Cllr Richard Hughes with Jill Allman and Andrew Howard from Otley Museum

 Local People invited to help design the Otley 800 Pop-Up Museum 

Pippa McPhersonNews

Local people are being asked to take part in a series of consultations, to help shape the Otley 800 Pop-Up Museum. The Museum is a collaboration between Otley Town Council, Otley Museum and Leeds Museums and Galleries, made possible by The National Lottery Heritage Fund. The exhibition will take place at Otley Common in the summer and autumn of 2027, as part of the Otley 800 celebrations. 

The first drop in consultation event will take place in the Otley Parish Church Parish Rooms on Wednesday 4th November 2026 from 5.30pm to 7pm. Local residents are invited to come and find out more about the project and meet representatives of all three organisations. Residents will be able to give their opinions on themes, types of objects to be displayed and what Otley means to them. 

Otley Town Councillor Richard Hughes said “We are delighted that we can now move forward with planning the Otley 800 Pop-Up Museum, which is one of the flagship projects of Otley 800. Otley Museum’s collections have been inaccessible to the public since 2010, and this exhibition marks a real opportunity for local people to see them. As we move closer to the opening, they will have the opportunity to volunteer as Museum guides, helping others to visit this unique exhibition, which brings together artefacts from the collections of Otley Museum and Leeds Museums and Galleries.” 

This is the first in a series of consultations which will be held across the town in the next few months. Local community groups are also being encouraged to apply for the Otley 800 Community Grants before 31st October 2026 for their own exciting projects.  

Residents wanting to know more, or to get involved in Otley 800 and the Museum project, can visit the website, www.Otley800.co.uk, or join a mailing list by emailing [email protected] or visiting Otley Town Council’s offices. From Thursday 12th  November, the Council will be holding information sessions at the Core on Thursday and Friday mornings between 10 and 12 noon, where residents can ask questions about how they can get involved in the celebrations.