An update as of March 2024.
Heritage Centre Bellingham and Collections Donations
Dear Donor
First and foremost, we sincerely appreciate your generous offer of donating an object to our collections. Your support is invaluable to us and contributes significantly to the preservation of our heritage.
As much as we would like to accept every donation we receive, regrettably, our storage capacity has reached its limit. The aftermath of the pandemic has left us with a substantial backlog of objects awaiting processing, adding strain to our dedicated volunteer team.
To manage this situation effectively, we have instituted a temporary hold on accepting new donations. However, we are still eager to consider your contribution. Our collections team will conduct a thorough inspection of the proposed donation to determine if it aligns with our current priorities and if we can accommodate it within our storage constraints.
Please understand that not all volunteers are authorized to make decisions regarding donations. Therefore, the collections team will assess the suitability of your donation and determine whether it warrants an exception to this policy. Additionally, we are unable to accept duplicate objects already present in our collection.
Following the evaluation process, could we please request your patience as we finalize our decision? To facilitate communication, please ensure that all required paperwork is completed and that we have your updated contact information.
In addition, as part of the collections review, we may need to dispose of some existing objects, for example if we have several of one type of object or if it does not fit within the Heritage Centre's current collecting policy. We will seek the donor's consent for disposal where they are still contactable.
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation during this challenging time. Your continued support means the world to us, and we remain committed to preserving our heritage for future generations.
Warm regards, Steve Gibbon, Chairman of Trustees, March 2024