Carpet museum reopens after £50,000 lifeline

Kidderminster's carpet museum will reopen its doors over half-term, just weeks after it announced its closure due to financial pressures.

The museum, which celebrates the town's carpet-making heritage, shut at the end of last year.

Trustees said at the time that rising costs and falling visitor numbers had made it unsustainable.

After talks with Wyre Forest District Council and Kidderminster Town Council, the museum has secured a £50,000 funding boost and will reopen for four days over half-term, on both Saturdays, Tuesday and Thursday.

Geoffrey Gilbert, chair of the Carpet Museum Trust, said the local reaction to the closure had been one of disappointment.

"Although they didn't visit us in the numbers we would have wanted, local people saw us as a tribute and a part of the town," he said.

Gilbert believes that strong support on social media had helped persuade the councils to step in.

"They've come round to supporting us, so they are willing to provide us with funds which will enable us to open the museum for the rest of this year and probably next year," he added.

The half-term reopening was arranged at the request of volunteers, who Gilbert said wanted to keep going while a deal was worked out.

The trust is now in discussions about transforming the venue from a museum dedicated solely to carpets into a broader museum for Kidderminster in a bid to secure its long-term future.

He said the plans needed involvement from local history organisations as well as community groups.

He added that the transformation could take "the best part of two years".

The museum, which has operated for 13 years, houses an extensive collection, including two Victorian handlooms, one producing "Kidderminster Stuff", a versatile fabric once used for floor coverings, and the other making the original Kidderminster carpet.

Kidderminster was once known around the world for its carpets and was recorded as a textile town in the Domesday Book.

Gilbert said trustees were confident the reopened museum would attract support both locally and from further afield.

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