Patrons: The Rt Hon Lord Oxburgh KBE, FRS and
The President of the Geological Society of London
Chairman: Rt Hon Lord Derwent LVO DL
The Rotunda Project will be delivered by Scarborough Borough Council and Scarborough Museums Trust (SMT) working in partnership. On completion, in 2007, the Council will hand over responsibility for the operation of the Museum to the Trust for an initial 25 year period. In the meantime the Trust will be concentrating on raising the £1.6m of matched funding required to supplement the grant of £1.9m, allocated to the project by the Heritage Lottery Fund.
The transfer of the Rotunda Museum to the SMT will give the museum new impetus. With charitable status the Museum will be better able to attract private and commercial sponsorship, while the board of trustees and management will all be able to concentrate exclusively on the Museum without the inevitable conflicting priorities of a local authority.
The board of trustees is chaired by Lord Derwent who has family links with the Rotunda and William Smith. Members of the board have been selected to bring a wide range of experience to the Trust.
Working with the full support of Scarborough Borough Council and Scarborough’s Town Team, Lord Derwent and the trustees see the redevelopment of the Rotunda Museum as a catalyst for the Urban Renaissance of Scarborough and the proposed new Cultural Quarter as well as creating a focus for Geological education, research and enjoyment for Yorkshire and the North of England.
