Museum given funds for urgent repairs

A museum has been awarded funds so its heating system can be repaired and prevent the venue being forced to close.

Exeter's Royal Albert Memorial Museum (RAMM) is to receive £260,000 from Exeter City Council to upgrade its heating and cooling systems.

The museum said the upgrade was part of its commitment to decarbonising but would also help it maintain the correct climate for both visitors and the museum's treasures for years to come.

The grant will see a failing boiler and a cooling system replaced, without which the museum said it feared it would have to close.

The museum is also bidding for a £2.4m grant from the Arts Council for further renovation.

It said it hoped the funding from Exeter City Council would help facilitate the larger windfall to allow the museum to be "restored and remain open for years to come".

The £260k grant was ratified at a council meeting when it received broad cross party support.

Lucy Findlay, lead councillor for culture and city centre, said: "Everybody really supports RAMM across all parties because we can see how important it is for the future of Exeter."

"It brings people, culture, education and national collections to the city. We don't want to cut out anything like that, which would be a risk, if we didn't have a new boiler and water cooling system."

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