Helicopter Museum Reveals Ambitions for New Entrance Building

The Helicopter Museum in Weston-super-Mare has begun raising money for its latest refurbishment project with a series of exciting events.

The museum entrance, which includes the admission area, some displays and a café, has been based in the same building since the site opened in 1988. It was always supposed to be a temporary building and now needs to be replaced.

Elfan Ap Rees, chair of trustees at the museum, said: “We are having increasing problems with it so we are in the early stages of trying to replace the entrance building.”

“We are running out of under-cover space for aircraft and have got planning permission for another hangar, but we have not got the money for it unfortunately, and the condition of the visitor services building is deteriorating to such an extent we have got to make it a priority. We are aware the building we are using for people to come into is not very attractive.”

The project would be the second recent major development at the museum after its pilots block and control tower were given a £134,000 transformation to showcase Weston’s aviation history earlier this year.

Mr Ap Rees said: “I was really pleased with the results of the tower and pilots block. It has opened up a completely new facet of the museum as a place of interest for people.”

The latest project could cost around £300,000 if the museum did much of the building work itself and companies have been shortlisted to come up with a suitable scheme.

Fundraising is currently the museum’s focus, and trustees are drawing up grant applications.