A MUSEUM is to undergo improvements following the announcement of a double grant boost.

The Museum of Hartlepool, which forms part of Hartlepool's Maritime Experience, will today be awarded £80,000 by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Wolfson Foundation.

This, together with £80,000 given recently by the Renaissance initiative of the Government's Museums, Libraries and Archives Council, will be used to modernise the museum.

Five years of detailed visitor research has gone into shaping the plans, which will allow the museum to tell the story of Hartlepool and its people in a stronger and more interesting way.

Councillor Victor Tumilty, Hartlepool Borough Council's cabinet member for culture, leisure and tourism, said: "This is tremendous news for the museum, and our sincere thanks go to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Wolfson Foundation and the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council.

"The museum is a favourite destination for local people and visitors to the town but, like every attraction, it needs to move forward and keep itself fresh.

"We have listened to visitors' comments and suggestions over the years and drawn up these exciting improvements which will ensure that the museum continues to delight and fascinate people of all ages in the years ahead."

The changes will involve redisplaying the museum's Saxon, medieval and Victorian items, using improved exhibition cases, lighting and information panels.

They will also enable the museum to show more of its items, such as the finds from the recent archaeological excavations at The Headland town square and the Catcote Roman site.

There will be interactive and audio-visual features, plus easier access around the displays for children and people with disabilities.

Work on the improvements will start in December and will be completed by Easter.

The museum will remain open to the public while the work is ongoing, and the neighbouring Historic Quay and the paddle steamer Wingfield Castle will also be open as normal.