HELICOPTER MUSEUM WINS TOP ACCREDITATION

The Helicopter Museum (THM) in Weston-super-Mare has become one of the first independent aviation collections in the country to be awarded Full Accreditation by the Museum, Libraries and Archives (MLA) Council.

 THM was recently described by the Editor of Flypast magazine, Ken Ellis, in a biennial review of the UK aviation museum scene, as able to ‘show some of the nationals how it is done’, a reference to the level of professionalism shown by the volunteers and staff.

“As a museum that receives no government or local authority grants towards our overheads we are naturally delighted to be accepted as maintaining the same high standards in the collection care and the running of our facilities as the funded national collections”, commented THM Chairman of Trustees Elfan ap Rees following the announcement.  “That we are able to meet these tough requirements is a tribute to our managers and the volunteer workforce, whose dedication to the museum has to be seen to be believed” he added. 

To meet the requirements for Accreditation, museums have to be able to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the MLA that they are reaching and maintaining a number of targets in terms of collection care, forward business planning, staff training, risk assessment, health and safety and a range of associated issues. 

The Helicopter Museum, a registered charity, holds the world’s largest dedicated rotary-wing collection, with more than 50% of the aircraft on display listed under the top benchmark category in the National Aviation Heritage Register and a high percentage of extremely rare and sole surviving exhibits. 

With the exception of managers in post to run the commercial aspects of the museum, the facility is wholly staffed by volunteers, who carry out all the maintenance and restoration work necessary to conserve the collection, as well as assisting in the shop and other areas of the museum. 

Opened by HRH The Prince Andrew in 1989, the Museum consistently attracts more than 20,000 visitors to Weston-super-Mare and has achieved world wide fame through television programmes and articles that have been based on the collection and its archive material.