A Roman ear pick is one of 18 items put up for adoption to raise
funds for a Nottinghamshire museum.
Newark's Millgate Museum's adopt-an-artefact initiative will
help towards a new national centre for Civil War learning in the town.
Objects have been chosen by museum staff from the 60,000 items
in stores.
Sue Rodgers, from The Friends of Newark and Sherwood Museum
Service, said the scheme was a way for everyone to engage with the heritage of
their local area.
Other artefacts chosen include a pair of ladies' shoes from 1817
and a Roman lead coffin discovered at Brough in 1971 which held the skeleton of
a young female dating from 300AD.
For donating a minimum of £10, people will receive a certificate
of adoption and an information sheet on their chosen object.
Bryony Robins, from Millgate Museum, said: "Hopefully it
will get people interested in the collection and raise awareness of the
museum's extensive stores, which are open to the public on request."
Adopt-an-artefact
Items up for adoption include...
- A Roman Cavalry Helmet's copper cheek piece
- A post-medieval gold pendant
- A polished stone axe head
- A military tunic
- An Anglo-Saxon gold cross pendant
The scheme is the
first of several fundraising projects planned by the Friends of Newark and
Sherwood Museum Service who aim to raise between £50,000 and £100,000 for the Civil
War Centre over the coming years.
The museum, on Appleton Gate, is expected to cost about £5m and
is due to open in 2014.
Newark and Sherwood District Council has received about £200,000
from the Heritage Lottery Fund to carry out initial development work on the
museum.
It will be bidding for a further £3.4m in February, with most of
the money being used to restore the Old Magnus building which is housing the
exhibits.
