CHARITABLE trusts could be set up to run four visitor attractions.
Durham County Council is looking at the idea because it could enable Killhope Museum, in Weardale, the DLI Museum and Durham Art Gallery, in Durham City, and Binchester Roman Fort, near Spennymoor, to tap into new sources of funding.
Killhope Museum, dedicated to lead mining, opened in 1991 and has won several awards, but visitor numbers have fallen from 40,000 to just over 21,000 last year. There are plans for a £3.5m visitor centre which would need outside funding.
The DLI Museum attracts more than 40,000 visitors a year and there are plans for a new building to house various collections, while Binchester Fort is visited by up to 4,000 people during the six months a year it is open. There are plans to spend £1.5m on improved visitor facilities.
The council's cabinet has been told that if trusts were set up to run the attractions, they could attract outside funding, which in turn could help to bring in more visitors.
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