Fermanagh County Museum has successfully achieved internationally recognised accredited status and was presented with its certificate ina ceremony on Thursday evening.

The museum is one of the first museums in the United Kingdom to achieve this accolade.

Chris Bailey, Director of Northern Ireland Museums Council who presented Sarah McHugh, Manager of Fermanagh County Museum with the certificate said:

"This is a great moment for Fermanagh County Museum. It is one of the first museums in the UK to achieve accredited status. This means that Fermanagh's heritage is being cared for at an appropriate standard so your grandchildren, great grandchildren and great great grandchildren will still be able to enjoy the collections at Fermanagh County Museum.

Another benefit is that the museum is now eligible for increased funding from bodies such as NIMC and the Heritage Lottery Fund. By reaching this standard – the museum has ensured that investment in Fermanagh's heritage will continue in the future."

At the same ceremony, the new Collections Resource Room was officially opened and is intended to give greater access to the museum's collections and expertise. Researchers will be able to make appointments to view and access items from the collections in a purpose built research and open storage area.

The Visual Arts Resource Pack created for Fermanagh County Museum by Nora Hickey was launched to visitors on Thursday night and is an excellent tool to help people engage with the art collections at Fermanagh County Museum.

Speaking about the night, Sarah McHugh, Manager of Museum Services said:

"I am really pleased that the museum has achieved the accolade of Accredited Status. This is because of our high standards in collections care, as well as our hard work enabling as many people as possible to get access to our collections through our innovative education programmes, our website and our ever changing programme of exhibitions and events. The new Resource Room and the Visual Arts Resource Pack are another stage in our ongoing mission to make the museum and its collection open for people to use for research, learning and enjoyment."

Noelle McAlinden, Creative and Expressive Officer with the WELB launched the Learning from Art exhibition and complimented the museum saying:

"This museum is providing a wonderful service to the people and educators of Fermanagh and I am delighted that children's creativity is being encouraged through exhibitions such as Learning from Art, publications such as this inspiring Visual Arts Resource Pack and the day to day learning opportunities at the museum."