A group of museums is celebrating re-opening by offering neighbouring residents free or cut-price entry during May.
Starting on Saturday, 13 venues in the Highlands and Islands are taking part in the MYseum campaign aimed at encouraging people to rediscover the history and heritage on their doorsteps as lockdown eases
Local museums, which are run mainly by volunteers, have been hit hard during the pandemic due to a lack of income from visitors.
Many have produced online content with support from XpoNorth Heritage, Highlands and Islands Enterprise’s specialist organisation for creative industry businesses, and the Museums and Heritage Highland charity.
Museums hit hard during pandemic
Nicola Henderson, heritage sector specialist at XpoNorth, said: ‘’The independent museum sector has been hard hit during the pandemic with some museums not being open since the end of 2019.
“However, with support from organisations such as XpoNorth and Museums and Heritage Highland, all have been very agile in finding new ways to engage online and through collaborating with each other on activities such as the beautiful Highland Threads exhibition, showcasing 14 costumes from across the region through video and photography, and the Highland Objects podcast series.
“Now they are ready to welcome back visitors and they want to start with their local community. Staff, volunteers and visitors will all be nervous as we adjust to visiting venues again so their invitation to the community is to say thank you and welcome back, allowing them to engage with their exhibitions and new objects on display first and to help build confidence for all in this new world.”
Those involved in MYseum include Groam House Museum, Rosemarkie; Highland Folk Museum, Newtonmore; Glencoe Folk Museum; Gairloch Museum; Highland Museum of Childhood, Strathpeffer; Dingwall Museum; Cromarty Courthouse Museum; Inverness Museum and Art Gallery; Grantown Museum; Ullapool Museum; Timespan, Helmsdale; Historylinks Dornoch and Tarbat Discovery Centre, Portmahomack.
The Museum of the Isles in Skye, is offering entry at a reduced rate. Another six – Castlehill Heritage Centre, Thurso; West Highland Museum, Fort William; Wick Heritage Museum, Brora Heritage Centre, Tain Museum and Nairn Museum are all expected to re-open in June offering free entry to locals.