TENBURY Museum has issued an urgent plea in a bid to save its collection from "deteriorating conditions" in its present home. 

The museum and history group has for several years been attempting to relocate the museum to more suitable premises, primarily to protect its collection from the deteriorating conditions of its present site at Goffs School, Cross Street, said trustee Tracey Morris.

After failing to obtain the old Fire Station on Teme Street or to secure space in the historic Pump Rooms, the group has now pinned their hopes on the recently decommissioned Methodist Cornerstone Chapel, also in Cross Street.

Discussions began with representatives of the Methodist local circuit and national trustees in June 2023.

The site's two buildings need very little refurbishment and could both be used as a permanent, sustainable home for the collection and for continued community use, a spokesperson said. 

The museum group made an offer in February this year, equal to the valuation price, on the basis that they be granted twelve months to raise the necessary funds.

But while the local circuit officers are supportive of the buildings remaining in use by a community enterprise, the national trustees have said that the plan to place the buildings on the open market must continue.

The museum group has now launched a major fundraising campaign in the hopes of placing a successful bid when allowed to do so. The trustees are confident that as an accredited museum, the necessary funding can be achieved through a National Lottery Grant, their own funds, and donations from the local community. They are also willing to rent the buildings during their campaign and to place a holding deposit.

They said that owning the Cornerstone Chapel would not only benefit the museum but also the town, and are considering registering the chapel as an Asset of Community Value, which if successful would allow them to enact the ‘community right to bid’ that provides a six-month moratorium to allow finances to be raised.

As the museum is the sole repository of the area’s historical items and heritage, and this being the only viable solution for the museum to preserve them, the trustees are now asking for help. To find out how to donate, visit www.tenburymuseum.org.uk