Assoc (Lancs) News Page

The Newest Member of the Association Lancashire

This is Lew Price aged 17 He has just completed basic training and currently on a driving cardre on route to the 1st Bn, As part of the Veterans parkage for the future Oldham Branch will monitor his progress for press release's involving veterans week as a local Royton Oldham Fusilier.Yes of course he actully got a pair of Assoc Regt socks from the Oldham PRI

With another busy and successful year behind the project, there is only one more to go now until the museum doors open to the public in time for the Gallipoli celebrations in April 2009. The construction work is well underway and the building is beginning to look like a museum and a regimental headquarters rather than a building site. The new glazing in the weaving shed - the larger of the two main exhibition galleries - is particularly impressive and has been meticulously repaired. All glazing in display galleries will be covered for improved security and to exclude natural daylight which is damaging to exhibits, but the fabric of the building, even where it is barely noticeable, has been restored as part of the project.

Meanwhile the foundations have been laid for the modern entrance extension which will have large glazed panels overlooking the relocated Lutyens Memorial in Sparrow Park. These will be punctuated with stack-bonded red brick walls, which will also be used to face the external wall of the weaving shed. When the building was originally constructed, there was a plan to extend it across the land which became Sparrow Park. This never happened and the wall remained rather crudely finished for over 100 years.

The front elevation of the building where stone work is being repaired

The museum collection is also the subject of some tender loving care and many items have been carefully removed to the Conservation Studios in Preston, which are operated by Lancashire County Council. An assortment of different objects ranging from historic colours to oil paintings, textiles, weapons and sculptures will be carefully conserved there and prepared for redisplay.

Objects are being transported to Preston for conservation work

There are plans to recruit a Commercial Manager later this year who will be responsible to the charitable company for running the commercial aspects of the museum and for managing the museum staff. The new recruit will be carefully chosen and in the months before the opening will take on the tasks of planning and publicising the activities programme, stocking the shop, developing the catering offer and marketing the corporate entertainment facilities.

The budget is now fixed at £3.75million, having increased after the construction tenders, received last summer were considerably higher than expected. The fundraising is proceeding well and is just about keeping pace with spending although there are still some hefty hurdles to be jumped before the project can be absolutely confident of success. Issues related to cash flow need to be addressed as the monthly bills are significant and some of the assured funding is retrospective and must be found and spent before it can be reclaimed.

It is amazing to reflect on how much has been achieved. But there is still a long way to go and a great many more risks need to be managed and decisions taken before the ambitious vision becomes a reality. Steering Group members will continue to work to capacity until the project is complete. There are exhibition and interior designs to be developed discussed and approved, accounts to be managed, funds to be raised, minutes and innumerably applications and letters to be written and many more partnerships to be forged and nurtured - but it continues to be a joyful journey and now a journey with a clear goal in sight.