Kidderminster carpet museum to reopen thanks to donations

The Green Street museum is set to open its doors on Tuesday, July 7 for the first time since it closed in March in response to the coronavirus outbreak.

After weeks of bringing in no money, the museum's future was thrown into doubt and a fundraising campaign was launched to recover lost income, which collected more than £11,000 in donations.

A spokesman said: " To thank the local community for their support over the last few months, the Museum of Carpet will be offering free admission for all visitors in July and August 2020.

"Instead of asking for admission fee’s the museum will have a donations box in the Museum entrance that they ask visitors to contribute to, to help ensure the future of the museum.

"While no one knows what the future holds for the Museum of Carpet, right now it is offering local residents a bright, spacious, and engaging venue for a safe day out after months in lockdown.

"Support this local museum by visiting the attraction over the coming months, hire their rooms, book future visits, and join their digital community on social media."

In line with government guidelines, the carpet museum will be limiting visitor numbers, installing hand sanitiser stations and observing social distancing in its galleries.

Prior to the reopening, the site has undergone thorough cleaning of all its surfaces, organised by the National Carpet Cleaners Association, which is now based within the museum.

All safety guidelines will be illustrated on posters displayed around the museum.

For the first time, people will also be able to book in advance at museumofcarpet.org.

Due to the unprecedented closure of the museum in March, the Museum of Carpet has decided to postpone its summer exhibition Focus on Photographs, which was set to launch in June to celebrate 150 years of The Shuttle newspaper.

The exhibition will now go on display in the summer 2021 and the galleries will exhibit highlights from previous exhibitions.