A V&A grant of just under £10,000 pays half for Jason Wilsher-Mills' carers masthead. Poole Museum must raise the rest in November, its first birthday month.

Poole Museum has to raise £10,000 this November to keep a sculpture by the artist Jason Wilsher-Mills, a modern ship’s masthead he has dedicated to carers. A grant of just under £10,000 from the Arts Council England/V&A Purchase Grant Fund has covered about half of what is needed, the museum said on Friday, and the public is being asked for the rest.

The appeal runs into the museum’s first birthday on 5 November, a year since it reopened after a refurbishment supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Arts Council England, BCP Council and Historic England. The museum plans a party that night, which is also the night of the fireworks on Poole Quay.

The masthead and why it was made

The sculpture, a tall painted bust crowned with wings and a ship, is one of the works Wilsher-Mills made for Life in Full Colour: The Art of Jason Wilsher-Mills, the exhibition celebrating disability that has filled the museum’s Fine Gallery since July. The museum’s exhibition page says the show runs until 3 January 2027 and is free to enter, like the museum itself.

Wilsher-Mills said the idea came from the museum’s own collection:

“I’ve always done my best work by the sea, so returning to Dorset for this commission felt really natural. When researching the museum’s collection, I was deeply struck by the beauty of ship mastheads. Historically, they served as visual beacons for sailors, but to me, they represent the very soul of a ship.”

“This modern masthead is dedicated to carers, the unsung heroes of our society. As a disabled person, the spotlight often falls on me, but it’s carers who deserve our recognition and lasting gratitude. This sculpture is my nod to them, built on the NHS ethos of care ‘from cradle to grave’.”

The words “From Cradle to Grave” are painted across the sculpture’s face, and “HOPE” across its chest.

Close view of the painted masthead sculpture: a woman's face in a red mask with large green eyes, winged headdress with a ship, the word HOPE on the chest, in front of a large colourful Poole mural
The masthead sculpture in the Life in Full Colour exhibition at Poole Museum. Photo: supplied by Poole Museum

Where the money goes

The £10,000 target is what the museum still needs to secure the sculpture for the town for good. Anything given above that, the museum says, “goes straight back into keeping the museum open and accessible for everyone” and into its community outreach programmes next year.

Donations go to Poole Museum Foundation, the charity that supports the museum (registered charity 1171114). The museum itself is owned and run by BCP Council. Its donation page, checked on 23 October, says UK taxpayers can add Gift Aid, which lets the foundation claim another 25p for every £1 given.

In its first year the museum says it has had more than 150,000 visitors, and that 1,250 people have been reached through its engagement programmes. Exhibitions have included Lucian Freud’s etchings as well as the Wilsher-Mills show.

Carers workshop in December

Victoria Clark, the museum’s Learning and Engagement Lead, said the exhibition is also being taken out to groups across the area:

“I’m delighted to be bringing Jason Wilsher-Mills’ exhibition to life through a programme of creative engagement, supported by Poole Museum Foundation. The Learning and Engagement team are working with local creatives and community groups across the area, creating meaningful opportunities to connect with the exhibition both at Poole Museum and beyond its walls. In December, we’ll welcome a group of BCP Carers for a dedicated workshop, offering time for creativity, connection and valuable respite.”

What it means for you

  • To give: use the museum’s donation page. The museum suggests anything from £10 to £100, and the appeal runs through November.
  • To see the masthead: it is on show in Life in Full Colour, free, until 3 January 2027.
  • The birthday party, 5 November: the museum says it will announce times and details on its Instagram and Facebook pages “very soon”. We will add them here when they are out.

Poole Museum is in the Old Town by the Quay, in the Grade II listed Oakley’s Mill, with the medieval Town Cellars and Scaplen’s Court & Gardens next to it. More on the museum’s website.