We join members of the National Lottery Heritage Fund at RAF Cosford with good news for the Museum and also for the Museum of the Royal Navy in Portsmouth
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00:00Yes, could you just tell me why we're here today?
00:02Well, we're here to announce two fantastic projects which have got awards of grants from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
00:09Thank you, National Lottery players.
00:11One to the RAF Coston and the other one to the Royal Marines Experience in the National Museum of the Royal Navy in Portsmouth.
00:19And it's just a brilliant time because tomorrow, of course, is the 80th anniversary of VE Day and it's a really fantastic time to be announcing this.
00:28And why Cosford? Why here?
00:31Well, it's just such an amazing collection and actually it's needing lots of work doing.
00:36They have a huge amount of material in storage and actually this grant allows that to come out and to be shared and really explored by people.
00:47It's an incredible collection and of, you know, national and indeed international significance.
00:52That'll do us. Thank you very much. I really appreciate it. Tell me why we're here today.
00:56So we are here today at the RAF Museum Midlands to celebrate the fact that the National Lottery Heritage Fund have awarded us £9.3 million to develop this wonderful museum site
01:10with a new exhibition showing the contemporary story of the Royal Air Force and looking forward to the future space and cyber, a new learning centre, new outdoor spaces and moving our stored collection out from where it's hidden in a store, bringing it onto site in a new collections hub where we can share it with visitors properly for the first time.
01:33And all of that, we're working with community groups, the public, the schools to develop those plans with them.
01:40So massively exciting and a huge thanks to all lottery players and the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
01:47It's just such exciting news and all being well, we'll open in summer 2027.
01:52Amazing. Huge amount of money.
01:54Obviously quite a difficult financial time at the moment where a lot of charities, museums, stuff like that are struggling.
01:59And what does it mean to get that huge funding boost?
02:02It's massively tough at the moment for, well, all organisations and charities and museums are struggling among all of them.
02:10So this funding boost just gives us absolute heart and good morale.
02:14And, you know, for museums, if you stand still, you're getting behind.
02:18So this is enabling us to really push forward and make sure that we're relevant for the next generation of visitors to come along and really feel connected with the incredible stories that we tell through our collections.
02:33We're here, of course, marking VE Day and for the museum, that's a really important moment to mark as well.
02:42And at the weekend, we've got a fantastic family event over both days where visitors can come along.
02:49We are free to enter.
02:50Really important in these stretch times.
02:53Visitors can come along, dress up in 1940s clothes if you want.
02:57You might win a prize, but there'll be amazing music, concerts.
03:01The Lancaster is flying past on Saturday lunchtime.
03:06So huge amounts of fun, music, food for the whole family, free at the weekend at the RF Museum Midlands.
03:13It's all on the website.
03:15Just introduce yourself. Tell us who you are.
03:18Sure. I'm Matthew Sheldon.
03:19I'm the Chief Exec of the National Museum of the Royal Navy.
03:22And tell us why we're here today.
03:24Well, I'm here today because we've got a fantastic funding announcement from the National Heritage Lottery Fund.
03:31They are giving our museum £4.4 million to deliver a new Royal Marines experience in Portsmouth
03:37to tell the national, international story of the Royal Marines.
03:42And what's your plan? What are you going to do with that cash?
03:45We are going to spend it on a £15 million project.
03:49We're going to create something fantastic for our visitors.
03:52Not a traditional museum, but something that takes people on an immersive journey through the work of the Royal Marines today.
04:00So we're going to challenge and test people and make them do some of the training, the routines,
04:07use some of the equipment, face some of the scenarios, operations that Marines face day to day.
04:14Because we feel it's a very current story.
04:17We're going to mix it with some amazing history, 360 years of history of Britain's sea soldiers who've operated around the world.
04:26Amazing personal stories. Great chance to bring a new museum, effectively, to the nation.
04:34Are museums struggling at the moment, cash-wise, like everything else? What does the funding mean?
04:42Funding is fantastic. So there are many pressures on all businesses, all charities.
04:47Also a pressure to raise the capital, to make the investments that make a difference.
04:51This is the capital. This is allowing us to invest in things that make us sustainable, that create the things that visitors want to see,
04:59offer those new experiences, opportunities, event spaces, out-of-hours, group-focused work, all those things that we can do.
05:09Strengthen our connection to communities, because it's visitors' communities that keep us vital and alive.
05:14So we already know this money from the lottery is starting to unlock other money that we need,
05:23because people wait for the example of the lottery for their funding.
05:27So, wow, it's critical.
05:29Amazing. Thank you so much.
05:31Is that okay?
05:31Yeah, perfect.
05:32Yeah.