The Catalyst Science Discovery Centre in Widnes, Cheshire, is struggling to stay open following a series of funding cuts.
In April 2011, Halton Borough Council withdrew its grant of £35,000 a year, about 12% of the museum’s annual income, while £12,500 a year in support from Chemicals Northwest ended last year.
As a result, the museum has lost its front-of-house manager and a member of its education team, while its technical officer and curator now work fewer days.
Director Stephen Youd-Thomas said that although admissions were rising, from 23,000 in 2011 to more than 26,000 last year, without immediate investment the museum may have to close within months.
The science centre’s future rests on a loan application to Halton Borough Council for £50,000, which Youd-Thomas hopes will be approved this month.
Catalyst also plans to submit a bid later this year to operate a visitor centre at the nearby Mersey Gateway Project, which involves building a toll bridge over the Mersey. Youd-Thomas said Catalyst would receive a rise in cashflow, footfall and sales if it wins the contract to operate the visitor centre.
Just under half of Catalyst’s visits last year were children and school trips. The centre employs 14 staff, with the equivalent of 2.5 full-time posts dedicated to education.
“If the loan doesn’t happen, if we can’t secure sponsorship and the developer [for the Mersey Gateway Project] doesn’t work with us, then the future is bleak,” said Youd-Thomas.
“We have submitted a robust business case to the local authority, and hope that will be enough to persuade it [to approve the loan].
“We are also working to secure the visitor centre, where we can use our expertise to interpret the science behind the construction, and our collections, to put them in context.
“It would be a tragedy if we had to close – and a real loss to education.”
In April 2011, Halton Borough Council withdrew its grant of £35,000 a year, about 12% of the museum’s annual income, while £12,500 a year in support from Chemicals Northwest ended last year.
As a result, the museum has lost its front-of-house manager and a member of its education team, while its technical officer and curator now work fewer days.
Director Stephen Youd-Thomas said that although admissions were rising, from 23,000 in 2011 to more than 26,000 last year, without immediate investment the museum may have to close within months.
The science centre’s future rests on a loan application to Halton Borough Council for £50,000, which Youd-Thomas hopes will be approved this month.
Catalyst also plans to submit a bid later this year to operate a visitor centre at the nearby Mersey Gateway Project, which involves building a toll bridge over the Mersey. Youd-Thomas said Catalyst would receive a rise in cashflow, footfall and sales if it wins the contract to operate the visitor centre.
Just under half of Catalyst’s visits last year were children and school trips. The centre employs 14 staff, with the equivalent of 2.5 full-time posts dedicated to education.
“If the loan doesn’t happen, if we can’t secure sponsorship and the developer [for the Mersey Gateway Project] doesn’t work with us, then the future is bleak,” said Youd-Thomas.
“We have submitted a robust business case to the local authority, and hope that will be enough to persuade it [to approve the loan].
“We are also working to secure the visitor centre, where we can use our expertise to interpret the science behind the construction, and our collections, to put them in context.
“It would be a tragedy if we had to close – and a real loss to education.”
