THE Pontypool Museum curator wants the community to know how public donations and membership fees are helping to keep history alive for future generations.

The museum is currently campaigning to attract 1,000 new members to make up for a £19,000 cash shortfall in its budget.

Curator Deborah Wildgust said she wanted to share how the museum spends its money each year.

She explained that the running of the museum costs around £130,000 per year. Torfaen council currently contributes around 60 per cent of this cost for the museum to look after the collections for the borough.

The remainder the museum has to raise itself through its membership scheme and grants.

Mrs Wildgust said that often it is the little things that add up as the collections need to be cleaned regularly with special equipment and products to avoid damage.

Artefacts, for example, need to be stored in acid free boxes.

“Each one of these boxes is around £7 so when you have 1,500 artefacts it gets quite expensive,” she said.

With the building open to the public it needs to be kept up to a good standard, and as it is a Grade II listed building any maintenance is costly.

“It’s a big building to maintain and as we can’t afford a cleaner anymore then everyone has to get involved,” she added.

The museum’s annual audit costs around £5,000, building insurance is around £7,500 and contents insurance is around £6,000.

She said: “Every day that the museum is open we have to staff it, have the heating and the lights on and then there are water rates, all of that adds up.

"The decision to open for half a day this year on a Saturday cost about £5,000 for the year.”

The museum staff are now currently looking for grants for the next financial year and hoping to see more people sign up to their membership scheme.

She said: “Membership would make an ideal gift for someone and they will know that they are helping the museum pay for all of these things and helping to keep it open for future generations.

“The museum and its artefacts are something that can never be replaced once it is gone, so that is why we are fighting to keep it open.”

For more information call the museum on 01495 752036.