The United Kingdom Museums Week 1996 will be held between 18-25 May.
The week is designed to highlight the splendid variety and quality of
Britain's museums.  It gives museums the opportunity to offer the public
events and behind the scenes tours as well as reduced admission where
appropriate.

The first Museums Week in May 1995 was supported by 700 museums from
Scotland to Cornwall and raised awareness of museums through weeklong
coverage on BBC Radio 2 and extensive publicity in the Radio Times.

The patron of the week is the Secretary of State for National Heritage,
Virginia Bottomley who is encouraging MPs to hold their surgeries in their
local museum on International Museums Day, Saturday 18 May.

Loyd Grossman, broadcaster and museum supporter, is the Chairman of the
Campaign for Museums which is organising the week.  It is supported by the
Museums Association, the Museums and Galleries Commission and the
Association of Independent Museums.

For further information contact Ylva French Communication.  Tel: O171 233
6789.  Fax: 0171 233 6770. E-mail: [log in to unmask]