Jim Clark Motorsport Museum welcomes back visitors after four months as lockdown restrictions begin to ease
Video report by Clare McNeil
One of the Scottish Borders' most popular visitor attractions has reopened after four months. The Jim Clark Motorsport Museum, in Duns, closed its doors in March due to lockdown - just three weeks into its 2020 season.It had just been awarded a 5-star status by Visit Scotland.
Jim Clark Motorsport Museum opens in Duns
Today, it's the first Live Borders venue to reopen in the area as lockdown restrictions begin to ease in Scotland."Obviously the museum was brand new last year and we were doing really well and people were really enthusiastic," says Shona Sinclair, Curator at Live Borders, "We're just super keen to be back and happy."
Celebrating the life and career of Jim Clark, Scotland's first Formula 1 World Champion and one of the greatest racing drivers of all time, the museum showcases his humble beginnings as a sheep farmer in the Borders, his incredible career, and his reputation as a gentleman.
For now the museum is only open on weekends and capacity is limited to 20 people at a time. Visitors should expect some changes to the usual experience as staff facilitate a staged reopening of the venue, to both keep the public safe and gauge the level of demand."We've got a one way system in place, we do ask customers to all book online because we're restricting the number of people we're having in the building at any one time.
"This is an interactive experience and we've had to remove some touch screens and the racing simulator which was a big attraction for us but we hope we've still got enough for visitors to see when they come through the door."We've got lots of cleaning stations and hand sanitising. We want people to feel confident and excited to come back."
People are also asked to wear masks inside.
New for 2020, is 'Clark on Canvas,' an exhibition of artworks of the Jim Clark era of motor racing produced by members of the Guild of Motoring Artists, an international guild dedicated to automotive art. Visitors can enjoy more than 20 works from arists around the world.