A MUSEUM devoted to the New Forest is going from strength to strength since it reopened earlier this year.

The New Forest Museum in Lyndhurst underwent a £1.3m transformation and now boasts a wealth of new facilities, including a fully-equipped resource library.

The attraction has already drawn around 9,500 visitors since it reopened in May following a two-year closure, but museum chiefs now want to get more local people to pay a visit.

Joanne Benson, museum director, said: "It's been great since we reopened. We have had good visitor figures, lots of positive comments from people visiting, and really our task now is to let more people know that we are here. A lot of people who have been coming are visitors to the area and we now want to start letting the locals know that we are here."

The number of events held during the summer and half-term holidays will be increased, the twice-yearly adult lecture series will continue, and from January there will be an exhibition every few months.

The first one will look at how shopping has changed in the New Forest over the years.

Other improvements made to the museum include two new education/meeting rooms, a refurbished shop and a newly designed main exhibition gallery.

But the rebuilding work did not always run smoothly.

In September a woman accidentally drove her car into the side of the museum, causing thousands of pounds of damage. A section of the wall had to be rebuilt and carpets needed to be replaced, as the accident caused a radiator to burst.

The museum's new temporary exhibition gallery will remain closed until just before Christmas as a result.