Securing Gurkha heritage and their legacy

Dear Supporter of Gurkha heritage,

We are thrilled to share some extra exciting news in this extra newsletter:

TODAY we can share with you we have been awarded funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and The Foyle Foundation in support of Project Kaida.

At The Gurkha Museum Trust, our mission is to honour and celebrate the rich heritage and culture of the Gurkha soldier and his ongoing contributions to Britain and global security. As the story of the Gurkhas evolves, so too must the Museum. Our redevelopment project, known as Project Kaida, encompasses a complete renovation of the public galleries; the creation of a state-of-the-art reference, research, and education center; the digitalisation of our extensive archives; and the delivery of an innovative outreach and education program. Project Kaida will improve access to Gurkha heritage for future generations.

Project Kaida is an ambitious endeavour. We owe our progress to the unwavering support of our community. Our Friends of the Museum, along with the support from the serving soldiers and antecedent regiments, have contributed significantly to our success to date. However, we still need to raise the final £620k of the total £5.2m required to deliver this transformative project. Would you consider making a contribution to this once-in-a-generation project by contributing directly; organising a fundraising event; and/or helping to raise awareness of our charitable cause?

Click here to view and share today's press release

Celebrating our supporters

SUPPORT FROM THE NATIONAL LOTTERY HERITAGE FUND

We are pleased to inform you that The Gurkha Museum Trust has successfully secured funding for Project Kaida, receiving a delivery grant of £2,681,278. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all lottery players.

Stuart McLeod, Director of England - London and South at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said:

"We're proud to support the redevelopment and reinterpretation of The Gurkha Museum through Project Kaida. It is fantastic news that thanks to the National Lottery players, The Gurkha Museum will be able to fulfil long-held ambitions to collect and preserve more Gurkha heritage and celebrate these inspiring stories with an ever-broader range of people. Inspired by the Gurkhas’ unique way of doing things, this project will ensure the museum can engage new audiences far into the future.”

Share our Project Kaida press release

SUPPORT FROM EVERY SERVING SOLDIER

"To our Gurkhas, both serving and retired, The Gurkha Museum plays a crucial part in displaying their hard-fought heritage, forged from 210 years of service to the Crown. In order to ensure its future as a world leading museum, the Brigade of Gurkhas will have donated over £725,000 by 2028 through fundraising and donations from their pay to support their museum's refurbishment. This will allow it to not only further showcase all aspects of the many military campaigns they have been involved in and to exemplify the Nepalese culture that binds the Brigade of Gurkhas together, but also for the museum to be better equipped to incorporate our future history as it is written."

Colonel David Robinson, Colonel Brigade of Gurkhas

Your charity of choice

SUPPORT FROM THE FOYLE FOUNDATION

Lieutenant General Sir Peter Duffell KCB CBE MC, Museum Vice-Patron and for two decades a Trustee of The Foyle Foundation, writes:

"For 25 years The Foyle Foundation has been a distinctive and generous grant making charity, primarily sustaining and benefitting UK-based arts and learning institutions including museums. I am delighted that the Trustees have agreed a major grant of £150K to support the modernisation of the Gurkha Museum.

The Foundation has always recognised that if military museums are to remain relevant and attract wider audiences, then in addition to the historic past they need to reflect new campaigns and the changing nature of warfare itself - changes that need to be projected in ever-evolving contemporary displays.

In agreeing to a major grant, the Foyle Trustees were persuaded that the sound plans for the redevelopment of the Gurkha Museum would encompass these changes whilst ensuring that the military skills of the gallant and light-hearted Gurkha soldier and his close and enduring partnership with his British officers would continue to be recognised within the museum displays together with the other essential elements of over 200 years of Gurkha heritage and history and his homeland of Nepal."

SUPPORT FROM THE ANTECEDENT REGIMENTS

We are grateful to the trustees and members of the antecedent regiments for continuing to protect and preserve their heritage, and supporting their Museum.

