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BBC<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\nMore than 60 people have attended a special private viewing to allow naturists to visit a museum.<\/p>\n Dorset Museum in Dorchester offered the opportunity to wander through its galleries naked on Tuesday evening.<\/p>\n The ticket price for the event, organised by British Naturism, included a glass of wine, changing facilities and a locker for clothes.<\/p>\n Museum Director Claire Dixon said it “showcased the ways museums can provide for their communities”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n In what is thought to be the first event of its kind at a UK museum, 65 people were given a private tour of the museum after it had closed to the public.<\/p>\n Fiona Discombe, who attended with her husband Michael, said “This is an event we really wanted to come to as it’s different. <\/p>\n “Obviously you’re sharing an experience with like-minded people, it’s great fun.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Keith Bowman, from the Dorset branch of British Naturism, said he was “relieved” to have sold more tickets than anticipated. <\/p>\n “My remit is to try and find new venues,” he said. <\/p>\n “I write to a lot of venues asking if they would entertain such a visit and Dorset Museum responded very quickly.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Dorset Museum & Art Gallery in Dorchester’s High East Street reopened in 2021 after a \u00a316.4m revamp lasting more than two years.<\/p>\n Collections include the story of palaeontologist Mary Anning, the archive of novelist Thomas Hardy and works by sculptor Elisabeth Frink, along with 250 million years of natural history.<\/p>\n In January, the museum said Covid-19, the cost of living crisis, Brexit and the war in Ukraine had affected visitor growth while costs had also risen.<\/p>\n Ms Dixon said the idea for the event came about after she publicly warned the venue was struggling<\/a> and needed new ways to boost funds and visitor numbers.<\/p>\n “I received an overwhelming response,” she continued.<\/p>\n “A lot of people got in touch with ideas and suggestions for ways they could help.<\/p>\n “For us it’s fantastic as it enables us to showcase the many ways you can see a museum and the fact that we’re here for everybody.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/bbcx\/grey-placeholder.png\")
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<\/div>\n<\/div>\n‘Here for everybody’<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n