Stoke-on-Trent's Wedgwood Museum has said that it will start work "in earnest" to raise funds needed to protect its collections relating to the historic 250-year-old pottery group.

It follows a High Court ruling earlier this week that the museum's collections were not held in trust and could be sold off in order to pay off a multi-million pound pension fund deficit.

In April 2010, trustees of the Wedgwood Museum called in administrators after it was deemed to be liable for deficit following the collapse of Waterford Wedgwood in 2009.

The museum's collections include more than 100,000 documents and manuscripts relating to Josiah Wedgwood and his renowned pottery company.

In May, it was confirmed as one of 20 items to represent the UK's heritage on UNESCO's Memory of the World register, along with the death warrant of King Charles I.

The trustees of Wedgwood Museum said: "We have to some extent been in limbo over the past months with our management and staff unable to concentrate fully on our ambitious plans for the museum.

"We remain confident that this significant and broad based support will encourage all parties to now strive for a solution which will save the museum's collections for the nation and keep them on display at our award winning museum at Barlaston."

In June 2009, the museum was awarded the Art Fund Prize.

Details: www.wedgwoodmuseum.org.uk