FOSUMS – Friends of Sunderland Museums

The Friends of Sunderland Museums (FOSUMS) is a volunteer organisation that supports Sunderland Museums through fundraising activities, a monthly talks programme and raising the profile of the museum in the region through promotion at public events such as the Sunderland History Fair. Membership of FOSUMS is by annual subscription.

Friends of Sunderland Museums was launched in December 1979 with a special lecture by Dr. David Bellamy who subsequently became and still is our President.   We have two vice presidents, John Grundy who is extremely supportive and attends our Christmas event each year, and Neil Sinclair who was curator from 1977 and oversaw the HLF funded refurbishment of the Museum in the 1990s.

We support and promote the Museums and over the years have raised a lot of money to help the Museum put on exhibitions and make purchases.   We gave £3000 for the new Shipbuilding Gallery and raised £10,000 towards the refurbishment of the building, as well as donating an analemmatic sundial for the North Terrace of the park, and supporting the purchase of five paintings by Robert Soden recording five stages of the work on the Museum, and three paintings by L. S. Lowry.

We hold monthly meetings, at 2 p.m. on Saturdays, (usually the second Saturday) which are open to visitors and have an Easter Fun Day at Monkwearmouth Station Museum and a Halloween Fun day in Sunderland Museum.   We visit a fairly local attraction in August and have a Christmas event with entertainment and buffet.   We have about 150 members this year and you are very welcome to join us.   Membership forms are available at the Museum shop.