A POPULAR museum is celebrating its largest donation after a hairdresser bequeathed more than £250,000.
Staff at Beamish Museum, near Stanley, County Dur-ham, marked the occasion by planting a lime tree in the 1913 Town Street.
Malcolm Berry, a hairdresser from Keighley, West Yorkshire, left his estate to Beamish Development Trust in his will.
The money was given over after Mr Berry was declared dead in 2002, 11 years after he failed to return home from a Spanish holiday.
Beamish Development Trust is the registered charity that supports the museum by raising funds from individuals, companies and charitable trusts.
In the 20 years since its creation, the trust has raised more than £1m to help projects such as Pockerley Manor, the Town Bank and the Methodist Chapel and School in the Colliery Village.
Trust chairman Ron Woodman, the general manager of Gateshead MetroCentre, said: "We have no idea what connection Mr Berry had with Beamish, except that there was a Beamish poster on the wall of his shop.
"But he has left us nearly £282,000; a fantastic amount, which will be used on projects such as the Masonic Temple and the Puffing Billy replica, both of which visitors will see next year.
"Malcolm Berry obviously loved Beamish and wanted the museum to continue to grow so that others could enjoy it."
For more information on leaving a legacy to the museum, call 0191-370 4021.
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