Plans to transform one of the north-east’s most beloved visitor attractions into a five-star facility have been given a massive funding boost from the Scottish Government.
The Grampian Transport Museum (GTM) in Alford has been awarded £70,000 by Holyrood’s department for culture, Europe and external affairs towards a vital upgrade of its visitor centre.
The museum has raised £210,000 so far towards its overall goal for the £320,000 project, which will modernise its visitor reception and create an educational space, display area and cafe.
Yesterday, the team at the four-star attraction – which holds hugely popular events for motor enthusiasts from March until October – said the funding means they will have the new facilities up and running in time for the 2016 season.
Last month, the GTM also received a boost from Aberdeenshire Council after councillors agreed to hand over two years worth of funding amounting to £45,000 to help deliver the upgrade.
VisitScotland have pledged to promote the museum to a five-star facility if the front entrance is redeveloped.
The latest funding was announced by cabinet secretary, Fiona Hyslop, yesterday as part of £250,000 cash boost to Scottish museums and galleries.
Curator Mike Ward said it was “fantastic news” for the GTM – which is now moving into its last week of events for 2015.
He added that finding the last of the funds for the project had been “proving difficult”, whilst the centre had a long tradition of not seeking help from the “public purse”.
Mr Ward said: “We are really delighted at this. Fundraising for this particular project has been a remarkable story and we have raised a lot of money through community-sourced funds. The local community has really got behind us.
“We had that elusive final gap and we were starting to think we’d have to wait another year. And there you go, the Scottish Government have helped out.
“The museum has track record of self-help and not relying on the public purse.”
He added: “We’ll definitely be opening in the spring, no doubt about that, this development was a spring board to move the museum into higher opportunities. It is fantastic news.
“So far we have got the best we can with pretty limited physical facilities. We will be radically upgraded with this extension.
“And our visitors numbers have grown year on year for the last four years. We are feeling particularly robust at the moment.”