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Donations, support and a personal view

Since opening our museum on Boxing day 2001 quite a number of people have been so appreciative of our efforts they have donated items of interest. We take this opportunity to thank them, one and all.

The museum project began many years ago and has taken a great deal of effort. In terms of purchases, renovation to the building, lost income and the outlay of further time and money attempting to establish it, we can truly say that this 'totally private' and unfunded museum has cost us a very great deal indeed – heartache included. However, the project has never been about money, it has always been about offering something decent in a fad-driven world of instant gratification, but we have to be realistic and we need all the support we can get to keep the entry fee low and therefore accessible to families and the less well off.

Many people from all walks of life have enjoyed our presentation and we are sure many more will do so, but to continue to offer it in an updated and highly maintained form on a daily basis is unbelievably difficult – we have recently opened successful 'Victorian Teashop' in order to generate some income, but this was a massive undertaking in itself in terms of hard work and further investment.

We are continually attempting to draw visitors with leaflet drops and other means, but this is very expensive and time consuming. Our efforts to attract schools, colleges and clubs are making good headway, but their interest is also limited by the current demands of restrictive curriculums, funding and personnal time. It seems to us that money, far from being the 'New God', is more like a Devil that will drain the 'promise of education' and 'broad outlook' from the heart of our world.

You have to believe very strongly in what you are doing to start a venture like ours in a world where the demands upon people to be consumers rather than thinking individuals is overwhelming, but believe me when I say that there is NOTHING MORE HEARTENING than to know that a group of individuals have enjoyed themselves and perhaps learned something by the simple fact of our efforts.

It has always been our policy to push on and this has certainly worked. The praise we get from our visitors makes every sacrifice worthwhile, but we need your support - so if you can organise a trip, have somewhere to display our leaflets, or you can help in any other way, we would love to hear from you. If you would like to make a cash donation of any amount you choose, you can do so by cheque or by using the excellent PayPal system below - just click on the button. It is quick, simple and free!

Peter Hague (Creator of Life in a Lens and The Victorian teashop)

Don't let the world wallow in ignorance.