National award fortwo of borough’svisitor attractions

The Museum Accreditation Scheme, operated by Arts Council England, sets nationally agreed standards for all museums in the UK. There are currently just under 1,800 museums participating in the Accreditation Scheme

The scheme defines good practice and standards.

To meet the requirements, a museum has to demonstrate that it complies with standards relating to how the museum is governed and managed, how it cares for and manages collections and how it provides services and facilities for users and visitors.

Following the appointment of a museums officer, staff in the borough council’s heritage and tourism section have been “working hard to develop museum services including acquiring funding for the upgrade of the museum’s storage facilities and creating innovative new programming such as the Medieval Town Tour and the current exhibition on the Antrim Artillery Militia”.

The Mayor, Alderman Charles Johnston, said, “We are delighted that our museums have maintained accredited status under the new scheme. We are committed to providing high quality museum and heritage services and fully support the work that is currently being undertaken.”

Chris Bailey, director of Northern Ireland Museums Council, said: “Carrickfergus should be justly proud that two of its museums have been recognised under the accreditation scheme. Achieving this standard is a mark of the dedication and commitment of the council and its staff in providing a museum service of comparable quality and it opens up further opportunities for funding and support. I take this opportunity to congratulate all of those concerned and to encourage everyone to visit both museums.”

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