Co-op Museum gets Lottery boost

Architects' (Loop Systems of Manchester) drawing of the proposed access tower at the Rochdale Pioneers Museum, which will include a lift and staircase.

Ambitious plans for a major upgrade of facilities at the Rochdale Pioneers Museum on Toad Lane have received a huge boost.

The Heritage Lottery Fund has announced the award of a grant of £136,000 to develop plans and do preparatory work for the project.

Sara Hilton, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund in the North West, said: "Rochdale was the birthplace of the Co-operative movement and we are proud to support this scheme that celebrates its significance. Our grant will help safeguard a truly unique collection and bring to life the treasure trove of pioneering social history that it captures."

Some of the money will also go towards improving facilities at the National Co-operative archive in Manchester.

“This is a vital step towards our goal to secure the long term future of the Archive and Museum,” said Professor Stephen Yeo, chairman of the Co-operative Heritage Trust, which was established in 2007 to safeguard co-operative heritage.

The core running costs of the Archive and Museum are covered by the generosity of the Co-operative Group in setting up an Endowment Fund.

The project, ROCHDALE: Renewing Our Co-operative Heritage, Developing the Archive and Learning Experiences has a total budget of £2.3 million and involves major renovation to the Rochdale Pioneers Museum, conservation work in the National Co-operative Archive and the development of learning resources using materials from the Museum and Archive.

Plans include the development of a new education and meeting space as well as providing better access to the building. This will help to ensure that the story of the Rochdale Pioneers, the inspiration for a worldwide co-operative movement, is secured for future generations.

As Iain Macdonald, Director-General of the International Co-operative Alliance emphasised: “The importance of the Rochdale Pioneers cannot be overestimated in the history of the modern co-operative movement.

The cash windfall has been welcomed by Rochdale MP Paul Rowen.

He said: “I would like to congratulate Dorothy Grieves and our team at the museum. Our museum, set on Toad Lane, provides an educational experience for visitors. It includes the origins and development of the Rochdale Pioneers Society in the context of 19th century Rochdale.

"Further to this it gives people an insight into the huge part that Rochdale played in the Co-operative Movement. It needs a revamp after being opened in its current form for more than 70 years, when the Toad Lane Conservation area was developed. This is great news that I am sure will be welcomed by everyone in Rochdale.”