Museum unveils ‘choose your own price’ entry scheme

The Thackray Museum of Medicine in Leeds is running a scheme offering a choice of pricing options.

The museum, which is the UK’s largest independent medical museum, says its new initiative, commencing this week, has been developed to offer visitors more flexibility and fairness.

The pricing scheme offers four pricing options beginning at £9, with a second tier offering entry at £10 alongside a £1 donation.

The third tier, of £12, is billed as the recommended ticket by the museum, which it says helps cover the cost of operating the museum and caring for its 166 year-old Grade II-listed building. The extra £3 will also go towards funding free activities for more than 15,000 children, the museum says.

The highest pricing option is a pay-it-forward ticket costing £16, which the museum says will support lower-cost visits and local memberships for those who need them most.

The museum’s CEO, Edward Appleyard, says the pricing structure is about “making meaningful experiences and learning about medicine, healthcare and wellbeing accessible to all”.

Membership scheme

The museum has also announced a new membership pricing scheme with discounts for residents of the local Harehills area.

Membership prices start at £20 for individuals and £23 for families, but are discounted to £5 for local residents and £8 for local families.

Members will benefit from free entry all year, priority bookings and exclusive offers, according to a statement from the museum, which also says the new entry and membership options “reflect a wider cultural movement toward equality, accessibility and community value”.

“Whether you choose the lower-cost ticket, the recommended price, pay-it-forward or membership, every visit helps power the Thackray’s work and opens the doors wider for others,” Appleyard added.

Earlier this year, research conducted by US-based research project Remuseum found museums in the United States that do not charge entry typically have lower costs per visitor.