Burton MP throws lifeline to Coors Visitor Centre

Related tags Coors visitor centre Staffordshire

The Coors Visitor Centre should be turned into a national museum of brewing, local MP Janet Dean has said.Last week the brewer announced that the...

The Coors Visitor Centre should be turned into a national museum of brewing, local MP Janet Dean has said.

Last week the brewer announced that the £1m-a-year centre in Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, would close permanently in June following a fall in visitor numbers.

But Dean has since launched a campaign to save the museum and preserve Burton's "brewing heritage" after being inundated with calls from concerned constituents.

"We really need to look at what is possible," she said. "I'm always hopeful. I think it is essential that we try to preserve the heritage, not only of the brewing industry, but of the town itself. And the two are intertwined.

"I think it would be ideal to have a museum of national standing here in Burton."

The Labour politician said one option would be to take the resource out of private ownership so that it could qualify for National Lottery funding.

She has asked Museums, Libraries and Archives West Midlands (MLA) to arrange a meeting with interested parties and also been in touch with the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) and the British Guild of Beer Writers.

The Visitor Centre, formerly known as the Bass Museum, was set up in 1977. It's galleries include an exhibition on how beer is made, a collection of vintage vehicles used for transporting beer and an interactive display about Burton's history.

Most of the artefacts and memorabilia are owned by InBev and Britvic.

Coors, which last week said it had "tried everything" to keep the centre open, welcomed Dean's campaign.

A spokeswoman said: "We have said all along if anybody has any commercially viable rescue ideas then we are obviously willing to listen."

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