TWO charitable trusts in Salisbury have merged into a single charity in a bid to secure a sustainable future for a city gallery.

The former Edwin Young Collection and The John Creasey Museum have joined forces to become the Young & Creasey Gallery Trust, supporting the Young Gallery.

Based on the first floor of Salisbury Library, the Young Gallery is seeking to renew its accreditation through Arts Council England and develop a sustainable art museum for the future.

It is hoped the establishment of the new charity will help in that process.

The Young Gallery has a collection of more than 4,000 artworks, prints, sculpture, books and photography.

Dr Emily Dunbar, art curator, said: “The merger of the trusts has been essential to the behind the scenes work at the Young Gallery and is as crucial step towards developing a dynamic, free art museum in the centre of Salisbury.

“It marks an exciting new phase for the Young Gallery, which we plan to build on over the rest of the year.”

The collection began with more than 300 watercolour paintings showing scenes of Salisbury and the surrounding area by Edwin Young.

It also has 2,000 books in more than 20 languages, as well as manuscripts and designs for book jackets relating to the crime and thriller writer John Creasey, which became part of the collection in the 1970s.

Artists featured now include Robin Tanner, Edgar Barclay and William Goldsmith, as well as prints by JMW Turner, John Constable, David Hockney and Henry Moore.

The Young Gallery’s full exhibition programme will launch in October.

Leader of Wiltshire Council, Cllr Richard Clewer, said: “The Young Gallery is a real asset not only for Salisbury but the surrounding area as well.

“The work taking place recently has been vital to enable the gallery to move forward and become a vibrant space that can become part of a cultural quarter for Salisbury.”