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HOW TO GIVE
As an independent museum and registered charity, we don’t receive any public funding. Instead, we rely on generating our own income through grants, admissions, commercial activities and donations.

Why we Need your Support
Although we charge admission fees and make money from events and sales in the Textile Emporium and Tea Room, this isn’t enough to make us self-sufficient.
So it’s down to us and our supporters to raise the vital funds we need to keep our museum open for future generations to enjoy!
We also need donations to help us complete a range of projects that benefit our visitors, other users and the local community.
These include educational activities for local school children, restoration and maintenance of our historic buildings, and working with war-torn refugees to give them the chance to share existing skills and learn new ones.
There are lots of Ways to Give!
You can support the museum in a variety of ways. These include:
● Making a donation
You can donate online through Everyclick, or in person at the museum. If you’re a UK taxpayer, please make sure you complete a Gift Aid Declaration, as this increases the value of your donation by 25%. You can do this online or ask for a form in the Textile Emporium.
● Raising FREE donations by shopping online through Give as You Live
Simply nominate the museum as your chosen cause and shop online as normal - there are lots of top high street and online retailers to choose from. Click here to find out more.


A portion of your annual subscription, plus Gift Aid if you’re a UK taxpayer, will be donated to us when you join the Friends. The Friends also raise and donate funds on the museum’s behalf. Click here to find out more.
● Encouraging your workplace, or a group or organisation you’re involved in, to make us their Charity of the Month or Year and collect donations on our behalf.
Other ways to support the museum include:
● Leaving us a legacy in your will - visit our Legacies page for details.
● Getting involved in fundraising activities - visit our Fundraising page for details.
You Choose how we use your Money
When you donate funds to the museum, you can choose how we use your money. For example, you can ask us to put the funds towards a particular appeal, such as our ambitious National Lottery-funded redevelopment and expansion project, 'A Right Good Yarn,' or our Key Stage 1 and 2 educational activities.
We’re always fundraising for a variety of projects, so please contact us if you’d like further details before making your donation.
Alternatively, you could make what’s called an ‘unrestricted donation,’ which means we’ll use the funds where they’re needed most.
This might be to make essential repairs to one of our historic buildings, contribute towards a project that we’re fundraising for, or simply help us meet our day to day running costs.

Opening Times
Wednesday to Saturday: 11am – 4.30pm*
1st April to 30th September
Wednesday to Saturday: 11am – 4.30pm*
Sunday: 1.30pm – 4.30pm*
1st October to 21st December
Wednesday to Saturday: 11am – 4.30pm*
January
Closed for essential maintenance and conservation works
We are also open all Bank Holiday from 11am to 4pm!*
* Last entry to museum is at 4pm
My sister and I loved this museum. Especially the guided tours explaining how the machines work and the working and living conditions of the frame knitters at the time. Even got the chance to take a look at Queen Victoria’s stockings in the former methodist church across the cottages. Excellent museum! Very entertaining and interesting
Terrific Museum
My sister and I loved this museum. Especially the guided tours explaining how the machines work and the working and living conditions of the frame knitters at the time. Even got the chance to take a look at Queen Victoria’s stockings in the former methodist church across the cottages. Excellent museum! Very entertaining and interesting! Lovely to see such a local and ordinary history preserved
Excellent Museum!
Second visit to this fascinating museum, a veritable storehouse of social history, staffed by knowledgeable, enthusiastic folk. Some steps may prove difficult for the elderly or infirm but there’s plenty to appreciate at ground level.
Living History