THE Press petition to save the National Railway Museum has now gathered almost 11,000 signatures, with thousands more signing up every day.

Anyone who has not yet returned coupons or forms to the newspaper needs to do so by the end of today, as we are due to hand the petition over to York’s two MPs tomorrow.

Shopkeepers who have placed petition forms on their counters have spoken of the “overwhelming” response from shoppers.

Howard Proctor, of The Earl Grey Tea Rooms in Shambles, said: “The response has been very positive, it’s been overwhelming. It’s not just residents who have signed the petition, but plenty of tourists including some from Australia. Local residents see the threatened closure as a disgrace.”

Annis Cordy, of Ramshambles in Shambles, said: “Locals are up in arms about this issue. There’s nothing else in the region like the National Railway Museum.”

Jackie Male, of Tullivers Health Shop in Colliergate, said customers were very passionate about saving the NRM.

Brian Murray, of Books For Amnesty in Goodramgate, said as soon as staff mentioned the petition to customers, everyone wanted to sign.

Pam Browne, of May News in Goodramgate, said: “We’ve had a very good reaction to the petition. Many signed straight away, they couldn’t believe closing the museum was even an option.”

Meanwhile, The Press online petition is continuing to gather signatures from all over the world. Roger Hill, from Melbourne, in Australia, said he and his wife were in a group of 30 or so railway enthusiasts from Australia who spent three days in York in May, including a visit to the NRM.

He said: “You can therefore understand my dismay at the prospect of the NRM closing.

“We down under consider the NRM as one of the icons in railway preservation in the world, which we are prepared to travel half way around it to see! Surely your Government can allow museums to charge to make up the shortfall between budget cuts and the cost of keeping the doors open.”

• If you are a city centre business with petition forms ready to hand over, please phone 01904 567132 today.