WEST Somerset MP Rachel Gilmour has taken a first hand look at the exhibits in Minehead Museum, which has reopened for the 2025 season.

The museum has a range of new features, including the work of 19th century botanist Isabella Gifford, barrister and novelist Samuel Warren from the 1800s, the Minehead Turnpike Trust, the career of Minehead surgeon Harry Bertram Walker, who served in both world wars and won the Military Cross, and a display on the town’s Hopcott Hotel fire of 1925.

Mrs Gilmour also met some of the volunteers who have made the museum such a success over the past 10 years.

Museum trustees chairman Julian Luke, said: “It is great for the dedicated volunteers to get recognition for the many hours they put in maintaining and developing the collection and that our local MP recognises the importance of heritage and cultural tourism to the local economy.

“Also, it is important to acknowledge the contribution the museum has in building a sense of community, that these volunteering opportunities provide.”

Mrs Gilmour said: “Tourism plays a crucial role in the Tiverton and Minehead constituency, with people travelling from across the UK to see what our area has to offer.

“In the spirit of this year’s theme for Tourism Week, ‘supporting people and places to drive growth’, I urge everybody in West Somerset to head down to Minehead Museum this weekend and see their fascinating exhibits.”