A major fundraising campaign has been launched by Birmingham Museums Trust to protect and deliver bold ambitions for the city’s cultural heritage.

The campaign, Your Museums, Your Move. It takes a city to save a story, aims to raise at least two million pounds 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 on Friday 28 November.

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.