CHARITY the Wolfson Foundation has announced Paisley Museum will receive £200,000 in capital funding towards its transformation into a world-class cultural destination.

More than 80 grants were announced by the foundation, with Paisley Museum receiving the highest heritage grant outside London.

When the museum re-opens, it is expected to attract 125,000 visits each year and provide a £72 million economic boost to the area over the next 30 years.

The £42m redevelopment of the museum is the signature project in Paisley’s radical regeneration which also includes refurbishments of its A-listed town hall and a new learning and cultural hub housing library services on the town’s High Street.

The redesign of the museum campus, being led by an international team including architects AL_A and exhibition designers Opera Amsterdam, will allow the number of objects on display to be increased by 100%.

Councillor Lisa-Marie Hughes, chair of Renfrewshire Leisure Ltd, said: “The museum has been beloved by generations of Renfrewshire people and this significant sum brings us a step closer to radically transforming this prominent symbol of Paisley’s past into a central part of our town’s future.”