Save The Huts: "Once lost, they are gone forever."

The following polar heritage organisations allow convenient public access to the inspiration of our polar heritage and have achievable project objectives... and they need your support!

• The Scott Polar Research Institute (Cambridge UK), was founded as a memorial to Captain Robert Falcon Scott, RN and the polar party, who died returning from the South Pole in 1912. When Scott's last words, "For God's sake look after our people" were made known to the British nation the resulting appeal raised more than enough money for their dependents. Scott himself had emphasised the importance of Polar science and so from the remaining monies the Polar Institute was born. The Institute is the oldest international centre for Polar research within a university and contains an internationally important archive, museum and the Shackleton Memorial Library.

The library, archive and museum currently require £5 million in order to remain functional.

The recent (2007) lottery grant of £50,000 to develop the Stage Two full specification for the Museum project of £1.3 million, still leaves a considerable sum to be urgently raised.

http://www.spri.cam.ac.uk

• The Dundee Heritage Trust (Dundee, U.K.) has responsibility for the care of the Royal Research Ship Discovery and its internationally important polar museum at Discovery Point, Dundee. Originally built for Captain Scott’s first British National Antarctic Expedition (1901-1904) and its important associations with Captain Scott and Sir Ernest Shackleton, Discovery has numerous other polar associations of importance, including the BANZARE expedition of Sir Douglas Mawson and the Discovery Investigations. There is no other extant vessel of exploration or polar heritage site in the world with so many important connections.

The Dundee Heritage Trust urgently require £1 million in order to maintain the essential structures of this famous ship. The recent (2006) Heritage Lottery Grant of £528,000 towards this leaves a further £500,000 to be raised.

http://www.rrs-discovery.co.uk

• The Canterbury Museum (Christchurch, New Zealand) has direct associations with many of the Heroic Age Antarctic expeditions. Many of the expedition scientists worked at the Museum whilst in New Zealand. It also houses one of the world’s most important polar archives and Museums. Canterbury Museum recently proposed a NZ$48 million Revitalisation Project, to achieve a visitor-focused and cost-effective 50-year solution to complex operational problems but has had its funding application turned down. The NZ government is too busy funding the Hut campaign, perhaps. The Museum's needs for change, to give appropriate public access to its outstanding polar (and other) collections remain and the situation is being reviewed.

http://www.canterburymuseum.com

• The Cheltenham Art Gallery and Museum (Cheltenham, UK) has direct associations with the family of Dr. Edward Wilson, who died with Captain Scott. Amongst its important Wilson archive is an outstanding collection of polar heritage material.

The Museum and Art Gallery urgently require £4 million to build modern archival storage facilities and to enable public access to its outstanding heritage collections.

http://www.cheltenhammuseum.org.uk

• The Oates Museum (Selbourne, UK) houses a Museum dedicated to members of the Oates family, including Captain Oates, who committed his famous suicide in an effort to save his companions during the return from the South Pole with Captain Scott. He left the tent in a blizzard with the words “I am just going outside and may be some time.”

The Museum cannot finance restoration work or development projects to give further access to its outstanding polar heritage collection without significant donations.  It is currently appealing for £500,000 for permanent exhibition galleries

http://www.gilbertwhiteshouse.org.uk/OatesMuseum.htm

• The Shackleton Scholarship Fund (London, UK) awards educational scholarships to commemorate the achievements of Sir Ernest Shackleton and his son, Lord Shackleton. It is a practical and flexible way of stimulating human endeavour, initiative and research. The Fund has raised more than £400,000 and awarded from its income some 90 scholarships.

It is hoped to raise more money to provide a larger number of scholarships and the fund is holding an appeal to this end.

http://www.shackletonfund.com

• The Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery (Plymouth, UK) is based in Captain Scott’s home town of Plymouth and has a small display to commemorate one of the City’s most famous sons, along with several others from the region who sailed with him. These are aspects of the collections that the Museum is most keen to develop but in order to do so, they need your support.

http://www.plymouth.gov.uk/museumpcmag.htm

• The South Georgia Heritage Trust (Dundee, UK) has responsibility for looking after the historic monuments and natural landscape of the island of South Georgia, with its hugely important connections to Sir Ernest Shackleton.

The South Georgia Heritage Trust currently require several million pounds in order to undertake renovations to important historic sites and to eradicate rats from the island.

http://www.sght.org