Greater Manchester's Museum of Transport

Volunteers work round clock to re-open Museum of Transport

9 February 2008

It’s a real busman’s holiday, as volunteers at Greater Manchester’s Museum of Transport have been working round the clock to re-open after electrical repairs forced the Cheetham-based tourist attraction to close before Christmas.

The urgent repairs meant that the Museum was closed to the public for the whole of January, much to the disappointment of visitors - and the volunteers who run it, who are now left with a repair bill of over £30,000.

“Our volunteers have worked extremely hard, literally round the clock, to complete the urgent repair work so that we can re-open the Museum,” said Museum Chairman Dennis Talbot. “We were all so disappointed that we had to close, for the first time in almost 30 years, but we had to make sure that the Museum facilities are kept up to the highest standards for our visitors. We’re very much looking forward to welcoming everyone back.”
Visitors who arrived at the Museum while it was closed were given a free voucher for a return visit, and the volunteers who maintain the museum – from all walks of life, from bus drivers to businessmen – have taken the opportunity to spruce up the 100 year-old museum building in Boyle Street, Cheetham, to provide a real welcome when the doors reopen on Saturday 16th February 2008. As a special thank you for everyone waiting to visit, the Museum proposes to halve its entrance fees for all visitors for the rest of February.

“It’s been hard work and a bitter blow that we have had this emergency closure,” said Dennis. “But we hope that people will come to see us tell the story of public transport in Greater Manchester since 1824, and help us raise the money we now need to pay for the repairs.” Full details about the Museum and its events can be found by visiting www.gmts.co.uk or by telephoning 0161 205 2122.

Ends

Notes to Editors

The Museum of Transport is in Boyle Street, Cheetham, Manchester and is open to the public every Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday. An admission charge applies. The Museum is a partnership between the volunteers and the Greater Manchester Transport Society and GMPTE, the public body which supports and co-ordinates public transport in Greater Manchester. Telephone 0161 205 2122 or visit www.gmts.co.uk.