National Trust makes recommendations on museums

The National Trust has presented a report outlining ways to provide a sustainable future for Queen Street Mill in Burnley and Helmshore Mills in Rossendale.

Lancashire County Council commissioned the report in 2021, seeking ways to improve the visitor offer and overall financial sustainability of the two museums.

The report identifies a range of actions that could be implemented over the next five years, including the development of a comprehensive business plan and key performance indicators to assess progress.

Coun Peter Buckley, cabinet member for community and cultural services, said: "We are very grateful to the National Trust for carrying out this thorough review of Queen Street Mill and Helmshore Mills. We intend to carry a number the improvements identified by the National Trust forward to improve the overall offer and financial sustainability of both museums.

"Some improvements will require external funding and we will be making the case to invest in these historically significant heritage assets once we have identified suitable sources of funding. It is also very important to us that we continue to maintain good relations with the National Trust, whose contribution to our museums is greatly appreciated by the county council."

Eleanor Underhill, assistant director of operations at the National Trust said: "We're very pleased to hear that Lancashire County Council will be moving forward with a number of our recommendations for both Queen Street Mill and Helmshore Mills Textile Museum.

"In recent years we've been working in close partnership with the museums team at Lancashire County Council to offer specialist advice and heritage consultancy support, sharing our knowledge of looking after and promoting special places like Queen Street Mill and Helmshore Mills. We're hopeful that there is a bright future ahead for both of these important local heritage assets."