Thackray Museum announces major funding boost

One of East Leeds’ best-known museums has secured more than £420,000 to help shape its future as it prepares to celebrate its 30th anniversary.

Thackray Museum of Medicine has announced ambitious plans to improve its historic building, expand its activities and involve local communities in deciding what comes next.

The funding includes £249,500 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and will support the museum’s long-term development over the next 30 years.

A major focus will be exploring improvements to its Grade II listed building in East Leeds.

These could include replacing or upgrading the roof and investigating whether an additional floor could provide more space for activities, partnerships and income generation.

The museum will also consult residents, academics, staff and partner organisations to help develop its future plans.

Another priority will be strengthening its finances through fundraising, donations and other income-generating activities.

Edward Appleyard, Chief Executive of Thackray Museum, said the announcement came at an important moment in its history.

He said: “This announcement comes at a hugely exciting moment for Thackray. As we prepare to celebrate 30 years since opening, this support gives us the time and space to think ambitiously about what the museum can become over the next three decades, and how the museum and its collection can best serve our visitors and the wide-ranging communities around us.”

The funding follows several years of development since the museum reopened in 2021.

During that time, it has introduced new programmes, improved accessibility and changed its pricing approach to attract a wider audience.

It has also received national and international recognition, becoming a finalist for Art Fund Museum of the Year and being shortlisted for European Museum of the Year.

The museum’s anniversary celebrations will include a programme of exhibitions and events throughout 2027.

One of the highlights will be Complexion, a new exhibition exploring the experiences of people with melanin-rich skin.

Running from February to June 2027, it will celebrate pride and beauty while examining experiences of being overlooked, unheard or mistreated.

The programme will also feature No Filter: A Love Letter to Melanin on 11 February and Body Politics on 13 March.

A new Collections CoLab, funded through the DCMS/Wolfson Museum and Galleries Improvement Fund, is also scheduled to open in April 2027.

Before then, visitors can enjoy the museum’s autumn and winter programme, including Mighty Mushrooms family activities and the continuing Where Magic Grows exhibition.

An adults-only gothic-themed event, Grave Expectations: Gothic Fiction Unmasked, will take place on 29 October, exploring connections between gothic stories, medicine and society.

The museum is also preparing for a change in leadership, with Professor Neil Kaiper-Holmes stepping down as chair after seven years and Neil Clephan OBE taking over.

Helen Featherstone, Director for England, North at the National Lottery Heritage Fund, welcomed the plans.

She said: “It is fantastic news that Thackray will put their visitors and local communities at the heart of their plans to shape the future of this much-loved heritage attraction.”

With its 30th anniversary approaching, the museum hopes the investment will help it become more accessible, financially sustainable and better equipped to serve East Leeds communities for generations to come.