TRUSTEES of the Museum of Dartmoor Life will no longer be personally liable for any incidents at the museum following a change in constitution.

Members of the Dartmoor Museum Association voted at a general meeting, held this week, to move the Dartmoor Museum Association from an ‘un-incorporated charity’ to a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO).

A CIO is recognised as a legal entity, which can enter into contracts, buy or lease property, and employ people.

The change in constitution also means that trustees and committee members will have limited liability.

For some time the trustees of the association had been conscious that its structure and constitution has had its limitations, particularly in respect of the personal financial risk held by the trustees.

Museum manager Keri Quertier said that the new constitution would absolve trustees of these risks.

She said: ‘At the moment as an unicorporated charity the trustees are personally liable for anything that may go wrong at the museum. There are, of course, insurances in place — but ultimately they are personally liable should the building fall down, a visitor makes an injury claim et cetera.

‘By being a Charitable Incorporated Organisation they are no longer personally financially liable, and assets such as the building are owned by the new charity rather than in trust by the trustees themselves.’

Keri assured that the running of the organisation would not change. She also hoped that the removal of the personal liability would encourage potential trustees to step forward and look at what the role involved.

Chair of the Trustees, Debbie Pritchard said: ‘I feel this change gives us the opportunity to recruit new trustees with the range of skills that we are looking for and enable us to progress the vision that we have for the museum.’

Anyone who would like to find out more about what is involved in being a trustee of The Museum of Dartmoor Life should contact the museum manager on 01837 52295 or email manager@museumofdartmoor life.co.uk