Oxfordshire Museum and Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum celebrate ten years of collaboration
Ten years of working together are being celebrated by the Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum (SOFO) and the Oxfordshire Museum with both organisations setting out their aspirations for the future.
Oxfordshire County Council’s Oxfordshire Museum and SOFO have committed to continue their work together to improve the shared Woodstock-based site for the benefit of communities locally and other Oxfordshire, UK and overseas visitors.
In a new joint ambition statement, they have also vowed to explore opportunities to develop and improve what is on offer. The aim is to deliver a more distinctive, rich and attractive visitor experience that encourages more diverse audiences, longer stays, and repeat visits.
Councillor Neil Fawcett, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Community and Corporate Services, said: “We are delighted to be celebrating ten years of the Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum at the Oxfordshire Museum.
“Our continued collaboration signifies a united effort to prioritise Woodstock communities and the visitor experience. We look forward to seeing what the future will bring, and the continued improvements that will contribute to a vibrant and memorable destination for everyone.”
While working together to improve services, both museums will remain distinct entities.
David Shouesmith, Chair of Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum Trustees, said: “As the Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum marks its tenth anniversary it is essential, we work closely with the Oxfordshire Museum to jointly present a compelling heritage experience for all visitors.
“We very much look forward to a future of close collaboration with the Oxfordshire Museum and the county heritage team as we develop our stories of how the people in our county have experienced, directly and indirectly, conflict over the years.”
Find out what’s on at the Oxfordshire Museum throughout the year by visiting the museum’s website.
About the Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum
SOFO Museum first opened during the summer of 2014 in the grounds of The Oxfordshire Museum and Woodstock Library near to Blenheim Palace.
A local military history museum, it tell stories of how conflict has affected the county and its people, from soldiers serving on the front lines to ordinary people living on the Home Front.
Since opening, the museum has hosted a wide range of exhibitions and has worked with national and international partners to bring to life military stories that capture the imagination.
Find out more about, including upcoming events and exhibitions, by visiting the museum's website.
Joint Ambition Statement
“The Oxfordshire Museum and SOFO commit to working proactively together, through the management structure set out in the SOFO lease agreement, to optimise the shared Park Street site and the associated operations of both museums, for the benefit of the Woodstock community and other Oxfordshire, UK and overseas visitors.
“We will explore opportunities, via the management group, to develop our offers and operations with a shared ambitious aim to deliver a distinctive, rich and attractive visitor experience that encourages more diverse audiences, longer stays, and repeat visits.
“Each organisation will maintain its own distinctiveness, in terms of strategic priorities, collections, and telling its own stories, whilst together seeking a shared and enhanced customer focus.”
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