Museum volunteers offering their visitors lessons in thrift

VOLUNTEERS at the Ripon Workhouse are helping visitors through the worst of the recession with lessons on the fine art of thrift.
By The Newsroom
Published 23rd Feb 2011, 09:42 BST

The museum, which is run by about 120 volunteers with no regular council funding, is highlighting the measures its former occupants would had to resort to in order to scrimp and save, and staff claim there are many lessons to be learned for modern-day visitors to the workhouse.

Museum manager Penny Hartley said: “The former staff and inmates at the workhouse practised recycling, self-sufficiency and plain old make-do and mend on a daily basis – not a penny was wasted.

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“Rags were recycled into rugs, garden scraps fed to the pigs and pig manure to feed the soil, chimney soot to make boot polish and clean teeth, paper-saving slates were used in the classroom, it is quite amazing how people lived.

“This was the place of last resort and the people that came here arrived with nothing.

“The workhouse needed to be as cheap as possible to maintain.

“We want visitors to see these money-saving ideas at first hand as we feel they are very pertinent for the modern-day world.”

The museum has re-opened for half-term this week, and will be open again daily from April 1 to October 30.