Malton Museum is aiming to find a permanent home for its nationally significant collection of predominantly Roman artefact following a significant grant.

The museum, which is currently based in Yorkersgate, has been awarded £50,000 from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, administered by North Yorkshire Council.

The money will be used to commission consultants to undertake a feasibility study for a new home for the museum in Malton.

Malton Museum was founded almost 90 years ago but has never had a permanent home for its nationally significant collection of predominantly Roman artefacts.

It is currently located in the town’s Milton Rooms but the space limits the museum’s displays and its ability to welcome more visitors.

Malton is fortunate in possessing a number of popular attractions including the biannual food festival, the recently upgraded Milton Rooms and the refurbished Wesley Centre as well as the Woodhams Stone Collection, which is located in Norton.

The museum hopes a new home will allow it to add even more quality and choice to the town’s existing visitor offer.

Museum chairman, Phil Crabtree said: “We want to tell people more about Malton’s long and unique history, from the Roman times to the prosperity of the Georgian years and our longstanding relationships with the Fitzwilliam family and the horse racing industry.

“We are keen to involve more local residents and businesses in the museum’s activities and make a greater contribution to Malton’s visitor economy. We also want to be able to display more of our fantastic collections and host more visits to the museum by school and community groups. At the moment we are unable to do any of this justice.”

Earlier this year the museum was the first to publicly display an Iron Age shield, hailed as the most important Celtic discovery of the millennium,

Around 2,400 years old, the shield was unearthed during an archaeological dig commissioned by housebuilder Persimmon on a development in Pocklington in East Yorkshire.

The shield has been gifted by Persimmon to local museums so that the treasure remains close to where it was discovered, starting with Malton Museum.

North Yorkshire Council’s leader, Cllr Carl Les, said: “Malton Museum is a perfect example of the type of project the UK Shared Prosperity Fund is there to support.

“The money is being used to increase people’s pride in their local town centres and allow them engage more with culture and their community.

“This funding for Malton Museum will help to allow a much-loved and widely used community attraction to grow and secure its future for many years to come, benefitting both residents and the visitor economy.”

The museum team expects to be able to appoint consultants to undertake the feasibility study in a few weeks’ time and is seeking views from residents, businesses and visitors about the potential location of a new museum, and how it might make a stronger contribution to Malton by attracting more visitors and accommodating more community activities.

Kevin Hollinrake MP for Thirsk and Malton, said: “This funding is hugely welcome and incredibly well deserved. Malton Museum undertakes extensive outreach in our community to showcase the rich history of the area - it's crucial that the nationally significant collection of artefacts are available for generations to come. I look forward to supporting the museum on this exciting new journey”.

People are very welcome to submit their thoughts and ideas by emailing the museum at maltonmuseumoffice@gmail.com