A bid to make Cliffe Castle a showpiece for the natural and historical heritage of the Aire Valley has been swelled by £50,000.

The Wolfson Foundation has agreed to donate the cash to the £300,000-plus needed to build two new galleries and educational facilities.

The project is designed to attract thousands more visitors a year to the museum which at present sees about 90,000 through its door.

Keighley Councillor Barry Thorne (Lab, Keighley West), chairman of Bradford Council's leisure services committee, announced the new cash grant today.

He said: "Over £300,000 worth of new money has so far been brought to Keighley for this project.

"We still have a little way to go with fundraising, but I anticipate the work will start this summer."

As well as the Wolfson Foundation, £208,000 has come from the national lottery; £35,000 from the Keighley Single Regeneration Budget; and £10,000 from the trustees and friends of Cliffe Castle.

The scheme will include a Braille and audio loop to help people with sight and hearing problems.

There will be new technology, including CD-ROM, to enable people to access even more of the museum's collection and provision for people to handle and explore the exhibits, rather than keeping them out of touch behind glass.

Community backing has also come from Keighley Business Forum; Hockaday productions, a broadcasting and communications company based in Mytholmroyd; the Yorkshire Humberside Museums Council and Yorkshire Tourist Board.

A major element of the project is to expand the educational facilities and students and staff will be called on to help.

More lottery cash could be sought to help finance someone to work in the museum's new education wing.

They would also work in the community developing outreach programmes connected with the historic and natural landscape.

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