Visitor numbers fall by 38% at Royal Armouries Leeds
Rebecca Atkinson, 22.08.2011
Redundancies and warm weather blamed for fall in visitors
The Royal Armouries in Leeds saw visitor numbers fall by 38% between April and June as a result of its staffing restructure and loss of its education department.
A total of 50,313 people visited the Royal Armouries during the first three months of the financial year, down from 81,817 in the same period in 2010.
The museum announced 17 redundancies in May. Its four-strong education team all opted for voluntary redundancy during restructure, meaning the museum did not offer an education programme during June and July. This accounted for a loss of about 10,000 visitors.
The redundancies were part of a wider review to reduce spending by £3.4m over four years.
A spokeswoman for the Royal Armouries said the museum had refrained from marketing or promotional activities during the restructure. She added that visitor figures at the indoor attraction had also been affected by the warm weather over Easter and spring.
Mark Taylor, director of the Museums Association, said: "Anedoctal evidence suggests that education is suffering [from cuts] a bit more than other museum departments. The danger is that museums could see visitor numbers fall, and even reputational damage, if education is neglected."
Future plans
The museum said it had now taken steps to boost visitor numbers, including children’s attractions, weekly horse shows and an August bank holiday joust over the summer.
It will also introduce a new education service in September, which will now come under the remit of its visitor services department. Nineteen new visitor experience roles have been created that combine visitor service duties with interpretation and education activities.
According to Peter Armstrong, director of the Royal Armouries, the new education service will be "less classroom-based" although it will still be linked to the National Curriculum. "We are aiming to make it more hands-on, allowing history to come alive for thousands of youngsters in an exciting and meaningful way," he said.
The visitor experience team will deliver education to schools three days a week during term-time. They will also be responsible for interacting with visitors and providing information about the museum and its collection.
Armstrong added: “We, like many other national museums, have had to make tough but well-thought out decisions to ensure our museum’s long-term future. I am confident that we’re making good progress and the figures for August are encouraging.”
A total of 50,313 people visited the Royal Armouries during the first three months of the financial year, down from 81,817 in the same period in 2010.
The museum announced 17 redundancies in May. Its four-strong education team all opted for voluntary redundancy during restructure, meaning the museum did not offer an education programme during June and July. This accounted for a loss of about 10,000 visitors.
The redundancies were part of a wider review to reduce spending by £3.4m over four years.
A spokeswoman for the Royal Armouries said the museum had refrained from marketing or promotional activities during the restructure. She added that visitor figures at the indoor attraction had also been affected by the warm weather over Easter and spring.
Mark Taylor, director of the Museums Association, said: "Anedoctal evidence suggests that education is suffering [from cuts] a bit more than other museum departments. The danger is that museums could see visitor numbers fall, and even reputational damage, if education is neglected."
Future plans
The museum said it had now taken steps to boost visitor numbers, including children’s attractions, weekly horse shows and an August bank holiday joust over the summer.
It will also introduce a new education service in September, which will now come under the remit of its visitor services department. Nineteen new visitor experience roles have been created that combine visitor service duties with interpretation and education activities.
According to Peter Armstrong, director of the Royal Armouries, the new education service will be "less classroom-based" although it will still be linked to the National Curriculum. "We are aiming to make it more hands-on, allowing history to come alive for thousands of youngsters in an exciting and meaningful way," he said.
The visitor experience team will deliver education to schools three days a week during term-time. They will also be responsible for interacting with visitors and providing information about the museum and its collection.
Armstrong added: “We, like many other national museums, have had to make tough but well-thought out decisions to ensure our museum’s long-term future. I am confident that we’re making good progress and the figures for August are encouraging.”
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