The campaign, ‘Your Museums, Your Move. It takes a city to save a story’, aims to raise at least £2m over the next two years.

Birmingham Museums Trust is a charity which cares for and shares Birmingham’s collection of around one million objects – from giant steam engines to Pre-Raphaelite paintings – as well as nine museums including Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, which is celebrating its 140th anniversary today.

Only half of the trust’s costs are covered by public funds, meaning that for every pound it receives it must raise the same amount from donations and sales.

In September, the trust launched an ambitious five-year strategy setting out a vision for change in the context of mounting costs, financial constraints and wider sector funding challenges.

The plans include steps to secure capital funding and alternative revenue streams, while continuing to advocate for public investment.

Sara Wajid (pictured) and Zak Mensah, co-chief executives of Birmingham Museums Trust, said: “Our museums are at a critical crossroads.

“We are very grateful to receive regular funding from Birmingham City Council and Arts Council England, but the reality is that for every pound we receive we must raise the same again to keep the doors open.

“The lifeline funding from the Museum Renewal Fund earlier this year has made a real difference in the short term, enabling us to invest in activities recommended by our citizens’ jury such as extended opening hours, but the funding must be spent by the end of January, underlining just how temporary this support is. 

“Your Museums, Your Move is a call to action to the people of  Birmingham and beyond, including businesses and organisations, to invest in the city’s greatest cultural asset, helping us to create a world class museum service which can be at the forefront of making Birmingham a great place to live, work, play and visit.

“This campaign is vital to ensure that the city has museums that make us all proud – for learning, remembering and imagining.”