BUILDING work has started on a new development to house two new permanent exhibitions at Bagshaw Museum, Batley.
The makeover will allow the museum, in Wilton Park, to house a new exhibition on the town's history and make its South Asian gallery a permanent feature.
A platform lift, which will offer access to first-floor galleries, will also be in place by t
he time the museum reopens next year.
Consultation sessions with local people, held by staff from Kirklees Museums and Galleries, have revealed stories which will contribute to the new Batley local history exhibition, using two downstairs gallery spaces.
Coun Liz Smaje, Kirklees Council's cabinet member for leisure and neighbourhood services, said: "People are fiercely proud of coming from Batley; one word that has come up time and time again during the consultation process is 'unique'.
"By using this sense of what makes Batley special as a focus for the new galleries at Bagshaw we should be able to reflect on our past and celebrate our present and future. This project has given people an opportunity to really think about what Batley means to them. Therefore it's very important that we ensure that their overall message of positive diversity and strong sense of community is represented and celebrated."
Museum staff have been packing up and moving displays to keep them safe during building work.
They have also ensured that the popular Egyptian education programme is still available to local schools by introducing a new outreach session.
The full article contains 251 words and appears in n/a newspaper.
