Storrington & District Museum Society

The Storrington and District Museum with the Association of Friends of Storrington Museum were formed as a Millennium project in 2000.  The Museum was set up in the room in which it is still housed today in the Old School, Storrington.  This was used as a Community Centre funded by the Parish Council, who rented it from the Hooper & Downer Trust, a local Charity that owns the Old School.  The Parish Council allowed the Museum to use this space without paying rent or service charges.  In September 2004 the Parish Council left the Old School and this created a very difficult situation for the fledgling museum.  In order to stay where it is, the Museum has to find nearly £4,000 a year to pay for running costs and rent to the Hooper & Downer Trust, which for its part went to great lengths to ensure that the Museum could continue.  It was at this juncture that it was decided to amalgamate the two bodies so that the future of the Museum could be assured.

 

Storrington and its surrounding villages are greatly indebted to Joan and Ron Ham who oversaw the setting up of the Museum.  Their huge contribution of time and effort has enabled the museum to play a significant part in the life of the district.  We must also thank our curators, first Helen Whittle and then Gina Wilmshurst, for the large part they too have played in the Museum’s first ten years.  One must also mention all the other people who gave their time to enable the Society to provide a museum which opens for two hours, six days a week, has an enquiry desk, an educational outreach programme, puts on historical lectures, walks outings and social events.

 

The Museum now needs to build on the success of the first ten years.  The world has changed and we must now follow modern museum procedures that reflect that. We have been in discussion with Jeremy Knight, the curator of Horsham Museum, and as a result a new management structure will be put in place.  The area from which we collect will be more clearly defined; a new Acquisition and Disposal Policy will be prepared which will link into an expanded cataloguing and location system.

 

All these changes mean there is a lot of work to be done and a lottery grant application is being prepared to help fund this.  Let’s hope it is successful.  Whatever happens, we will still need to set up these initiatives for which we will need more volunteers.  The trustees do want the Museum to be perceived as a friendly welcoming place. The aims and objectives of the Museum will be explained to all volunteers who will receive training to understand their important rôle and to be able to answer questions regarding the collection and current exhibitions.  We would be delighted to hear from anybody who would like to be part of the next ten years of Storrington Museum, particularly people who have some experience of working in a museum or a library.  We need volunteers, people with computer, publicity and secretarial skills, but in particular, if you have a passion for preserving the history and heritage of our area, there will be something there for you.  Do come and join us.

 

Meg Everitt

Chair, Storrington & District Museum Society

www.storringtonmuseum.org

Chair@storringtonmuseum.org

01903745051

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