FREE entry to Jersey Museum will end next month after the government withdrew its funding.
From 1 July, adults will have to pay £15.45 to visit the attraction, with children and students paying £10.25 and seniors £14.45.
Free entry was introduced as a one-year trial in July 2024 following discussions between the government and Jersey Heritage, which runs the attraction.
This was extended last year until the end of this March. Last year, the free entry grant was £284,000, on top of a £6.3m grant that the charity received to operate and maintain its sites and services.
Amy Hall, who chairs Jersey Heritage’s Board of Trustees, said: “Free entry will no longer be available for people visiting Jersey Museum following a decision by the Government of Jersey to stop funding the initiative.
“The number of people who took advantage of the opportunity to visit the Museum free of charge more than doubled during the first year of the trial, with significant increases to local seniors and children. This demonstrated a transformation to those accessing our flagship visitor site, which shares many aspects of the Island’s special history.”
She added: “The Government-initiated trial was introduced to reflect Jersey’s Heritage Strategy, which seeks to provide greater access to heritage.
“In light of the changes to visitor numbers, we regard the trial as a big success and had hoped it would become a permanent fixture at Jersey Museum. However, due to well-publicised funding pressures, the Economy Department can no longer support free entry. Unfortunately, our charity cannot afford to continue to fund it independently.
“Admission fees at Jersey Museum will be re-introduced as of 1 July 2026. Entry for Jersey Heritage Members and children under six will remain free, as at our other visitor sites.”
Dr Hall continued: “The government has funded the free entry trial up to March 2026; however Jersey Heritage was only told this Tuesday that Government was not going to fund beyond that date. Our charity will have to meet the costs of the additional unfunded period but is stopping the trial as soon as is logistically possible.”
Figures provided by Jersey Heritage show that between July 2023 and July 2024 – the 12 months preceding free entry – there were 20,822 visits to the Museum, but this increased to 41,075 in the following year. According to surveys, there was a 177% increase in the number of seniors visiting and a 60% rise in visits by children, the charity added.
In a delivery update for arts, culture and heritage published by the Economy Department earlier this year, the government attributed a 97% increase in footfall at the Museum to “free entry success”.
In the same document, the free-entry initiative is listed as one of 11 projects – out of a total of 39 – that supported all four of the department’s ‘themes’, which included ‘sustainable wellbeing’ and ‘inclusive growth’.
The government was approached for comment but said it was unable to in the pre-election period of purdah.
