Battery Charge: Military vehicles roll in as campaign charges on to save Hartlepool’s Heugh Battery from closure

The Heugh Battery Museum on the Headland is trying to raise at least £5,000 to keep its doors open which is backed by the Mail’s Battery Charge campaign.

The battery is hosting a visit of exhibits from the Military Vehicle Trust which will see a range of wartime vehicles at the museum from 10am to 5pm on April 20.

Heugh Battery Museum volunteer Bob Dunkley said: “We have got the local Military Vehicle Trust coming and I guess there could be a dozen or more vehicles.
“We are trying to raise money for the battery by getting people there. There is lots for people to see and do and it is educational.

“We have got this local piece of history right on our doorstep. It’s the scene of the only battle in the country during the First World War and there was a presence in the Second World War.

“Come and see us and have a fantastic day out.”

The fundraising and awareness drive has so far raised more than £2,300.

Museum manager Diane Stephens said: “We have been really stunned by the amount of goodwill and good wishes that we have had since the appeal has started.”

Now Diane is hoping people will support the museum by attending a string of events, including a superheroes event for Mother’s Day this Sunday.

Other events being held in the coming weeks include:

* Sunday, April 14, Ridley’s Aeroplane – The North East Land Sea and Air museum is bringing a full-size replica of a Morane Saulnier Type N ‘Bullet’ to the Heugh Battery Museum and will be on hand to tell the story of Claude Alward Ridley DSO, MC, a pilot from Sunderland who flew Moranes during the First World War. It is a fantastic replica built by the volunteers who will be there to show it.

* Sunday, April 28, Co-hosting Alice House Hospice’s Memory Stroll round the Headland.

* Sunday, June 30, Peace Party – marking the centenary of the official end to the First World War, where the museum will be hosting a giant street party on the site.

Further information about all events will appear on the museum’s website and Facebook page.

Annual passes for the museum are available now, priced £10.

To donate to the fund, visit the Heugh Battery Museum Appeal page at www.justgiving.com