A South Holland heritage organisation is seeking the views of the public to release its potential for the future.
Spalding Gentleman’s Society – which was founded in 1710 – is looking to make some changes to broaden its appeal to South Holland residents.
And, with the help of support from the Heritage Lottery Fund, members have launched an online survey as they plan for an ambitious and wide-ranging future.
Director Harrison Fuller explained: “We are currently looking to make some changes and are keen to ensure that our plans meet the needs of local people and visitors to the area.
“Our rich heritage has much to offer already but we need to look forward and release its potential for the future.
“With the information from the surveys, we aim to seek funding to develop our activities.
“In a recent new venture, we joined up with Ayscoughfee in the Festival of Archaeology.
“We enjoyed it very much and had a chance to meet a very different age group and engage with visitors we seldom see in our museum.
“It is particularly important that we find out a bit more from people who may have heard little or nothing about us and have not yet come to visit.”
Based in Broad Street, Spalding Gentleman’s Society is currently open by appointment and on occasional Sundays.
Heritage assets include a wide range of objects, archives, books and manuscripts which offer research opportunities for genealogy and local history as well as general interest.
Mr Fuller added: “Spalding Gentlemen’s Society is one of a number of local heritage organisations that enrich South Holland.
“We are perhaps best known for our museum, but we also run lectures with scientific and artistic topics and seek to collaborate with other heritage and educational institutions nationally and internationally.
“The Heritage Lottery Fund is supporting the Society in developing its plans for the future.
“But we really need to know what people think about the Society and how it could become more appealing for visitors and researchers.”
The survey can be found at sgsoc.org and will be active until September 10.
