The Purbeck Mineral & Mining Museum                                  Investing in your future

Finance

£100,000 EUROPEAN UNION GRANT ACCELERATES OPENING  MUSEUM

The money from the Dorset-based Chalk & Cheese rural re-generation fund to the Purbeck Mineral and Mining Museum Group (PMMMG) means the first phase of the Purbeck Mineral and Mining Museum is on target to open to the public during the summer of 2011.

Volunteers from the Purbeck Mineral and Mining Museum Group (PMMMG) have been working on the project since 2003 and have matched the £100,000 Chalk & Cheese grant with £50,000 worth of money and labour. So we still need your financial support.

This is a major vote of confidence from the Chalk & Cheese rural re-generation fund in our work to preserve and explain Purbeck’s important industrial heritage.  

The grant will kick start and fast track the opening of the mine to the public and enable us to achieve in 18 months what it would have taken us six to eight years to achieve. We hope to fully open the ball clay mine museum to the public during 2012.

We’re delighted that all the work put in over the last seven years by a small but very dedicated and determined team of volunteers has been at last recognised.

Chalk & Cheese Director of Programme, Sarah Watson said: “We’re delighted to make this funding award to the very worthwhile Purbeck Mineral and Mining Museum during such a critical time in the project’s development. This is the first grant we have awarded in the Isle of Purbeck. The decision to give the Purbeck Mineral and Mining Museum Group the £100,000 grant was initially made at a meeting of our local area group members held in the restored ball clay mine building – and was finally endorsed by our executive committee ”

 The £100,000 grant from Chalk & Cheese will enable us to complete the mine tunnel and sections of the narrow gauge industrial railway over the next 18 months which will extend for up to a mile when ultimately completed.  

Chairman Peter Sills talking on Radio Solent about the Grant 5th September 2010.  © A.P.M.Wright

We would like to acknowledge the invaluable help of Imerys – which currently recovers Purbeck ball clay from quarries rather than mines – as well as the support and goodwill from Purbeck businesses which have helped with providing services, equipment and materials to the mining museum project.

Since 2000, the Group has raised some £45,000 to pay for its mineral and mining museum work.

However the above Grant although very welcome and necessary will only enable the opening of the Museum. We have plans for the further development of the Museum that still require a great deal of money. We need a dedicated museum building to store artifacts including Secundus in a controlled atmosphere. We have plans to run passenger trains. These will require your support.