News > Alloway Edition raises £90,000 for Robert Burns Birthplace Museum
Alloway Edition raises £90,000 for Robert Burns Birthplace Museum
20/08/2010
A public fundraising initiative inspired by Burns’ first published work, ‘The Kilmarnock Edition’ has raised £90,000 for The National Trust for Scotland’s new Robert Burns Birthplace Museum in Alloway which is due to open to the public in November 2010.
The Trust is hopeful that ‘The Alloway Edition’ will hit the £100,000 mark before the appeal ends on the 31 August 2010.
The National Trust for Scotland launched ‘The Alloway Edition’ in May 2010 to help towards raising the final £1m needed for the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum. The unique book will record the name of every individual, group and organisation that has donated £30.00 or more towards the appeal and will go on display in the new museum, paying tribute to each individual that has played a part in creating a lasting legacy for the bard.
Anyone wishing to donate to ‘The Alloway Edition’ can do so by visiting www.nts.org.uk/donate before the 31 August 2010 after which the book will go into production at Robert Smail’s Printing Press in Innerleithen.
The idea behind ‘The Alloway Edition’ is steeped in history; in order to publish Burns’ first book ‘Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect 1786’, which became known as ‘The Kilmarnock Edition’, Burns had to first convince Ayrshire’s only printer John Wilson that his book would sell. Burns secured the names of 350 supporters who promised to buy the book once it had been published.
Nat Edwards, Director of Robert Burns Birthplace Museum said: “The response to ‘The Alloway Edition’ has been excellent - we have had donations coming through from as far as New Zealand, once again proving the global appeal of Robert Burns. When it opens later this year the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum will be a world class visitor destination that will provide a fitting legacy for the poet and we are grateful to each and every person who has helped to make this possible.”
The Robert Burns Birthplace Museum, the first major museum to open in Scotland since 2007, will house the most significant Burns collection of its kind including 5,000 historic artefacts, manuscripts and memorabilia of the bard.
As well as many thousands of donors, the museum is generously supported by the Scottish Government, the Heritage Lottery Fund, Scottish Enterprise, and South Ayrshire Council. The exhibition within the new museum will be split into four sections -'Identity’, ‘Inspiration’, ‘Fame’ and ‘Creative Works’ – which will address every aspect of Burns’ life, loves and work. A podcast is available online at www.nts.org.uk/Multimedia/ giving a glimpse of what the new museum will look like when it reopens.
If you wish to donate to the Alloway Edition please donate online at www.nts.org.uk/donate, phone 0844 493 2100 or write to Alloway Edition at Wemyss House 28 Charlotte Square, Edinburgh, EH2 4ET
The National Trust for Scotland launched ‘The Alloway Edition’ in May 2010 to help towards raising the final £1m needed for the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum. The unique book will record the name of every individual, group and organisation that has donated £30.00 or more towards the appeal and will go on display in the new museum, paying tribute to each individual that has played a part in creating a lasting legacy for the bard.
Anyone wishing to donate to ‘The Alloway Edition’ can do so by visiting www.nts.org.uk/donate before the 31 August 2010 after which the book will go into production at Robert Smail’s Printing Press in Innerleithen.
The idea behind ‘The Alloway Edition’ is steeped in history; in order to publish Burns’ first book ‘Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect 1786’, which became known as ‘The Kilmarnock Edition’, Burns had to first convince Ayrshire’s only printer John Wilson that his book would sell. Burns secured the names of 350 supporters who promised to buy the book once it had been published.
Nat Edwards, Director of Robert Burns Birthplace Museum said: “The response to ‘The Alloway Edition’ has been excellent - we have had donations coming through from as far as New Zealand, once again proving the global appeal of Robert Burns. When it opens later this year the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum will be a world class visitor destination that will provide a fitting legacy for the poet and we are grateful to each and every person who has helped to make this possible.”
The Robert Burns Birthplace Museum, the first major museum to open in Scotland since 2007, will house the most significant Burns collection of its kind including 5,000 historic artefacts, manuscripts and memorabilia of the bard.
As well as many thousands of donors, the museum is generously supported by the Scottish Government, the Heritage Lottery Fund, Scottish Enterprise, and South Ayrshire Council. The exhibition within the new museum will be split into four sections -'Identity’, ‘Inspiration’, ‘Fame’ and ‘Creative Works’ – which will address every aspect of Burns’ life, loves and work. A podcast is available online at www.nts.org.uk/Multimedia/ giving a glimpse of what the new museum will look like when it reopens.
If you wish to donate to the Alloway Edition please donate online at www.nts.org.uk/donate, phone 0844 493 2100 or write to Alloway Edition at Wemyss House 28 Charlotte Square, Edinburgh, EH2 4ET
