​Collecions to be expanded after funding award

A maritime museum in Irvine and a business museum in Glasgow are to share £500,000 to expand their collections.

The Heritage Lottery Fund's Collecting Cultures programme granted the Scottish Maritime Museum in Irvine £412,000 to help it acquire more artwork while Glasgow University's Scottish Business Archive will use £91,800 to develop its collection of records on the Scottish textile industry.

The aim of Collecting Cultures is to provide money for curators to develop their collections proactively rather than having to wait for a painting or object to become available on the market.

Colin McLean, head of the Heritage Lottery Fund in Scotland, said: "Collecting Cultures is a ground-breaking scheme which evolved after a great many discussions with galleries, libraries and archives to find out how we could best support their long-term strategic development.

"We are delighted to make these awards today and commend the projects for their plans to increase public involvement and enjoyment of their collections."