As volunteers at the Jet Age Museum closed the doors on the last of their previews for 2013 yesterday, they were celebrating a bumper start to the museum’s opening.
More than 4100 visitors have visited the new premises at Gloucestershire Airport’s Meteor Business Park, which has been open at weekends since August, generating over £17 000 in sales, memberships and donations.
Airport operations director, Darren Lewington, who is also a trustee of the Jet Age Museum said: “The visitor numbers and income are far in excess of the museum’s optimistic projections and bode well for the future. None of this would have been possible without the generosity of the many companies and individuals who have supported the museum and the dedicated team of volunteers who have rallied to open its doors and welcome the visitors.”
The museum is closed December 28 and 29 as the volunteers prepare for a Family Fun Day on New Year’s Day, where junior pilots can sit in a jet fighter cockpit, visit the Vulcan bomber and take part in competitions and treasure hunts. The event takes place between 10am and 4pm and the museum will open at weekends thereafter, building up to an official opening ceremony in May.
Darren Lewington added: “In addition to establishing the museum as an important tourist attraction for the region, we hope events like these will inspire the next generation of pilots, engineers and aircraft designers to join the aerospace industry for which Gloucestershire is famous.”
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For more about the Jet Age Museum, visit: www.jetagemuseum.btck.co.uk
