The Devil’s Porridge Museum Sparks Joy

Monday May 18^th was International Museums Day and Museums Galleries Scotland organised a day to celebrate the best that Scottish Museums have to offer in their ‘Museums Spark Joy’ campaign.

“We were keen to take part and share some good news stories” said Judith Hewitt, Museum Manager.  “It is a difficult time for many of us at the moment and for visitor attractions such as ours, the future is uncertain.  This was a great time to remind people of the work we do and what a source of pleasure museums can be.”

Throughout the day, photographs and contributions from the public were shared on the Museum’s social media.  “Some of these were really touching and it was great to hear what people love about the Museum and how much they’re looking forward to us re-opening when the time is right.”

The following comments were shared on the day (I thought you might want to edit and use some of them):

Comment from Mary, an Eastriggs resident: “I personally believe that The Devils Porridge Museum is an asset to Eastriggs and has brought many engaging opportunities to Eastriggs and the surrounding areas. It makes me feel very proud to say I am from Eastriggs as it educates and inspires all visitors who have the chance to visit the museum.  All the staff are so welcoming and friendly.”

Comment from Kate, a Friend of The Devil’s Porridge Museum, “It has been a while since we visited the museum but I have such vivid memories of that day. My husband and myself had never heard of the museum, we found your information in a hotel we were staying in.

We both discovered history we had never heard of before, we found it fascinating and enjoyed the way everything was set out.

It was our intention to return this year with our grandchildren hopefully in the summer or later depending on how things go with lockdown & social distancing.

We have told family & friends about our visit & highly recommended they visit to see it for themselves.”

One of our volunteers said: “I enjoy visiting museums and learning more about their subject matter. What I enjoy most about DP is the people whom I meet there. I enjoy giving them information about the area, about the huge factory which was here during WW1, but which is almost invisible today, unless you know what to look for.”