The future of Helston's prized museum has been made safer after it won a join bid for support funding.

The Museum of Cornish Life was one of the organisations to receive money in the first round of the government's Culture Recovery Fund, which will eventually give out £1.57 billion to Britain's theatres, music venues, museums and cultural organisations to help them face the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic.

The museum in Helston put in a joint bid with Bodmin Keep and together they have been awarded a grant of £56,306, distributed on behalf of the government by Arts Council England.

Between them they cover many aspects of life in Cornwall and its rich history, spanning a large geographical area from the Lizard coast to the moorlands of mid-Cornwall.

The funding will support both museums by directly covering salary costs, enabling digital projects and helping them to continue their work in sharing a legacy of stories and objects in both collections.

Read next: Helston's museum gets £90,000 emergency funding to cope with coronavirus

Museum of Cornish Life director Annette MacTavish said: “We are so very thankful to have received this significant funding grant from the Culture Recovery Fund.

“This support will help the museum not only to survive but thrive, with ambitious new plans to digitise parts of its collections, opening them up to entirely new audiences.

“Our thanks also goes out to Arts Council England who administer the scheme and who have been so supportive of the cultural sector during these unprecedented times.

“Mostly, we look forward to still being able to welcome visitors to the museum on weekdays from 10am to 4pm; simply book your free slot online ahead of your visit.”

Falmouth Packet:

The Helston museum remains free to visit

The museums were two of the 1,385 cultural and creative organisations across the country receiving a share of £257 million, with more grants to be announced in the coming weeks.

Also receiving funds in Cornwall were The Bernard Leach Trust in St Ives (£58,335), the Penzance-based Cornwall Theatre Company (£82,118), Golowan CIC (£50,000) and Telegraph Museum at Porthcurno (£164,000).

Others included the National Maritime Museum Cornwall in Falmouth (£485,000), Truro Business Hub (£218,546), Cornwall Music Service Trust (£248,500), Man Engine creators Golden Tree Productions (£81,010), Creative Kernow Ltd (£50,444) and the Miracle Theatre Trust (£71,700).

The Helston museum's grant comes on the back of a Heritage Emergency Fund grant of £90,900 distributed by the National Lottery, which will be used to make major alterations to the museum’s shop and reception, opening up the space to make it easier for visitors to socially distance.