Wirral Transport Museum

[Willowbrook]

RE: Wirral Transport Museum
The Taylor Street museum is an excellent facility and it would be appalling to have got this far and have to step backwards.

Unfortunately a great number of enthusiasts are willing to attend events and be quite critical to how they are put on. Fewer will volunteer on a regular basis to help out. But even many of those seem to forget that in this great modern age, it’s all about the money.

It’s all very well volunteering to mop floors in the toilets, but just turning on the lights costs money. I’m sure the public liability insurance is covered by the councils block policy that covers all of their public buildings, but if they cut ties it will cost a lot more for an enthusiast group to get cover, especially if they want to cover operating the trams.

I would hate to work out what it would cost to run a tram on a single round trip taking account of that vehicles contribution to:
road insurance,
public liability insurance,
electricity of running,
electricity for maintainance,
rent on the shed,
council tax on the shed,
insurance on the building,
Look at how many trips run empty or with only one or two people onboard. What’s the real cost? You could do the same for the buses, but remember that each vehicle that’s being restored and isn’t generating income needs to have it’s rent and insurance costs covered by an operational vehicle. You also have to find more funds to actually restore it to a point where it can earn money.

The most important job of all for any museum is generating money.

Some of us may be past it, but there must be some young lads out there who can get involved in fund raising and help save this museum. I just wish I was 20 years younger.