County Museum’s operation transferred to new Trust

On Monday 14th July 2014 Buckinghamshire County Council Cabinet Members agreed to transfer the County’s treasures of the past in the safe hands of a new Trust.

For the past two years several options have been explored to enable Buckinghamshire County Museum and its Resource Centre to operate and develop in the current challenging financial climate.

In April 2012 Members agreed to set up The Buckinghamshire County Museum Trust which would benefit the museum at Aylesbury and resource centre at Halton by opening up new channels of grant funding, give them access to tax relief and Gift Aid on donations.

Cabinet Members agreed to transfer the County Museum’s operation to the Trust on Monday 14th July 2014.

Shadow Trustees oversaw the Trust’s set-up, and now a body of six Trustees, with experience in finance, human resources, marketing, heritage, local government and the charitable sector, is being chaired by Dr Bob Sutcliffe. Bill Chapple is the county council’s trustee.

A new Museum Director, Richard de Peyer, joined the team at the beginning of April.

Charitable status saves the county council £145,000, and adds up to £1,500 a week in financial benefits to the museum from savings through paying business rates, the greater use of volunteers, and wider fund raising opportunities.

Buckinghamshire County Museum attracts 96,000 visitors and provides educational visits to 14,000 school children every year.

The Resource Centre is home to the 150-year-old museum collection of 130,000 heritage objects. It works in partnership with Bucks Archaeological Society which owns the Church Street site in Aylesbury and the museum collections pre-1957. The other key partners are the Museum Friends and Patrons.