Lieutenant General Sir David Bill, President of the Gurkha Brigade Association, said:

"It has been wonderful to see the impressive support provided by our serving soldiers and our veterans to Project Kaida. There have been many examples of very generous individual donations, but I would also like to pay tribute to our antecedent Gurkha infantry regiments for the very substantial sums each has contributed to their Museum's modernisation project.
As the custodian of our Gurkha heritage, The Gurkha Museum already has a key place in our hearts. But Project Kaida, in renewing and updating the present museum offer, will provide a game changer in bringing to the public a more inclusive and dynamic treatment of our proud Gurkha history, heritage and culture. We are fortunate indeed to enjoy such special support from our Nepali community and more widely.
The renewed Gurkha Museum will be a genuinely special place of which we can all be justly proud."

The future of Gurkha heritage - a film

SUPPORT FROM INDIVIDUAL FUNDRAISERS

We are thankful to all the serving soldiers that have fundraised for us. Be it sponsored weighted marches, flipping a tyre 8848 (the height of Mount Everest in metres) times, climbing the three Welsh peaks or hosting a mess dinner, your support is invaluable.

Rifleman Bikash Limbu shares his thoughts on Project Kaida: "I am proud to serve in the Brigade of Gurkhas, an illustrious regiment with over two centuries of history. As part of my commitment to honouring our heritage, I am raising funds for the Gurkha Museum Trust, an institution that preserves the incredible legacy of the Gurkhas and supports vital initiatives like Project Kaida".

Would you consider undertaking a fundraiser to help meet our fundraising goal?

Fundraising webpage

Shaping the future of Gurkha heritage

THE GURKHA MUSEUM TRUST'S STORY SO FAR...

The Gurkha Museum has come a long way since its humble beginnings in a converted barrack block back in 1974 at Church Crookham. Now located in Winchester, the Museum is a popular destination for Gurkha heritage enthusiasts and attracts visitors from across the globe. Click here to read about the original move from Church Crookham to Winchester, from our Patron Colonel Denis Wood.

We remain dedicated to sharing the military, cultural and human stories, made possible by the unwavering support of our network.

Sudha Rai, Trustee of The Gurkha Museum Trust, says "The redevelopment of The Gurkha Museum, or Project Kaida using its Nepali name, is hugely significant for the global Gurkha and Nepali communities."

Hari Budha Magar MBE, Gurkha Veteran, says "The Gurkha Museum has the remit to record what it means to be a Gurkha and celebrate our past, current and future successes. It is our responsibility to support them to record and present our heritage, our kaida."

When complete, The Gurkha Museum will be the global reference centre for Gurkha heritage and the must-visit destination which honours the Gurkhas' historic, current and future contributions. The design documents (RIBA Stage 3) can be viewed here and the link to the flythrough of the new Museum is below.

Please help us secure this exciting future for The Gurkha Museum.

Fly through the conceptual plans

YOUR SUPPORT IS VITAL

Please contact us to discover more about the redevelopment of The Gurkha Museum at Fundraising@TheGurkhaMuseum.co.uk.

Our vision will only be realised through support from generous donors and funders. Every contribution to this historic redevelopment is appreciated and will be recognised in the Museum. Your support is vital.

How can you help?

FAITHFUL FRIENDS

"My support for the Gurkhas is well-documented but worth highlighting here. My father served with the 6th Gurkha Rifles for eighteen years. Indeed, my father owes his life to a Gurkha soldier, Tul Bahadur Pun who was subsequently awarded a Victoria Cross for his heroic actions in Burma in 1944.

I, like many others hold the Gurkhas in the highest esteem for their bravery, loyalty and friendship. The Gurkhas have served alongside the British with distinction for over two hundred years and they have proved themselves again and again over their two hundred years of service.

It is this illustrious service that The Gurkha Museum Trust protects and preserves. I ask you today, to support the Gurkhas and their heritage to demonstrate your gratitude."

Dame Joanna Lumley DBE, Vice Patron, The Gurkha Museum Trust Appeal

Our faithful friends talking about Project Kaida

FInd out how you can help further secure the future of Gurkha heritage.

Project Kaida webpage

Connect with us