Norfolk Museums Service is pushing ahead with plans to generate fresh income at Norwich Castle through weddings, corporate events, ticket sales and venue hire, the Joint Museums Committee heard on 24 July.

Director of Culture and Heritage Steve Miller told councillors that invest-to-save funding was being used specifically to develop the venue hire offer at the Castle, with some income streams already up and running faster than others.

The move comes as the service faces early financial pressures in its 2026/27 budget. Officers said they were aiming to break even without drawing on reserves, with hopes that the summer and autumn trading period would improve the position.

One councillor asked how much the income-generation drive was expected to raise. Miller acknowledged that new commercial opportunities had always been part of the business plan, but did not give a specific target figure at the meeting.

A separate question was raised about whether the service had explored partnerships with large entertainment studios such as Universal to back high-profile exhibitions. The Head of Development explained that the service's focus was on exhibitions rooted in Norfolk's own collections rather than commercial tie-ins.

On the visitor side, the service recorded 75,864 visits between 1 April and 30 May 2026, compared with 53,695 during the same two months last year — a rise of around 41%. Councillors asked for future reports to break down those figures by paid visitors, free visitors, and museum pass holders.

The Norwich Castle Museum pass scheme also continued to grow, with a rise in memberships linked to the Access All Eras campaign.

Norwich Castle recently reached the final of the Art Fund Museum of the Year award and won the Museums and Heritage Award for Restoration or Conservation Project of the Year.