A MAJOR York museum and York Art Gallery are to close for a week in the New Year - while a second big museum will stay closed until the spring.

The York Museums Trust says that in support of the health and wellbeing of its staff, it will close to the public and pause all activities behind the scenes for a week from Tuesday January 4.

It said the closure will affect the Castle Museum and art gallery, which will reopen from 11am on Wednesday January 12.

However, the Yorkshire Museum, which shut last month, will remain closed until next spring, although the adjacent Museum Gardens will remain open to the public and operate normal opening hours from 10.30am to 6pm.

The trust said that like many cultural institutions and charities, it had had a challenging 18 months surviving the pandemic.

"Staff have worked hard, dealing with constant change and upheaval," it said.

"York Museums Trust places great importance on the health and wellbeing of its workforce, and therefore has taken the decision to give all staff a chance to switch off completely from work ahead of what is likely to be another busy and stressful year.

"January is normally a quiet time for the museums and the decision has been taken to close all sites completely for one week so that all staff, many of whom work rota patterns, can benefit from a complete break from work."

Chief executive Reyahn King said the trust was most grateful for the continued support it was receiving from its visitors and supporters.

"All our work to inspire, to care for and to share York’s wonderful art and heritage is dependent on our people who have gone the extra mile consistently throughout the pandemic," she said.

"Staff health and wellbeing is of utmost importance to York Museums Trust and all staff will be encouraged to take time to rest and recuperate.

"We hope people will return to work revitalised and ready to tackle the new year ahead.”

The trust said that by closing the Yorkshire Museum, it would allow it to focus its resources on keeping the Museum Gardens, Art Gallery and Castle Museum open for everyone to enjoy over the winter.

"It will also allow us time to repair the building’s roof which has suffered significantly in the summer’s heavy rains and make good some of the damage the leaks have caused inside," it said.

"It also gives us the opportunity to develop new and exciting displays and events for when we reopen next year.

"With our smaller staff size, our brilliant Visitor Experience teams have been working very hard to provide access to all the sites over the Summer. Closing the Yorkshire Museum will enable them to have much deserved breaks and continue to provide great service to our visitors at our other sites through the winter.

"We look forward to welcoming you all back as we come into bloom for spring next year."