While I am respectful of the contribution of the National Railway Museum to the tourism industry of York and the preservation of railway heritage in general, I must make an observation in the light of the front page article 'Thomas steams in with museum fees' of December 6.
This pointed out the apparent anomaly of the charges to be made for the return of the Thomas The Tank Engine event in the light of the much-heralded ending of admission charges, paid for by Government subsidy.
There is a further anomaly in the fact that the museum charges £4 for parking in the visitor car park.
Therefore, visits are only 'free' for those visiting by public transport or on foot.
There are several important self-supporting museums in the area which do not have the safety net of public funding, and who play an equally important role in preserving our national heritage.
These have no option but to continue to charge admission fees, with some keeping them as low as possible and offering free parking, perceived to be appealing to visitors.
The no-doubt valid argument for charges for specific events has been made and this same argument applies to the independent museums which run special events to further entertain visitors and increase the number of people visiting.
I hope potential visitors to the many attractions in the area will bear this in mind when choosing where to visit and not just concentrate on the issue of admission fees or the apparent lack of them.
Clive Richardson,
Grimwith Garth,
York.
Updated: 10:08 Friday, December 14, 2001
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