DUDLEY Museum and Art Gallery has just received national recognition for the quality of its service.

The museum based in St James's Road, Dudley, has been given full accreditation status by the Arts Council of England.

The accreditation scheme sets nationally agreed professional standards for UK museums and shows the site meet national guidelines on how it is run, how it looks after the collections and the services it provide to visitors. Museums in the scheme are re-assessed every three to five years.

Councillor Tracy Wood, Dudley's cabinet member for environment and culture, said: “Accreditation is really important as it allows us to benchmark the performance and achievements of our museums while helping us focus on meeting the needs of our community.

“To have received this status again shows just how committed our staff are to providing a fantastic service and to ensuring our collections are accessible and engaging for local, national and international visitors.”

The museum is open from 10am to 4pm, Monday to Saturday.

Entry is free.