Mansfield Museum has been awarded £76,700 from Arts Council England to fund a new permanent exhibition to display its internationally significant and rare bird, butterfly, and moth collection.

Mansfield District Council applied to Arts Council England’s Unlocking Collections Fund to reinterpret the museum’s Joseph Whitaker bird collection.

The Take Flight project aims to promote a deeper understanding of the natural world. The collection hosts 3,000 rare bird species in many shapes and sizes, including rare and, in some cases, on the brink-of-extinction specimens.

Coun Stuart Richardson, portfolio holder for Regeneration and Growth, said: “This funded project will open up creativity for more people and help communities in Mansfield better understand our natural history collection and be creatively inspired by the natural world.

“Without this project taking off, the collection currently sits in storage and is at a real risk of deterioration.

“With the funding, we plan to open a new exhibition and run a series of workshops in the community so that this beautiful and intriguing collection may be more inclusive, relevant, useful, and engaging to residents and visitors to Mansfield.”

An official opening is planned for the New Year in 2024.