MINEHEAD'S rich heritage has been given a permanent home with the opening of the town's new museum. Dozens of people turned out to watch Minehead Mayor Cllr Val Welch cut the ribbon and open the doors of the facility on Monday. The museum has been created as part of the redevelopment of the Beach Hotel and volunteers who have helped steer its passage paid tribute to the YMCA - which owns the revamped hotel - and Minehead Visioning Manager Stephen Hooper for their support. The partnership has not only provided the museum but also a new venue for the visitor information centre and a cafe. The museum houses a range of exhibits depicting aspects of Minehead and Alcombe's history, along with a series of seasonal displays - the first of which is 'Minehead at War.' In her opening speech Cllr Welch praised the work that had led to the creation of the museum, an attraction that would benefit both local people and visitors. Chairman of the museum trustees Joe Passmore outlined the history of the project and Julian Luke, who chairs the management committee, spoke about the success of the pilot public exhibition last September, which attracted more than 1,000 people. Mr Luke thanked the growing number of 'Friends of the Museum' members and welcomed the support and encouragement of other local museums, including Watchet Market House Museum, Dunster Museum and Somerset Heritage. The work of developing the museum displays is continuing and organisers would welcome donations of artefacts or the loan of photographs for copying. They are also looking for volunteers to act as stewards. Anyone interested should email [email protected]">[email protected]. The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 4pm. Photos: Paul Scullion