Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums (TWAM) has raised over £30,000 with support from generous local businesses and individuals at a special fundraising event held at Arthur’s Music & Dining Club, at Fenwick Newcastle.
Proceeds from the event will help the museum service, which manages nine museums and galleries, to continue to place art, culture and heritage at the heart of the North East.
TWAM’s venues which include the Great North Museum: Hancock, Laing Art Gallery, Discovery Museum, Hatton Gallery, Segedunum Roman Fort, Stephenson Steam Railway, South Shields Museum, Arbeia South Shields Roman Fort and Shipley Art Gallery attract around 1 million visits a year. Sharing the stories of the North East’s past and present the venues also engage over 90,000 children and young people each year via education programmes. The museum service cares for 1.1 million objects, artefacts and artworks, preserving them for future generations and delivers programmes for communities connecting creativity, health and wellbeing to create a healthier, happier and more equal society.
The event which was coordinated by TWAM Trustee, Helen Cadzow and hosted by Fenwick Newcastle, included a dinner, raffle and auction with prizes including: an exclusive weekend stay in stunning Gothic Mansion, Fallbarrow Hall on Lake Windermere donated by Parkdean Resorts; a Diamond bracelet donated by Portland Group; a luxury hamper and range of prizes from its store were donated by Fenwick; a painting by South Tyneside artist, Bob Olley; a painting donated by Whitehall Galleries and a stay in a luxury Treehouse donated by Ramside Hall.
Keith Merrin, Director of TWAM, said: “We’re thrilled that the event was such a success and enormously grateful to Helen Cadzow, our Trustee who made the event happen, and to all of the sponsors and individuals who were so very generous. This funding will help us to use our amazing museums, galleries, collections and programmes to break down barriers to art and heritage, support people’s physical and mental health, provide learning experiences and volunteering opportunities to people of all ages, and to celebrate all that is special about North East England.”
Sponsors of the event included Fenwick Newcastle, Parkdean Resorts, Whitewall Galleries, ISG construction and Modo Bloc.