Exmouth Museum and Heritage Centre held a Christmas Festival on the evening of December 8.

More than £400 was raised towards much-needed funds. The downstairs of the museum was opened at a reduced price and 65 adults and 20 children came through our doors.

Volunteers dressed up and were on hand to answer any questions. The museum looked very festive too and was decorated in a Victorian theme with boughs of holly and paperchains.

The star of the show was a Christmas tree kindly donated by a member of the public. The tree was made from goose feathers which were dyed green it was purchased in the 1930s from Woolworth for 6d.

Mulled wine and mince pies were supplied by The Exmouth Arms and hot coffee served by Sam the Coffee Man. 

There were lots of traditional games to play, guessing games to try and even a visit from a Christmas Fairy. Everyone enjoyed bidding on the silent auction with the lucky winners taking home some wonderful lots. Special thanks go out to all of the local businesses who donated items for this. 

The evening ended with a singalong of carols and Christmas songs in the courtyard.

Although we are closed during the winter months our volunteers are busy behind the scenes getting the Museum ready for when we open to the public on Monday 25th March 2024

The Museum closed on Saturday October 28, the winners of the museum's cash prize raffle were drawn. The first prize of £100 was won by Lorraine Kelly, who donated the money back to the museum. The team would like to thank everyone who supported them by buying a ticket.

During the winter the museum's curator John Wakefield and a team of volunteers will be preparing new exhibits for next year's season, starting with the reopening on March 25 2024. Although it is closed to the public, the museum can still accommodate visits by groups if they arrange this in advance by emailing exmouthmuseum@gmail.com

The museum's fundraising coffee mornings continue throughout the winter, taking place on the third Thursday of each month at The Axis Centre between 10:30 and 12:30. The next two are on November 16 and December 21. 

The museum's committee would to thank all their 'wonderful' volunteers, the local businesses who have supported them, and all of the visitors who made the 2023 season so successful.