History and art buffs return in busy first week back at Shrewsbury museum
History buffs and art lovers have been returning in their droves to explore exhibits at a museum.
Shrewsbury Museum and Art Gallery reopened this week, and hundreds have taken advantage of free entry to visit, many for the first time.
Several social distancing measures have been put in place to try and protect people from the spread of Covid-19, and some interactive exhibits have had to be temporarily removed.
But it's been so far, so good, and staff are looking forward to welcoming more people over the coming months.
Fay Bailey, manager of Shrewsbury museums, said: "It's been going really good. We've had lots of visitors so far.
"We've had plenty of positive feedback and people are enjoying being back in the museum. Parents are glad to have something to do with the kids during the summer holidays. We've had lots of people visit who have never been before.
"It's a bit of a relief to be able to return and we're glad to be back."
She added: "We've got a one-way system in place and we're asking visitors to maintain a two-metre distance.
"Masks are mandatory in the shop and visitor centre, and we are asking that people help keep each other safe by wearing them in the museum while looking at the exhibits. People have so far been really responsible and have been following those guidelines.
"We've had to remove quite a lot of our interactive exhibits. It's really challenging to have things that people can touch."
There are still plenty of exhibits for people to enjoy though.
"We've got a Maximo Mouse trail you can follow around the gallery that children can enjoy," added Fay. "There is lots to keep the whole family entertained.
"We also have our Evolving Shropshire exhibit, which is a significant geology collection that tells the story of Shropshire through the ages and information on the earlier periods.
"We had to close it early for lockdown, but now we've got it until the autumn.
"We have free entry until the autumn so we're really keen to encourage visitors who have never been to come and explore a fabulous museum on their doorstep. Hopefully it will be another thing to encourage people to get back into the town centre."
Visitors are encouraged to book in advance to avoid disappointment. "We've been fully booked over the last few days," Fay said. "We are allowing walk ups but we're urging people to book."
To get tickets visit ticketsource.co.uk/shrewsburymuseum
