The British Government has announced a £2.5 million grant for the Royal Air Force Museum to support its centenary programme of events.
The RAF, which will be celebrating its own 100th anniversary in the summer of 2018, has begun planning and preparing for an expansive commemorative programme.
The funding was awarded from fines imposed on banks for trying to manipulate the financial markets. Since 2012, the UK Chancellor (finance minister), George Osborne has changed the way these fines have been used and distributed.
Speaking in early 2013, Mr Osborne said: “I wanted to take money that was paid in fines by people who, frankly, demonstrated the worst of the values in our society and help those who demonstrate the very best values in our society – and those are the soldiers and sailors and airmen who fight on our behalf.”
As of March 2015, over £450 million from LIBOR fines has been awarded to military related charities, organisations and schemes.
The museum’s plans include: “re-landscaping the site to create a sense of the original London Aerodrome that stood on the ground nearly 100 years ago.
“A series of new permanent exhibitions will open in the summer of 2018. ‘The First 100 Years of the RAF’ and ‘Now and the Future’ exhibitions will enable visitors to understand the story of the RAF from its earliest years in the First World War to its global role today.
“The “Air Power in an Age of Uncertainty” exhibition will focus on the roles of the RAF since the early 1980s.
“The museum is also rolling out a new digital programme, ‘My RAF Story’, which will collect and share personal stories of the men and women of the Service to ensure they are preserved for future generations.
“Additionally, a new learning programme will aim to inspire young people in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects.”
Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury Priti Patel with Museum CEO Maggie Appleton
Maggie Appleton, Chief Executive of the RAF Museum, said: “The Museum’s RAF Centenary Programme is incredibly important as it commemorates 100 years of the Royal Air Force. The story we tell reflects the bravery, ingenuity and dedication of our people.
“It is a story that belongs to every one of us. We are therefore very grateful for the support and acknowledgement we received.”
The RAF Museum was established to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the air force in 1968. The London site was opened in 1972 and the Cosford site in the West Midlands in 1979.
Entrance to the RAF Museums is free. More information can be found on the museums’ website.
Source: Royal Air Force Museum Public Relations Office
Images: RAF Museum, ©Trustees of the Royal Air Force Museum
Posted by: Eadaoin Hegarty, Centenary News