by Sam Hawcroft
Hedon Museum has marked a major milestone as volunteers, supporters and local dignitaries came together to celebrate 30 years since it first opened to the public.
The museum, tucked behind Hedon Town Hall off Watmough’s Arcade, opened on September 28, 1996, after years of work by members of the Hedon Museum Society, which had been formed in 1988.
Finding a suitable home was one of the biggest early challenges. Eventually, Hedon Town Council offered the former caretaker’s cottage behind the Town Hall, which was later extended over the garden to create the museum that stands today.
Monday’s anniversary event brought together Friends and volunteers, as well as year six pupils from Inmans Primary School and local representatives including Hedon mayor Cllr Suzie Wright.
Among those present was Martin Craven, who played a central role in establishing the museum from its earliest days.
Volunteer Lesley Harland said: “The museum was Martin’s baby from day one. He thought of having a museum, so he really is the founder. He is very modest.”
The anniversary display includes reminders of the fundraising effort that made the museum possible, including the original “thermometer” sign that stood in the Market Place showing progress towards the target, and the book containing the names of people who supported the Buy a Brick campaign.
The museum has remained entirely volunteer-run throughout its 30 years, with its team creating exhibitions, welcoming visitors and carrying out outreach work with schools and care homes.
Lesley, who has volunteered at the museum for about 13 years, has helped put together the current exhibition upstairs, which looks back at the history of Hedon Railway.
She said: “I think our biggest thing is getting people to acknowledge that we are actually here.”
She added that volunteers were always needed, stressing that people did not have to be history experts to help and they only need spare a few hours per month.
“You just greet people – that’s all we ask,” she said.
The museum also continues to encourage people to record their memories of Hedon and the surrounding area before they are lost.
Lesley said: “It’s so important that people tell us these things.”
Cllr Wright described the museum as “a fantastic asset for the community”.
She said: “Hedon itself has such a wonderful history going back hundreds and hundreds of years, and I just think it’s such a vital asset for children and young people, as well as older people, to get access to and learn about the history behind it.
“We’re very, very lucky in Hedon.”
The museum is open every Wednesday and Saturday until the end of November, before reopening at the beginning of March next year.
