The National Waterways Museum at Ellesmere Port has launched a far reaching development plan, setting out a vision for the future of the museum.
The vision was unveiled at a lunch in the Museum’s conference centre attended by representatives from the Cheshire West and Chester Council, Visit Chester and Cheshire, West Cheshire College, the private sector [including the Peel Group] and representatives of the many volunteers who support the National Waterways Museum.
At the event, which celebrated the Museum becoming Britain’s only National Waterways Museum, visitors were told about the huge and growing contribution volunteers make to the museum and the range of new events and activities which their involvement has enabled.
They also heard about the ambitious plans the Museum has for the next decade and its potential role in the regeneration of Ellesmere Port town and the Waterfront.
Roger Hanbury chief executive of The Waterways Trust which operates the Museum said: “This plan is a milestone in the history of the National Waterways Museum. Since its beginnings in the 1970s the National Waterways Museum has known good times and bad times, but this plan builds on the turn round achieved in recent time and sets a clear vision for the Museum, recognising its role as a strategic asset for Ellesmere Port.
And Brenda Harvey, former Ellesmere Port and Neston Borough Council chief executive and now museum trustee, added: “We’re already the only museum carrying the ‘national’ tag in Cheshire and we’re going to be building on that to become the premier national centre for Britain’s waterways heritage and a real draw for visitors from across the country.”
The plan envisages that the Museum will become – “the premier national centre for Britain’s waterways heritage.” It sets other milestones to be reached by 2020, including recognition as the leading waterways museum in the UK, a high quality centre for people wishing to study the canals, a focus for young people to experience the waterways and a well loved place for local resident to visit and relax.
The National Waterways Museum is working in partnership with Cheshire West and Chester Council and Peel Holdings to ensure that the Museum makes a full contribution to the regeneration Ellesmere Port and the Waterfront
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