The National Waterways Museum at Gloucester Docks is "likely to be sunk" in the latest round of massive cuts to British Waterways budget according to this months Private Eye (No 1245) and This is Gloucestershire.
Local politicians are apparently worried that closing the museum will hamper their ability to draw tourists to the docks area's shops and other attractions. However they are not offering any cash to bail out the museum.
The Mayor of Gloucester Chris Witts, a former grain barge skipper and author of several books on the River Severn (the longest river in Britain), is supporting a call for volunteers, otherwise the museum may have to close by the end of the month. Staff are already being laid off.
However it is not just volunteers that are required, they also need visitors, but they are just not getting enough.
• The National Waterways Museum is run by the Waterways Trust which was criticized recently by North Star because it "lacks focus, lacks imagination, lacks a vision, tries to be the jack of all trades and is, unsurprisingly, master of none".
