A Stitch in Time: Tavistock Museum Wins First Kathy Callow Grant
We are delighted to share the outcome of the first round of the Kathy Callow Grant Fund, which has now been successfully completed. The fund attracted a number of strong applications, reflecting the enthusiasm and quality of work taking place across the region.
Applications were carefully assessed by a selection panel against clear criteria, including eligibility, alignment with the fund’s purpose, public benefit, strategic fit, project planning, and funding.
Following this process, the panel is pleased to announce that the Round One award has been made to Tavistock Museum for their project A Stitch in Time.
This engaging project will celebrate previously undisplayed historic clothing and objects that tell the story of Tavistock’s boom period during the mid-19th to early 20th centuries — a time shaped by the prosperity of the region’s copper mining industry. The grant will support vital conservation work, including the treatment of a historic book and a pair of silk shoes, as well as improvements to environmental conditions to support long-term collections care.
Tavistock Museum presented a well-planned and carefully costed proposal that extended beyond core conservation work to include additional object repairs, new display resources, protective measures, and the development of a children’s trail to enhance learning and engagement with the exhibition.
As this was the inaugural Kathy Callow Grant award, the panel agreed to support the project in full, enabling the museum to deliver the exhibition as planned and to use future fundraising to further strengthen its wider work.
The panel commented:
“Your proposal stood out for its clear impact and relevance to your museum’s mission, demonstrating how the grant will significantly support the care, conservation, and display of your collection. The objects chosen are engaging and locally significant, offering rich opportunities for interpretation across multiple themes. We were also impressed by the strategic approach to using this funding as a catalyst for future fundraising, alongside strong alignment with wider museum objectives such as community engagement and education.”
We are pleased to support Tavistock Museum through this first Kathy Callow Grant award and look forward to seeing A Stitch in Time bring Tavistock’s rich heritage to life for new audiences.
Round 2 of the Kathy Callow fund will be announced in 2026.
About the Kathy Callow Legacy Fund
The South West Federation of Museums & Art Galleries is the proud custodian of the Kathy Callow Legacy Fund. Our role is to administer the Legacy Fund to the sector in line with the wishes of Kathy Callow.
The Kathy Callow Legacy Fund supports small, Accredited museums in the Southwest of England with the costs of care and display of social history collections.
Please see below for further details of the Kathy Callow Legacy Fund. If you wish to apply for funding, please ensure you download and read the guidance notes and application form.
Kathy Callow Application Guidance (PDF)
SWFed Kathy Callow Application Form (PDF)
SWFed Kathy Callow Application Form (Word Document)
Applications for 2025 are now closed.
About Kathy Callow
Kathy Callow (née Beeham – 1949-1989) was an active and long-standing member (latterly a Fellow) of the Museums Association. After qualifying in conservation at Leicester University, she devoted her working life to the many causes of small, local museums, starting in Enfield then Godalming, and finishing as Curator of the Priests’ House Museum in Wimborne (now the East Dorset Museum). In between, in 1975 she set up Gosport Museum and in 1989 the Museum of the History of Water Supply in the Pumping Station at Sutton Poyntz above Weymouth. Unusually practically resourceful, able to restore the early fibre-glass yacht Nohoh, and to install central heating virtually single-handedly, she was blessed with an insatiable curiosity. She also lived bravely with cancer for 6 years without this being known to most of those around her.
Purpose of the Kathy Callow Legacy Fund
The Kathy Callow Legacy Fund supports small, Accredited museums in the Southwest of England with the costs of care and display of social history collections. This may include conservation, exhibitions, improving stored collections or public engagement.
As custodian of the Kathy Callow Legacy Fund, the South West Federation of Museums & Galleries administers an annual small grants programme.
The total sum available for grant-making in each year is approximately £1,000
The sum awarded will be influenced by the long-term value of the project and the degree of preparatory thought that has been put into determining the content of the work and its costs.
The Grants awarded from the Kathy Callow Legacy Fund shall be used solely for the purpose of funding Accredited Museums in the Southwest of England for:
– the conservation of social history objects;
-the display of social history objects which may require specific conditions;
– collections care generally for social history objects;
– ‘social history’ may without limitation include occupational dress, campaigning banners, technology in use in everyday life, and the history of waterways and seafaring.
Eligibility
To be eligible for a grant, organisations must meet the following criteria:
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- Be a charity registered in the UK.
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- Be an accredited museums / gallery
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- Be based in the Southwest of England, including the counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Hampshire / Solent / Isle of Wight, Somerset, and Wiltshire.
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- Have an annual gross revenue expenditure of less than £600,000.
The project applied for should:
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- Focus on objects that are of importance/relevance to the social history collections
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- Result in a long-term asset for the institution
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- Be for public benefit and arrangements for access should be in place
Application Timeline and Deadlines 2026
Applications for 2025 are now closed. Follow us on social media, visit our website, or sign up for free membership to receive our monthly newsletter and be the first to know when applications open for 2026.
Completed applications should be sent to info@swfed.org.uk
Contact
If you have any questions about the Fund, the application form or the grant making process, you can contact info@swfed.org.uk FAO: Charlie or Verity.