Sir,

The suggestion that Tenby Museum might be faced with closure is quite unacceptable. It has been an important visitor attraction since 1878. It is the oldest museum in Wales and very much a part of Tenby.

During several years up to 1995 visitors to the museum averaged 40,000 annually. During its centenary year the museum attracted over 70,000 visitors. This was without the aid of a fixed annual grant from the county council. At that time the grant was a matter of annual consideration and would vary between £500 and £3,000. On this the museum fared very well. This I understand is the proposed future arrangement.

After 1995, annual visitor numbers took a sudden drop to about 12,000 and now stand at about 17,000. The aim should be to regain a target of some 40,000. To achieve this, the management needs to examine reasons for the fall and how this can be reversed. The town continues to be a very popular resort; visitors are still there to be attracted.

John Tipton,

Croft Court,

Tenby