Cherilyn Mackrory MP for Truro and Falmouth welcomes the news from Truro Town Deal that their first funding award has been granted to the Royal Cornwall Museum.
In April 2021 Truro secured a Town Deal of £23.6 million after successfully submitting its town investment plan, to be awarded to local regeneration projects.
The Royal Cornwall Museum will receive £476,000 which will be used to transform the museum’s iconic mineral gallery, including building a state-of-the-art lab which will enable people across Cornwall and the world to interact with the collection.
This investment marks the first significant funding award granted for the transformation of the Royal Cornwall Museum and forms the start of an ambitious three-year investment aimed at attracting more visitors and ensuring a lasting future for this historic museum.
Cherilyn said:
“The Royal Cornwall Museum is a brilliant display of Cornish history and culture, capturing the imagination of people visitors and helping to tell stories from across our community.
I know that with this investment they will be able to do and offer so much more, particularly for schools, but also in helping us to learn more about Cornwall and the natural mineral wealth we have right under our feet. Huge congratulations to the team at the Royal Cornwall Museum for making this happen, I’m very excited to see the results.”
CEO for the Royal Cornwall Museum Jonathan Morton says:
“The mineral gallery houses an internationally recognised collection that’s hugely important in representing Cornwall’s rich history as a global mining centre.
The digital learning lab will enable us to offer workshops and presentations, streaming content about our mineral collection to people around the world. It will also drive footfall into the museum by providing an interactive offer to our visitors and educational programmes.
“This investment from Truro Town Deal into Royal Cornwall Museum is a crucial part of the overall vision of Truro as an attractive place to live, work and visit.”
Chair of Truro Town Deal Board, Alan Stanhope, said:
“This is an important milestone for Truro Town Deal – that funding is now with the project and can start to go to work.
Royal Cornwall Museum was selected as part of our Town Investment Plan for the role it plays in attracting new visitors and enhancing the breadth of the cultural offer in Truro. I’m looking forward to seeing the digital lab in action and benefiting visitors both locally and across the world.”
The work to refurbish the minerals gallery is expected to be completed by Summer 2024, meanwhile the Royal Cornwall Museum, café, and shop remain open for visitors.