Tutankhamun exhibition raises £10,000 for The Manchester Museum

Tutankhamun – His Tomb and His Treasures, based at the Museum of Museums near the Trafford Centre, was the setting for the successful fund-raising event held in aid of Manchester Museum’s planned Ancient Worlds Galleries Initiative.

Money raised on the night will go towards a complete redisplay of three major new galleries to mark the 2012 centenary of the opening of the museum’s first ancient Egypt galleries. The three galleries will highlight the best of the Manchester Museum’s collections from Manchester and the North West, and from ancient civilisations such as Egypt, Greece and Rome.

Christoph Scholz, Chief Producer of the Tutankhamun Exhibition said ‘It was such an honour to be able to hand over a check for £10,000 to the Museum. On behalf of the Tutankhamun – His Tomb and His Treasures team, we’d like to thank all of those who came along and supported the Museum of Museums evening and the Manchester Museum.’

Nick Merriman Director at the Manchester Museum said: ‘On behalf of the entire staff we’d like to thank everyone in attendance and Semmel Concerts for their support and this generous donation. It will go a long way towards achieving our funding target for the new Ancient Worlds Galleries. Everyone in Manchester will have been to visit our current Ancient Egyptian galleries when they were at school, the refurbishment of these galleries will allow us to continue our great work with children for a great many years to come.’

Those in attendance were treated to an exclusive book signing by the creator of the acclaimed Horrible Histories children’s books Terry Deary, who made a special trip to Manchester to view the exhibition and support the event. Terry made time to talk to many of his avid fans, one ten year old commented: 'He was a very nice man and sounded just like he does on the show'

Other entertainment for younger visitors included Egyptian style face painting, jewellery crafts and wig making. A selection of original artefacts from the 18th Dynasty – the period including Tutankhamun’s reign – were on display, courtesy of Manchester Museum.

‘Tutankhamun – His Tomb and His Treasures’ based at the Museum of Museums near the Trafford Centre Manchester was recently extended by four weeks and will now close on Saturday 26 March. Visit tutankhamunmanchester.com for more information.

For more info about Manchester Museum, visit: www.museum.manchester.ac.ukFor more info about Museum of Museums, visit: www.museumofmuseums.org.uk