Campaign fund saves historic Hartlepool museum again after lockdown blow

The Heugh Battery Museum on the Headland, which is the only First World War battlefield site in Britain, closed in mid March as Covid-19 began to spread across the country.

Museum manager Diane Stephens says it has been saved again from closure by more than £32,000 raised by the public last year.

It launched an appeal, supported by the Mail’s Battery Charge campaign, in March 2019 to help pay their bills and keep the doors open and was a huge success.

Now the cash has come to its rescue again after being hit hard by the enforced lockdown closure.

Diane said: “The lockdown is affecting us terribly. We had that fabulous fundraising last year.

“Really that saved the museum twice. If we hadn’t had that money in the bank we wouldn’t have survived the lockdown.

“We would have gone by now.”

Unfortunately, the lockdown means the museum is not able to spend any of the money on its exhibits and improvement plans, but is paying for ongoing bills such as utilities.

There is no set date for when the museum may be able to reopen as it awaits government guidance.

Its staff of one full-time employee and two part-time workers are on furlough.

Diane added: “We are waiting for government guidance to filter down through regional bodies.

“Until then we are erring on the side of caution. It is frustrating especially given the beautiful weather we’ve been having.

“We will open as soon as we feel we can abide by the guidelines that come down from central government.”

Diane feels the battery museum has an advantage over many others in terms of social distancing as many of its exhibits are outdoors.

“We do have some pinch points,” she said. “It’s about what it will look like and what areas will be accessible.”

The gun battery was a military position from the 17th to the 20th Century, and most notably saw action during the Bombardment of Hartlepool on December 16, 1914.

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