Beamish and Bowes win Arts Council Funding!

Beamish and Bowes Museum in County Durham have won national funding from the Arts Council today that could be worth as much as £2 million over the next three years.

The two award-winning museums have joined forces to develop their outstanding collections and attract new audiences. They join a select group of 16 Major Partner Museums in England, supported by the Arts Council’s new programme of Renaissance funding for regional museums.

Arts Council funding will help secure the future growth and development of both Beamish and Bowes, enabling them to become international leaders in their field. Beamish is about to embark on an exciting decade of development, to position it as a world leader and the largest open air museum in the UK.

Money will be used to invest in research and develop events and exhibitions, and set up a new graduate training scheme.

Richard Evans, Museum Director at Beamish, said:

“We are truly delighted to receive this backing from the Arts Council - it really is fantastic news for Durham and the North East. Working together with Bowes this new money will help us build on our recent success, which saw almost half a million visitors through Beamish’s gates last year.

We are excited by the opportunities that lie ahead, as we develop our museums to be truly world-class. It is great to see two County Durham museums recognised on a national stage. The award is a tribute both to our self-reliance and to the support we have from our communities that make us the success that we are.”

Click here to visit the Arts Council website to find out more about the funding awards.