Museums and galleries across South Yorkshire are taking part in Museum Shop Sunday to highlight the importance of retail in maintaining arts and heritage sites.
The annual international campaign aims to raise awareness of how gift shops help arts and heritage venues survive and grow.
The National Video Game Museum is one of the non-profit museums in South Yorkshire which is taking part in the event to help fund its charity work with the British Games institute.
Christian Beckett, marketing and communications officer at the National Video Game Museum, Sheffield, said: “People think they can’t go into museums just to shop.
“We’re hoping to try and encourage people who are shopping in the city centre to just pop in.”
This year, Museum Shop Sunday has over 2,000 shops taking part worldwide with over 150 of those being UK venues.
Joanne Whitworth, spokesperson for the Association of Cultural Enterprises, said the campaign was initially intended to help people escape the chaos of Black Friday and enjoy a relaxed day of Christmas shopping while supporting local cultural attractions.
She said: “For non-profit cultural organisations the gift shop represents an essential source of revenue.
“They stock beautiful design-led, ethical and unique gifts, often by local makers and artists.
“When you choose to spend within a gift shop or cafe at a gallery, museum, botanical garden or heritage site that money goes back into supporting the people, the exhibitions and the work behind those gates and doors.”
Other cultural attractions in South Yorkshire taking part in Museum Shop Sunday include Site Gallery in Sheffield, Barnsley Museums, Clifton Park Museum, Rotherham and Grimm & Co, Rotherham.
The campaign comes shortly after the National Arts Council announced its funding plans for 2023-2026, which saw Sheffield receive less than a quarter of the funding neighbouring cities got.
