MALTON Museum Foundation has been awarded a major grant from the Arts Council to help fund a new programme of activities.

The grant of £87,775, from Arts Council England’s Museums Resilience Fund, will be used to develop the museum’s Vivat Fido! project, which is named after its Roman Dog logo, based on a Malton mosaic pavement.

Activities include the creation of a new exhibition for 2016 based in the Subscription Rooms, Yorkersgate, which will tell the story of Malton as a market town, first in Roman times, then from its re-founding in the Middle Ages, up to its 21st century fame as a food town.

The aim is to unlock the heritage of Malton and Norton by making better use of the museum’s extensive collections to interpret the past of the twin towns.

Peter Addyman, chairman of the Museum’s Trustees, said: “This marvellous grant will allow us to employ a community development officer, build a stronger and better volunteer work force and extend our outreach work to both adults and children. We shall be able to make much better use of the museum’s rich collections.”

Malton Museum already offers heritage-based events for local groups and in-school demonstrations using archaeological finds and these services will be extended. Sarah Maxfield, northern area director of Arts Council England, said: “Our Museum Resilience Fund supports museums by enabling them to become more sustainable and robust, whatever their size, and helping them to offer improved experiences for both audiences and artists.

“I’m delighted that 27 museums across the North have been awarded a total of £3.7m in this round and look forward to seeing the results of this funding in future.

“The Arts Council’s aim is to achieve great art and culture for everyone. The North has some fantastic museums across the area which between them reach thousands of visitors each year, therefore greatly supporting our mission.”