PONTYPOOL Museum has reflected on a year of campaigning following cuts to its budget.

In 2014, Torfaen Museum Trust, the registered charity that runs Pontypool Museum, was subjected to a £19,000 budget cut in its funding from Torfaen County Borough Council. Over the past 12 months, to mitigate the impact of this reduction in core funding, the trust - supported by the Argus' sister paper the Pontypool Free Press - has carried out an ambitious fundraising campaign to spread awareness of the good work carried out at Pontypool Museum. It has also sought to increase its membership by no less than 1000 new members, encouraging individuals, families and businesses to join the museum to help it sustain its important work.

Key highlights of the campaign include a varied array of events that took place during a very busy year at the local institution, and a host of kind donations from many members of the public.

One anonymous Free Press reader, on learning of the museum’s plight through the pages of the newspaper, made a very generous donation of £1,000 to the cause.

Some well-known names have also lent support to the campaign. May 2014 witnessed Eddie Butler, the former Pooler and Wales Rugby Captain and celebrated BBC broadcaster, giving a well-attended talk on the history of the Pontypool RFC during its 1970s and 1980s heyday. The talk was a resounding success, generating some £1,100 for the museum.

More events followed and, later in the year, local historian Chris Barber gave a well-received lecture on local novelist Alexander Cordell (1914-1997), celebrating the life and work of the author of Rape of the Fair Country (1959).

Further success came in November 2014 when the museum’s dedicated volunteers won the Marsh Trust Award (Wales Region) for volunteering in education. At an event held at the British Museum in London, the previous Trust Fundraiser Sassy Hicks and some of the museum’s volunteers were presented with a cheque for £500 in recognition of their hard work.

Membership numbers have increased considerably during the past year, with exact figures currently being calculated, but there is still work to do if the trust is to reach its ambitious target of attracting 1,000 new members and raising the £19,000 lost.

Membership is vital to the financial sustainability of the museum and therefore individuals, families and businesses are being urged to help save the important services that Pontypool Museum carries out.

Nathan Matthews, fundraising officer for Torfaen Museum Trust, whose own job is sponsored by Welsh Government and EU grant aid, said: “Torfaen’s heritage elevates the social and cultural aspirations of our communities and is enjoyed by thousands of people each year. If this is to continue our heritage must be protected and to achieve this we need the support of local people.

“Donations, sponsorship and membership subscriptions are all greatly appreciated and are essential to help Pontypool Museum survive and thrive in difficult economic circumstances.”

For more information about membership, contact Pontypool Museum on 01495 752036 or email pontypoolmuseum@hotmail.com