CAMPAIGNERS in Edinburgh are celebrating after the city council announced the People’s Story museum will reopen next month.

The institution, which celebrates and remembers the struggles of working people through the centuries in Edinburgh and beyond, closed earlier this year as the Labour council grappled with a £26.7 million overspend after years of cuts to local authority budgets.

Despite a deputation from Save the People’s Story Museum organiser Jim Slaven, councillors voted by six votes to five in October to close the museum, saving just £205,000.

The campaign continued its fight and a month on, Labour convener of culture and communities, Valerie Walker, has reversed the decision.

She said: “We listened closely to the community’s passionate feedback, and I’m delighted to announce that we will reopen the museum on Monday December 2.

“It’s a special museum where all exhibits are inspired by the voices of Edinburgh’s own people, drawn from oral histories and written accounts to share authentic stories.

“The collections showcase this with items such as Friendly Society regalia, banners and materials representing Edinburgh’s diverse communities.

“We look forward to welcoming visitors back through the museum’s doors.”

On behalf of Save the People’s Story Campaign, Mr Slaven told the Star: “We welcome the reopening of The People’s Story.

“This is the first step to developing a sustainable future for Edinburgh’s working-class history museum in the Tolbooth building on Canongate.

“The council decision to close The People’s Story created a crisis out of which we have created an opportunity.

“We now need to work together to improve the museum. Making sure it is curated properly and the collection updated for the 21st century.

“The stories of workers and communities in Edinburgh must be told and respected.”