MUSEUM chiefs in Rossendale are hoping for a lottery windfall to help them improve disabled access.

Lancashire County Council's museum service is currently putting together the bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund to help improve access to Helmshore Textile Museum.

The cash will enable the facility to improve access to the site which dates back to the 1770s.

A detailed bid is currently being put together with the help of consultants to transform the listed building into a museum that offers modern access requirements.

The museum hopes to receive funding for improvements including creating ramps, improving toilets, creating new signs and pathways inside the site. Funding worth thousands of pounds from Lancashire County Council has already been pumped into the scheme to pay for plans to be drawn up.

County council officers are currently working with consultants to come up with a suitable scheme that would compliment the historical building.

Edmund Southworth, Lancashire County Council museum's officer, said: "Once we have completed the first process we will then consult with architects so that a bid can be submitted to the Heritage Lottery Fund.

"A decision would be expected within six months which means the work could start in around 12 to 18 months time.

"The grant would benefit the museum in a number of ways after we put together an imaginative and innovative scheme to boost access for all users.

"At the moment its not a fully accessible site because of different ground levels. The complexity of the building makes it difficult for people who have walking difficulties or for those people who are in wheelchairs.

"The museum has been in operation since the 1970s which is in need of improvements such as the toilets which are now looking a bit old and don't meet modern standards.

"If we are successful in securing the funding it will enable us to modernise the facility while creating a better service for users."