Harborough Museum reopens on Tuesday

Harborough Museum will reopen on Tuesday 8 April.

It has been closed since November 2012 during the major refurbishment and reordering of the Symington Building, which houses the museum, Market Harborough library and the offices of Harborough District Council. In future it will also have some retail units  - including, it seems, an ice cream parlour.

Reporting the museum reopening, the Leicester Mercury says:

Pride of place will go to the re-instated Hallaton hoard of Roman coins and artefacts at the expanded museum and library, on the first floor of the Saddington (sic) Building. 

David Johnson, interim chairman of the museum trust, said: "Over the past few weeks, I have seen all the fantastic objects from the Harborough Collection take their places in the new display cases. 

"There is so much more to see than before, something new to discover on every visit." 

Some displays, including on boot and shoe and clothing manufacturing, are being extended. 

Mr Johnson said: "I'm sure when the visitors flood through the doors they will all be impressed with what they see and appreciate all the hard work the people involved have invested in this project."

David tells me that an independent charity called Harborough Museum Trust has been created to ensure the future of the museum .

He says:

"This Trust has begun to plan for the future, with three interim trustees already in place. Local people are being sought to add to this and form an effective board of trustees from different backgrounds and areas of expertise. We want the people of the district to have a sense of ownership of our history through this wonderful collection of objects in this great new-look museum. 

"As time goes on there will be opportunities for local people to get more involved with every aspect of the museum. We are hoping to enlist the help of lots of volunteers who will have the chance to enrich their lives with anything from meeting and greeting visitors to running fund raising events and helping with the day to day running of our museum."

If you are interested in becoming involved with the Harborough Museum as a trusteee of volunteer, the person to contact is Jane Tugwell.