Museum of East Anglian Life celebrates new Suffolk Punch ahead of name change
A Suffolk museum has entered a new era with a focus on food and has strengthened its local roots with its latest arrival.
The museum of East Anglian Life in Stowmarket has decided to appeal to wider audiences by relaunching to become the Food Museum in early spring this year.
This change will allow the museum to gain wider appeal by showcasing rural food history across the UK as well as revamping exhibits - all in a bid to boost footfall.
Meanwhile, the museum has continued to maintain its local links by celebrating the recent arrival of their new Suffolk Punch, Faith.
Chloe Brett, visiting services and marketing manager at the museum said: "We started a process back in 2018 to look at the future of the museum and we came up with a 10-year master plan. We've been looking at ways for the museum to stay relevant.
"In the past people came here and recognised the objects, but a it was a case that their parents or grandparents had them. We're getting to a point where some of the objects that we've got have lost relevance to people's lives and understanding.
"We had a really good look at our collection and decided that it tells a food story. It's about food production and farming. We thought, 'why not have a food museum because there isn't one in this country at the moment'.
"We're really hoping that this change will bring in more visitors. Stowmarket is really well connected with places like London and Norwich," she added.
However, Chloe stressed that the museum will continue to hold onto its local links.
"We're not losing our collections - they are essential to us to tell the story that we're about to tell.
"A key event for us this year is that our water mill is being restored. The mill will be working again so people can see flour being milled in there."
The introduction of the newest Suffolk Punch is also a way to continue that local theme.
The museum ran a Justgiving page before Christmas to raise money to buy a second Suffolk Punch as a friend for the existing horse, Zippo.
"The Suffolk Punch is a rare breed and we thought it was important to continue to tell that story and be another place in Suffolk where people can see this rare breed. They were a really important part of farming life and food production.
"We're hoping from April onwards that we'll be introducing a daily talk by our animal officer who will talk about the work that she's doing with the horses. There will also be a chance to see some demonstrations of the horses working as well."
