Campaign to save science centres

Efforts will be concentrated on Explore and the Planetarium

A campaign has been launched to save Bristol's Wildwalk tourist attraction from closure.

The At-Bristol charity announced earlier this month that the attractions would shut because they were too costly to run and brought in too few visitors.

Carolyn Hecker, from Bedminster, has set up a website and online petition urging the government to subsidise the science attractions as it does museums.

The natural history attraction is closing along with the IMAX cinema.

"I was really shocked to hear of the closure," said Ms Hecker.

Taste for science

"I thought, I can't see a valuable facility like this disappear. I did some research and concluded it was a matter for national government rather than Bristol City Council in the long term, as council tax would have to be increased to support it."

The two attractions are earmarked for closure in April with efforts being concentrated on providing interactive exhibitions in Explore and the Planetarium instead.

Dr Goéry Delacôte, chief executive of At-Bristol, also supports calls for science centres to be given the same funding opportunities as museums.

"Museums and science centres are the same," he said.

"But don't you think it's important to educate? That is what we are doing, we are creating a taste for science.

"If you want a country without scientists, then the government is right not to fund. But I hear something else, they want scientists, so they're doing one thing and saying another."