The first big step towards creating a new trust to manage museums and theatres in North Devon has been taken by North Devon Council.

The Museum of Barnstaple and North Devon will now be managed by the North Devon Theatres’ Trust, which had been previously managed directly by the council.

The trust, which is a not-for-profit company funded by the council, already runs two theatres in the region and it is hoped the move to create a larger trust will help the services attract funding from organisations such as Arts Council England.

The council’s culture and regeneration manager, Jerry Lee, said: “This is a great opportunity to bring together two of the council’s top performing services in order to create a high-quality regional organisation that will have an even greater local impact.”

Alan Giddings, chief executive of North Devon Theatres, added: “We have worked well with the museum on many projects over the years and I’m delighted that the arrangement is being formalised.

“We look forward to developing some fascinating projects during the next few years that will be enjoyed by locals and visitors.”