http://www.midwalesjournal.com/news/publish/article_2392.php
http://tinyurl.com/2e35b
Mid Wales Journal:
Rent hike puts museum's future in doubt
The future of one of the major cycle collections of Europe - based in
Mid Wales - is under threat because of a three-fold increase in rent.
The Welsh Development Agency has increased the rent on the Automobile
Palace in Llandrindod Wells from £3,000 to £10,000 a year, leaving the
National Cycle Museum desperate to find means to survive.
Items from the museum's reserve collections have been sold off for
cash and the trustees of the museum are having to resort to jumble sales to
raise funds to maintain the exhibits.
There will be a charity sale at Pritchard's Garage in Llandrindod next
week to raise money to plug the funding gap.
But the trustees warn that the museum is now at serious risk in
Llandrindod Wells and may have to go into storage mode or move out to
preserve the important collection.
Curator David Higman told members of the town council on Tuesday that
the situation was serious.
"We have been existing by selling surplus material but at the end of
the day, that is going to run out.
"We have to raise about £8,000 to plug the funding gap and we do not
want to go into debt.
"When we get to a certain point when it's looking really bleak we will
have to go into storage mode.
"We have got responsibilities, we have one of the finest collections
in the country and if it comes to a brick wall we have to protect and
preserve the collection.
"We like operating in Llandrindod Wells, the cycle museum and the town
are right for each other."
Secretary of the trustees, Scotford Lawrence, said: "In the current
situation all our efforts result in the generation of funds which go
straight into the coffers of the Welsh Development Agency.
"While we have been and are extremely grateful to the Welsh
Development Agency for financial help with various small one-off items,
these are of little use to us if we are at the same time burdened with
continuing overheads which we are unable to meet from our available income
and resources.
"It is ironic that the museum is now at serious risk in Llandrindod
Wells from the policies of an organisation whose aim is the creation of
commercial activities in Wales."
He called for a meeting between trustees and the WDA to discuss the
matter.
Town Mayor Councillor Derek Law said: "It's a phenomenal thing to have
a National Cycle Museum in the town."
The town council agreed to write to the WDA pointing out what an asset
the museum was to the town and their concerns about the financial situation.
--
Rob
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