TWO museums have joined forces to open up for longer every Wednesday this month.

The Oxfordshire Museum and the Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum (SOFO) both in Woodstock, are offering a series of one-off evening events and activities throughout the month, with bothstaying open for three hours longer until 8pm.

Most notably, the Oxfordshire Museum will be showing a Treasure to Trash exhibition on August 26 – a colourful display of the innovative ways rubbish can be re-used.

Miss Oxfordshire Layla Claridge will be attending the event wearing a dress made for the competition using recycled materials.

The 23-year-old said: “I’m really proud of the dress that I’ve made and I can’t wait to wear it at the museum. It’s made completely out of tissue paper and it’s really brightly coloured.”

Miss Claridge, from Charlbury, beat 12 others to win the beauty pageant title in June. She said: “I’m also really looking forward to having the opportunity to explore the museum and to be able to meet lots of local residents as I welcome them in. I think it’s great that the museum is opening its doors so late.”

The Oxford Museum will also be putting on live music from local musicians, including John Somerscales and Rod Craig.

The duo will be performing on the mandolin and guitar on Wednesday with Mr Somerscales giving guitar lessons. Their performance will range from 16th century dance tunes through the bluegrass and Irish traditions to contemporary originals from Carolan to JJ Cale.

Oxford-born Joely Rendle is also singing on Wednesday, August 26.

On the same day, a research pod will be open where visitors can talk to SOFO volunteers about what the archive holds and how the museum can help them with their research.

They can also take a look at the highly acclaimed exhibition ‘66 Men of Grandpont 1914-1918’, which tells the stories of men who went off to war from the city.

Councillor Lorraine Lindsay Gale, Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet member for cultural services, said: “We are excited to be offering a new experience to visitors with our first summer evening openings.

Admission is free to the Oxfordshire Museum and Garden but admission charges apply to Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum except for Second World War veterans.