Roald Dahl museum reopens for visitors
People will be guided around in single groups to stick to coronavirus requirements
The Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre in Great Missenden is welcoming visitors back for the first time since closing for lockdown.
The Buckinghamshire venue has been closed for several months.
The venue will offering a unique personal visitor experience, to ensure each visitor / group are safe and able to enjoy their visit.
Director of the museum Steve Gardem explains:
"If we can provide a VIP, personal and guided visit for every family or bubble that comes. Then, that bubble only need be in the museum with themselves and our guide at a reasonable distance.
"What we are trying to do with these visits is give people a great experience.
"The more we do that the more we hope there will be other opportunities, other grants and support and other funders will be interested in the things we are doing. That will give the museum a chance to survive for longer."
The tours will be prebooked, with 24 hour notice asked by the venue.
Each ticket holder will receive a phone call where they will be asked to share their favourite Dahl stories and characters.
The tour can then be personalised with rarely seen archive material, projected onto screens.
Although some staff have returned to work through flexi-furlough some remain furloughed full time.
Steve says this is something that they are extremely aware of:
"Being back is great, for those of us that are able to be so. I have been working to remind staff that even those members of staff that are on furlough are making a huge contribution.
"That grant is the only income the museum has currently got.
"The reality is that even reopening the amount of money we might be able to earn from visitors just sint enough.
"We estimate we might make 15% of the 70% of income we usually get from visitors, and that just isn't sustainable."
A big change to the museums working will be a lack of school visits, usually Monday-Friday would be almost completely dedicated to tours, talks and visits from schools and groups.
The help bridge this gap the museum is asking visitors to 'bring an imaginary friend along' and donating the price of that friends ticket to the museum.