CAMPAIGN TO SAVE STAFFORDSHIRE HOARD HAS RAISED £1,080,000

AS THE END OF FEBRUARY FAST APPROACHES, THE FUND-RAISING TOTAL FOR THE STAFFORDSHIRE HOARD CAMPAIGN HAS REACHED £1 MILLION. SO FAR, THE TOTAL RAISED TOWARDS SAVING THE MOST VALUABLE TREASURE FOUND ON BRITISH SOIL IS £1,080,000. OF THIS, ALMOST £500,000 COMES FROM MEMBERS OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC. THE ART FUND IS SPEARHEADING THE CAMPAIGN TO SAVE THE STAFFORDSHIRE HOARD FOR THE WEST MIDLANDS. THE CHARITY IS DELIGHTED TO HAVE REACHED THIS LANDMARK FIGURE, JUST SEVEN WEEKS INTO THE CAMPAIGN, WHICH BEGAN ON 13.JANUARY. THE ART FUND'S DIRECTOR STEPHEN DEUCHAR SAID: 'THIS IA REALLY EXCELLENT NEWS, FURTHERING OUR CONVICTION THAT IF THE CAMPAIGN CONTINUES TO GATHER STEAM, WE STILL CAN MAKE THE £3 MILLION BY 17.APRIL. HOWEVER, THERE IS SO MUCH WORK TO BE DONE AND WE NEED AS MANY PUBLIC DONATIONS AS POSSIBLE, SO IF YOU'VE BEEN INSPIRED BY THE HOARD BUT HAVEN'T YET DONATED, NOW IS THE TIME.' UNTIL SUNDAY 17.MARCH, VISITORS TO THE POTTERIES MUSEUM AND ART GALLERY WILL BE ABLE TO ADMIRE 118 ITEMS OF THE HOARD, INCLUDING 40 ARTIFACTS THAT HAVE NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE. DONATIONS HAVE RANGED FROM £10 FROM A NINE YEAR OLD GIRL TO £50,000 FROM THE CHARLES HENRY FOYLE TRUST. THE POTTERIES MUSEUM ALSO HAD A £50,000 CHECK FROM AN ANONYMOUS DONOR ON THE EVE OF THEIR EXHIBITION WHICH OPENED 12.FEBRUARY. DONATIONS HAVE COME IN FROM AS FAR AS THE US AND JAPAN, BUT ABOUT ONE-THIRD OF THE DONORS ARE FROM THE WEST MIDLANDS. SO FAR, THE STOKE-ON-TRENT DISPLAYS OF THE HOARD IS EXCEEDING ALL EXPECTATIONS. 20,000 VISITORS TURNED UP IN THE FIRST NINE DAYS, BEATING ALL PREVIOUS RECORD AT THE MUSEUM. WORKING TOGETHER WITH THE STAFFORDSHIRE HOARD PARTNERSHIP, THE ART FUND IS LEADING THE CAMPAIGN TO RAISE £3.3 MILLION. ALL THE MONEY MUST BE RAISED BY 17.APRIL IN ORDER TO KEEP THE TREASURE.
THE ART FUND URGES MORE MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC TO STEP FORWARD AND DONATE, BY VISITING www.artfund.org/hoard OR BY RINGING 0844 415 4004.