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Portland Museum has changed hands:The management of Portland Museum was transferred from Weymouth and Portland Borough Council to the newly formed Portland Museum Trust on April 1st 2008 - but the Council is kindly continuing to provide web page space for the Trust until its own website is up and running, hopefully later this year. For a number of years, the Council had been looking for alternative ways to deliver a number of its services, and this cultural attraction was one that was achievable. The idea of running the Museum independently was already a popular one within the Portland community; after all, two of the cottages in which the Museum is housed were given to the people of Portland by Dr Marie Stopes in 1930; so the aspiration of making the Museum a true community asset was ready to be fulfilled - and possibly long overdue. In the year or so since Portland Museum Trust was formed for this very purpose, major progress has been made to recruit and develop an effective team of directors and special advisers, as well as regular volunteers, who have all been working on different aspects of improving and managing the Museum, and revitalising it for the 2009 season. There are new displays in each of the Museum's rooms this year, based around the themes of Stone, Sea and People, which, together with a brand new shop and entrance in Church Ope Road, will hopefully make visitors feel they are visiting the Museum for the first time. Opening times for 2009 are given on the Portland Museum home page. Come along and have a look for yourself, and give your own verdict on the "new look". All feedback is welcome and we will strive to ensure we provide exactly what visitors want to see when they come to look round this lovely little Island museum. Volunteering at Portland MuseumWe have a dedicated band of regular volunteers but we are always looking for more people to join us. The range of tasks to be done is extensive - gardening, cleaning, cataloguing, artefact conservation, visitor guides, working in the shop and on the desk, serving refreshments - the list is endless. The Trust is flexible in accommodating anything volunteers can offer in terms of tasks and time. Please get in touch if you would like to know more. Either telephone the Museum direct on 01305 821804, or contact Trust Secretary, Pam Boyce, on 01305 823500.
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