FULL accreditation has been awarded by the Arts Council to the West Somerset Railway’s (WSR) Gauge Museum on Bishops Lydeard Station.

The museum, run by the West Somerset Railway Heritage Trust (WSRHT), holds a wide range of artefacts which display and tell the story of the WSR’s history and heritage, and also of the Great Western Railway.

Accreditation is the benchmark for well-run museums and galleries and means the Gauge Museum is properly managed and governed to nationally agreed industry standards, shows proper care is taken of collections, which are shared with visitors and kept safe for future generations.

It opens up funding opportunities, allows the museum to host touring exhibitions, and gives access to professional advice and support.

The status also gives confidence to donors and sponsors who may wish to support the museum in preserving heritage and inspiring future generations.

WSRHT vice-chairman Steve Williams said: “This is a fantastic outcome for the trust and marks the combination of three years of hard work by a small and dedicated team of volunteers, many of whom now make up our museum management team.

“This means the trust is recognised as working to a high standard of museum and collections management and care.

“We now have to ensure we deliver to those standards and continue to make the Gauge Museum as welcoming and as interesting an experience for visitors and volunteers alike.”

Trustee and museum curator Ian Camp said: “This achievement represents a significant milestone for our museum.

“The progress we have made is the result of the unwavering dedication and hard work of our team over the past several years.

“Their commitment has been instrumental in reaching this important point in our journey.

“We would also like to extend our sincere gratitude to Rachel Bellamy, our museum development officer, whose support and guidance have been invaluable throughout this process.

“Her expertise has helped steer us in the right direction and ensured we met the necessary standards for accreditation.

“Securing this recognition marks another important step towards fulfilling our vision of being a professional museum, managed and operated by a group of passionate and committed volunteers.”

Trustee and museum professional adviser Helen Anson said: “This is a defining moment for the heritage trust.

“By gaining accreditation we have demonstrated our deep commitment to our museums service, setting high standards in organisational health, collections care and management, and visitor experience.

“The contribution from the whole team has been outstanding and their passion for embedding excellence across the organisation will ensure we continue to build on this success over the coming years.”

WSRHT now aims to pursue a similar outcome for its other museum on Blue Anchor Station, which is now open to visitors again following an extensive programme of refurbishment and re-interpretation.

The Gauge Museum is the former Bishops Lydeard goods shed which closed in 1964 when British Railways concentrated freight traffic on Taunton.

The museum underwent a major re-interpretation between 2019 and 2022 thanks to a significant grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.