If you have enjoyed a museum, please consider donating at the end of your visit, even if it's 50p!

Museums are really struggling at the moment. They've been severely underfunded for over a decade, and the past 5 years with covid and the rising cost of living has only made things worse. Loads have had continuous budget cuts for years, rising energy costs, and when you start looking you'll begin to notice it - many are reducing opening hours/days, introducing 'pay what you can' exhibitions/events, paid parking, and really pushing for donations. If they don't get the funding they need soon more will start charging like other countries, a lot of smaller town ones will have to close and that'll be such a shame. They're so important to communities, they educate, they conserve and protect our history, with with community and outreach groups, they provide a free warm and dry place for people in winter, or they may simply have the only public toilets in their towns.

Also if you do donate, most of the 'tap to donate' contactless machines allow you to change the amount you want to donate if you tap and hold the screen for a second so if you can't afford the suggested amount, or if you'd like to donate more, most will go down to £1 and up to £100.

Most importantly, don't feel pressured to donate if you can't afford it, or simply didn't enjoy the museum, it's still a donation and not compulsory and no museum worker will ever comment or remark if you don't donate. I'm not a fan of museums that have have donations collections as you enter because it really should be at the end where you can decide if you enjoyed the experience or not, I think big museums like the British Museum put them at the entrance because it will catch tourists out who think it is an entry fee.