Eastleigh museum closed
Residents and visitors to the Town Centre have been left disappointed, after Eastleigh museum closed its doors while plans for its long-term future are explored.
Financial and staffing issues had created problems for the museum but talks are now in place to discuss next steps.
In 2014 Hampshire Cultural Trust took over the running of the museum from the county council as part of a cost cutting initiative, but financial issues have continued to be an issue despite the museum being staffed by volunteers.
Visitors numbers have also been in decline. During 2009 nearly 30,000 people visited the museum but last year numbers dropped to just 1,800 visitors after the venue was forced to close for months due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
The museum was due to shut on April 1 but when Eastleigh News reporters visited on March 28 they discovered the premises had already closed its doors to visitors.
In a statement published on the Hampshire Cultural Trust website, Chief Executive Paul Sapwell, said:
We are unfortunately not in a financial position to support staffing the museum and front-of-house running costs with the venue in its current form, as revenue from the existing shop and café is not sufficient to support the operations.
We do however believe that a more resilient model can be achieved, subject to redevelopment of the museum offer and space to attract more customers, along with a longer-term assurance of local authority funding.
We are in discussions with both Eastleigh Borough Council and Hampshire County Council regarding our plans.
Currently, Hampshire Cultural Trust are in discussions with the Eastleigh Borough Council and Hampshire County Council over the museum’s future.
Member’s of the public have expressed their disappointment at the news with one passer-by telling EN reporters:
“It’s for kids, for people who want to understand the history of Eastleigh.
We need help to donate for this charity [so the museum can stay open].”
Currently, there’s no date set for a re-opening but Eastleigh Museum Joint Management Committee is scheduled to meet again in July 14.
