Girl power out to spice up museum

FORGET the stuffed birds and old china - a South Yorkshire museum is hoping girl power will bring in the crowds.
The award-winning Rotherham Museum is taking visitors on a guided tour of one of the world's best known pop acts in its very latest exhibition.

Spice Girls fan Liz West claims to be one of the band's biggest fans - and has a massive collection of memorabilia to prove it. Some of her collection is now on show at the museum, including Geri Halliwell's outfits and shoes, Emma Bunton's infamous pink sequinned mini dress, gold discs and CDs.

Liz, 22, from Barnsley, has chased rare one-offs and other key memorabilia around the world before adding them to her collection.

She now has a reputation among sellers of Spice Girls memorabilia who often call her first before offering the collectibles to the public.

Liz said: "I began collecting Spice Girls memorabilia in 1996 when the girls first launched themselves onto the pop scene. My collection has moved from being mass produced items to one off rarities."

The latest addition to her collection - Ginger Spice's Union Jack Boots which she sported in 1997 film Spiceworld: The Movie - among the items on show.

Liz said: "We are lucky to have the boots on display as they only arrived at my house from Norway three days before the exhibition opened. They're an amazing collector's item and a rare gem in the Spice Girls world.

"The managers at Clifton Park Museum have shown great initiative in realising the value of an exhibition of pop memorabilia. It's not your traditional fare, but it is a great location for something like this."

Collections Officer, Richard Comley, said: "The Spice Girls exhibition really shows the contemporary direction the museum is going in and it's a fantastic display with some amazing items in it."