Manchester University’s museums have been given £2 million by Arts Council England.
The money will be used to expand the University’s volunteer training programme for the long-term unemployed which aims to get them back into work.
University spokesman, Tim Manley said the programme will help the ill, the disabled and the long-term unemployed to develop their “people and communication skills.”
Super fast High Speed Trains will be arriving in Manchester six years earlier than planned following a government pledge.
Transport Secretary Justine Greening has given the go ahead for the first section of the high speed link between London and Birmingham which will open in 2026 and its Y shaped extension to Manchester and Leeds that will open in 2032.
When making the announcement Ms Greening promised that the specially designed 200mph trains will start travelling to Manchester as soon as the line to Birmingham is built.
High Speed Trains going to Manchester will leave the high speed line near Lichfield and travel at a slower speed on the existing West Coast Main Line.
VisitEngland is encouraging tourists to make the most of the sights and experiences on offer at free museums across the country.
Laura Smith, destination public relations manager at VisitEngland, said the wealth of free attractions available makes a domestic getaway a good option for people hoping to go away without spending too much money after Christmas.
She highlighted a number of sites in some major cities that do not ask visitors to pay for entry.
“From the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester to the Merseyside Maritime Museum and London’s Imperial War Museum, England has world-class interactive museums for families – plus all of these are absolutely free,” said Ms Smith.
The Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester has confirmed it is becoming part of the National Science Museum.
Executives at the Manchester museum say the merger with the National Museum of Science and Industry will create one of the most important museum groups in the world which could attract over five million visitors a year.
According to Peter Fell, the Museum of Science and Industry’s interim chair, the merger offered the museum a more secure future and better access to funding, sponsorship and philanthropy.
The National Museum of Science and Industry is part of a group which includes the National Gallery, the British Museum, the Natural History Museum and the Tate Gallery.
Manchester Museum of Science & Industry
Travel Daily UK (1st December, 2011) reports that visits to Britain’s state-sponsored museums have more than doubled since entry fees were abolished in 2001.
Figures released by the Department for Culture, Media & Sport, show that 18 million people visited the UK’s free museums in 2010-11, compared with just seven million in 2000-01.
Entrance fees to government-backed museums were abolished on 1st December, 2001 as part of a government scheme to boost culture and heritage. Since then, visits to free museums in London have increased by151%. Outside London the number of visitors has risen by 148%, with the National Museums in Liverpool seeing a rise of 269% while visitors to the Museum of Science & Industry in Manchester have increased by 122%.
The 18 million visitors recorded during the past 12 months was the highest number since 2001 and eight free national museums are now in the top 10 UK visitor attractions.
Jeremy Hunt, Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media & Sport said: “We have the finest museums and galleries in the world. But unlike other major capital cities, they are free to visit in this country. The range of items on display is breath-taking, from world famous paintings to amazing discoveries from the natural world. All of this, free of charge, for anyone to visit as often as they like.
“Our free museums and galleries ensure that culture is for everyone, not just the lucky few. I am particularly proud that we have secured the future of free museums despite the current financial climate.”
According to VisitBritain, Britain’s major museums and galleries earn the country £1 billion a year in revenue from overseas tourists.
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