FAQ

The Friends of the Thackray Museum are an active organisation, whose members act to support and complement the work of the museum. The Friends members are people like you, who have an interest in medical history and who would like to support the museum and help to ensure its future.

2) What are the advantages of becoming a Friend?

Advantages of becoming a Friend are:
• Free admission to the museum's galleries
• Invitations to exhibition openings and private views
• Access to the museum library and other resources
• Invitation to the Friends' lectures and other meetings
• A quarterly newsletter
• Behind-the-scenes tours of the museum
• Interesting visits
• Discounts for lectures and events at the museum
• Discounts at the museum shop
• Participating as a volunteer in the museum's work. To find out more about volunteering, click here.

3) How do the Friends support the Museum?

Friends contribute to the museum in different ways, for example by fundraising, giving lectures in their fields of expertise, assisting with the cataloguing, research and conservation of the collections, helping with education activities, promoting the museum at exhibitions, or writing articles for the Friends of Thackray Museum newsletter.

4) Why do the Friends Fundraise?

Because museums have valuable collections, people often think that they have plenty of money; this is often not the case and the opportunity to purchase further objects, exhibits or manuscripts frequently arise at short notice because most items are sold at auction. The Friends Committee thought it would be useful to set up a fund to make money available for such purchases. To find out more about fundraising, click here.

5) I don’t have a medical background, can I join the Friends?

You don’t need a medical background to join the Friends. The Friends of the Thackray Museum are from a wide variety of backgrounds and have interests in medicine, history and museums in general.

6) How often do the friends meet?

As well as the Annual General Meeting, the Friends arrange a regular programme or lectures and visits to other museums, galleries and sites of interests.

7) I live far away; can I still join the Friends?

Yes, even if you live far away or abroad, you can still join the Friends. You can receive information and updates on the Friends through the post and the latest news and information will be updated on our website.

8) Who should I contact for more information about joining the Friends?

You can contact Rachel on rachel@thackraymuseum.org or on the general museum number, 0113 244 4343. The Friends membership form is available to download here.