The Museum Estate and Development Fund (MEND), administered by Arts Council England, has announced funding to 29 museums up and down the country to receive a share of almost £25 million to upgrade their buildings.

The fund is part of the Government’s long-term plan to support local economies, allowing them to grow. It will support capital projects at museums, fund important repairs, and improve the visitor experience with funding awarded from £50,000 to £5 million, to ensure local history has a home for years to come.

In the Midlands, more than £5 million has been awarded across four museums.

Wolverhampton Art Gallery has been awarded £1,695,758 to safeguard the building and its collections. The project will include restoring stonework, repairing the roof and chimneys and upgrading systems to enhance energy efficiency, sustainability and reliability.

Peter Knott, Midlands Area Director at Arts Council England, said: “We want people across Wolverhampton and beyond to experience, enjoy, discover and learn from our fantastic regional museums and galleries. Through their history and collections, they can provide connection and help us to make sense of the world around us.

“We’re pleased to be supporting Wolverhampton Art Gallery to ensure the building is preserved and people can continue to access and be inspired by its iconic collections.”

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Chris Burden, Cabinet Member for City Development, Jobs and Skills Councillor, said: “We are delighted to receive this vital funding, which will help safeguard Wolverhampton Art Gallery for future generations. This investment ensures the preservation of our historic building and collections while enhancing sustainability and energy efficiency. 

“These improvements will allow us to continue to deliver free groundbreaking exhibitions, creative activities and cultural events in a welcoming and inspiring space for all our community and city visitors to enjoy”

Details of the recipients of the fourth round of MEND comes as part of a wider announcement from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport which includes news of further funding to come to support the cultural sector.