sustaining heritage for the benefit of all.”

Trustees have been working behind the scenes to mitigate the delays which have resulted in a significant loss of summer income at a peak time when many visitors would have visited the area.

As a registered charity, the museum in High Street relies on this income to enable it to offer its services to the visitors and the local community.

The funding will be used to stabilise the organisation and safeguard its future by covering some of the fixed and unplanned costs during the pandemic. Money will be used to make the museum fit and safe for the new Covid-19 reality, including a reconfigured tea room, safety precautions, an online ticket booking system and greater access to museum services for all via the internet.

The support, made possible by National Lottery players, was awarded through The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Heritage Emergency Fund, which made £50million available to support the heritage sector.

Ros Kerslake, chief executive of The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “Heritage has an essential role to play in making communities better places to live, supporting economic regeneration and benefitting our personal wellbeing. All of these things are going to be even more important as we emerge from this current crisis.“Thanks to money raised by National Lottery players we are pleased to be able to lend our support to organisations such as the Priest’s House Museum, the Museum of East Dorset during this uncertain time.”