THE Black Country Living Museum has been awarded thousands of pounds from Arts Council England to protect its trove of advertising from yesteryear.

The popular Dudley museum has received £65,000 from the national organisation to make its world-class collections more accessible.

Around 3,000 objects, including original retail packaging from chemists, general stores, Black Country manufacturers and local retailers, spanning from the late 1800s to1950s will benefit from the extra funds.

The money will be used to research the history of the items and to digitise them to make them more accessible for researchers, visitors and other museums.

Peter Knott, Area Director for Arts Council England, said: “We want to support all Designated collections so that everyone can experience, enjoy, discover and learn from them. Through their collections and knowledge, museums open our eyes to the wonders and challenges of the world and can help us find our place in it.

“This is an exciting time for BCLM, as they embark on their Forging Ahead 1940s-1960s development - and I’m sure this project will help them explore and unpick their advertising and packaging collection to tell stories about real people from the region, and inspire even more visitors to learn about the Black Country’s heritage and important place in history.”

Arts Council will support 28 organisations across the country with £2.1million through the Designation Development Fund for the period 2019 – 2021.