DURHAM.- The Bowes Museum is taking part in a national fundraising campaign to boost online donations during the festive period.

The Barnard Castle treasure house has signed up to be part of The Big Give as a way of raising the extra funds necessary to fully equip and staff the Reading Room, which opened earlier this year as part of a major redevelopment of the 19th Century listed building.

The Friends of The Bowes Museum have already pledged £6,000 towards library books for the new facility, but we are now urging members of the public to offer their support by going online at 10.00am on Monday 6 December to pledge their own contributions in a bid to match the Friends’ generosity.

For those people who are able to donate as near to 10.00am on that date, their contribution can be doubled by private sponsorship managed by the Sponsors Club for Arts and Business. This could potentially mean that the original pledge of £6,000 from the Friends could transform into £18,000 and would therefore support a much needed Archive post at the Museum.

Lisa Jeffries, the Museum’s Fundraising and Special Projects Manager, said: “The library is a great new resource and this is a fantastic way of maximising online donations to ensure we are able to utilise it to its full potential.”

If you would like to help match the Friends’ pledge then log on to The Big Give website at 10.00am on 6 December. The pledging page is open until one minute to midnight on New Year’s Eve, but the sooner donations are made the more likely they stand to receive some of The Big Give pot.