Alistair Hardaker
Image: Falconer Museum (Moray Council)
Forres museum to transition to self-sufficient charity model over five years, with phased reopening from 2026 following six-year closure.
Plans have been approved to allow Falconer Museum in Scottish town Forres to transfer to independent charitable management.
Moray Council will assist in helping the venue to reopen after closing in 2019 due to budget pressures.
The museum, established in 1871, will undergo a five-year transition process with council support during the initial phase. A group of local individuals has come forward to form the new independent body that will manage the facility.
The reopening strategy involves establishing the charity and finalising operational plans in year one, with limited public opening days. From year two, the museum will increase activities and visitor numbers, working towards full self-sufficiency by year five.
The Falconer Museum houses collections of national and international significance, including archaeology, palaeontology and natural history assembled by founder Sir Hugh Falconer. The collection’s connection to Charles Darwin through Falconer’s evolutionary science work is unique in Scotland, offering potential for development as a destination for visitors and researchers, the council said.
Councillor Marc Macrae, chair of Moray Council’s Economic Development and Infrastructure Services Committee, said the proposals provide a sustainable model to re-open the museum, “placing it in the hands of the community while ensuring its collections are cared for and its story told for generations to come”.
The new museum would “not only celebrate our past but also contribute to Forres’s future as a cultural and visitor destination,” Macrae said.
If successful, council estimates predict the project could generate an estimated £585,000 annual visitor spend. A progress report is planned next year 2026 to secure a long-term lease and finalise the operating model.
Members of the new operating body for the Falconer Museum said: “The group of prospective trustees is confident that combined they have the necessary knowledge, skill, experience in the heritage and culture sector and most of all perseverance to move things forward towards a reopening of the Falconer Museum”.
