town walks, lectures and short courses was offered, and school visits were hosted. In 2005, a new formal MLA requirement, Accreditation, was introduced with more demanding benchmarks and the need for extensive documentation and policies to meet specified formats. Arundel Museum was again one of the first in the area to achieve Accreditation, which it did at the first attempt. An Uncertain Future From 2000 onward, the Museum had operated under the shadow of an uncertain future. Arun District Council had expressed an intention to sell 61 High Street, and the lease would not be renewed. AMS tried hard to find alternative premises so that a planned move from one building to another might be achieved, however without success. Whilst efforts to develop a new museum carried on in the background, AMS was obliged to leave their premises in the autumn of 2007. Museum Society volunteers, supervised by a consultant curator, undertook the task of packing every item in the collection and transferring these into stores. For the 2008 and subsequent seasons, Arundel Museum was able to keep a presence in the town by opening in temporary portacabin accommodation, sponsored by local entrepreneurs, next to the Car Park in Mill Road. In October 2011, it moved again, and again to temporary accommodation, this time in Crown Yard Mews, where the museum took on the role as tourist information point for Arundel. Rescue Returning to 2008, the Angmering Park Estate Trust and the Norfolk Estate came to the rescue and provided the society with a vision for the future. They agreed to jointly offer an ideal, prime site for a new building in the centre of the main tourist area. This is the site at that time occupied by St Nicholas Hall, opposite the Lower Castle Gate. So AMS became involved in a two-pronged attack to achieve its aims. Firstly, Arundel Museum Society needed plans for the new building. Graham Whitehouse, the architect, created plans for the building and steered the society through the planning process. Jonothan Potter worked closely with the museum to develop a new design concept for the internal displays. Secondly, Arundel Museum Society needed to embark on a major fundraising drive to raise a total of £1.6 million to build and fit out its new permanent home in the heart of Arundel. The first step was to apply for funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, formerly