Lowestoft Museum is to hold two family days this summer thanks to a £500 donation from the EDP's Community Chest fund.

The visitor attraction was picked from among hundreds of entries to receive the money.

The fund was launched by the Journal's sister paper in association with the Norfolk Community Foundation.

Its aim is to help community organisations and charities kick-start the transformation of their group.

Malcolm Berridge, chairman of the museum's trustees, said the money would pay for archaeological education company Travels in Time to put on activities at the museum in Nicholas Everitt Park, in Oulton Broad.

He said: 'We are very pleased tohave been awarded the money. We are not a wealthy organisation. We do not charge for entrance to the museum.

'We are very much dependant on donations, so the money has enabled us to do something special to attract young people to the museum.'

Mr Berridge said the museum was keen to work with schools and wanted to encourage young children to visit, to help them develop an interest in the heritage and history of Lowestoft.

The theme of the family days on July 30 and September 3 will be the Romans and pottery through the ages.

A fossil-themed day, run by Travels in Time, was held at the museum last August to celebrate 30 years since the building was opened.

Mr Berridge said it was a great success and he hoped the two family days this summer would be just as popular with both local families and tourists.

The museum is run entirely by volunteers and features exhibits covering the history of Lowestoft. It is open from Easter to the end of October from 1 to 4pm.