Friday 8 May 2026
Today (8 May 2026), The Mercian Regiment Museum (Worcestershire) and Worcester City Council are announcing a £1,045,122 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to safeguard the county’s Regimental museum collections and secure public access for the future.
The collections of the Mercian Regiment Museum and Worcestershire Yeomanry Museum tell the stories of Worcestershire’s Regular and volunteer infantry and volunteer cavalry from 1694 to the present day and includes many items of national significance, including six Victoria Crosses awarded to the Worcestershire Regiment in the First World War. The collections are currently in storage, and without this funding from the Heritage Fund they would remain inaccessible to the public.
The project will give the collections a long-term home within four new permanent galleries at The Commandery, a major visitor attraction in Worcester’s heritage quarter.
Brand new displays will showcase highlights of the collections and use personal stories to make them accessible to modern audiences. The funding will enable critical conservation work to take place and allow unseen treasures to be shared with the public for the first time.
Alongside the galleries, a programme of linked activities will provide new ways for the public to get involved through volunteering, learning and events. This will forge strong links with local communities and engage a new generation with Worcester’s military heritage, setting the Regimental museums up for a sustainable future.
Events will take place throughout the project, keep an eye on the museums’ social media or visit the project webpage for the latest updates.
Dr John Paddock from The Mercian Regiment Museum said: “We are thrilled to have received this support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players, access to Worcestershire’s significant military heritage has been secured for the next generation. We look forward to creating a gallery that will better serve our loyal and emerging audiences and will bring to life over 300 years of soldiering for the modern visitor.”
Jonathan Astley, Chair of the Worcestershire Yeomanry Museum Trust, said: “I am delighted that the funding has been granted, as The Commandery will be a perfect home for the collections, adding to the Civil War heritage already displayed there and allowing people’s service and sacrifice to continue to be remembered”.
Councillor Adrian Gregson, Chair of the Joint Museums Committee and Worcester City Council’s Heritage Champion, said: “Thousands of people from Worcester and Worcestershire have served in the armed forces and it’s important that their service, sacrifice and heritage is honoured for future generations to understand and reflect on. The funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund is an absolutely essential contribution to creating the Worcestershire Soldier gallery at The Commandery, which I’m confident will attract visitors for decades to come.”
About The Worcestershire Soldier at The Commandery
The Worcestershire Soldier at the Commandery is an exciting project to create a brand-new gallery showcasing the county’s military heritage within The Commandery, Worcester. Funded through The National Lottery Heritage Fund and the UK Government’s Townsfund, The Mercian Regiment Museum (Worcestershire), Museums Worcestershire and the Worcestershire Yeomanry Museum are working in partnership to deliver the new gallery.
https://www.worcestershireandmercianregimentmuseum.org/the-worcestershire-soldier-at-the-commandery
About The Mercian Regiment Museum (Worcestershire)
The Mercian Regiment Museum (Worcestershire) (MRMW) is an independent accredited museum and registered charity which was founded in 1922 to collect and preserve the history, traditions and achievements of the Regular and Volunteer Infantry of the county from 1694 to the present day.
www.worcestershireandmercianregimentmuseum.org
www.facebook.com/WorcestershireRegimentMuseum
About Museums Worcestershire
Museums Worcestershire is the joint museum service of Worcester City and Worcestershire County Councils. It comprises three fantastic venues– Worcester City Art Gallery & Museum, The Commandery in Worcester and Worcestershire County Museum.
The collections and exhibitions at these sites are many and varied, covering centuries of the county’s history right up to the present day. Thousands of objects, including the historic buildings themselves, are brought to life through innovative exhibitions and events throughout the year.
www.museumsworcestershire.org.uk
About Worcestershire Yeomanry Museum
The museum, founded in January 1980, exists to hold together the traditions of the county’s volunteer cavalry Regiment, and to perpetuate its deeds. It is primarily concerned with the preservation of items and historical records relating to The Queen’s Own Worcestershire Hussars (Worcestershire Yeomanry) for educational purposes.
www.facebook.com/WorcesterYeomanry
About The National Lottery Heritage Fund
Our vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future. That’s why as the largest funder for the UK’s heritage we are dedicated to supporting projects that connect people and communities to heritage, as set out in our strategic plan, Heritage 2033. Heritage can be anything from the past that people value and want to pass on to future generations. We believe in the power of heritage to ignite the imagination, offer joy and inspiration, and to build pride in place and connection to the past.
Over the next 10 years, we aim to invest £3.6 billion raised for good causes by National Lottery players to make a decisive difference for people, places and communities.
Follow @HeritageFundUK on Twitter/X, Facebook and Instagram and use #NationalLottery #HeritageFund
Further information
For further information and interviews please contact Dr John Paddock (Curator) or Dr Helen Hunter (Collections Manager) at The Mercian Regiment Museum (Worcestershire) on:
Tel.: 07584638248.
Email: john@worcestershireandmercianregimentmuseum.org
Cc: helen@worcestershireandmercianregimentmuseum.org
A gallery of images, including CGIs of how the completed galleries will look, is available at https://mercianmuseum.sharepoint.com/Shared%20Documents/Forms/AllItems.aspx?id=%2FShared%20Documents%2FImages%20for%20Press%20Release%2FImages%20for%20Delivery%20Grant%20announcement&p=true&ga=1