Surprise celebration for record-breaking visitors at Milton Keynes Museum

The Finnerty family from Leighton Buzzard got more than they bargained for when they became Milton Keynes Museum's record-breaking 45,000th visitor this year.
The Finnerty family at the museumThe Finnerty family at the museum
The Finnerty family at the museum

In the last two years visitor numbers at the popular attraction have increased by a remarkable 50 percent – from 30,000 people in 2014/15.

With just a few days of the 16/17 season to run, museum staff were holding their breath in anticipation of hitting the 45,000 mark.

And they were determined to celebrate the landmark in style by treating their 45,000th visitors to wine, chocolate and flowers – as well as gifts from the museum shop for the children.

With the museum expansion and accompanying fundraising campaign underway, visitor numbers could eventually double once the new galleries are open, attracting visitors from across the region.

Bill Griffiths, museum director, added: “We were delighted to win the MK Business Achievement Award for best leisure attraction recently. That success is down to local people: the volunteers who work so hard to ensure visitors have a memorable time, and those visitors who have helped us spread the word through social media and TripAdvisor and among their own friends and family. We thank them all.”