A TOWN centre museum that explores the history of Witney could close unless new volunteers are found.

The number of stewards at the Witney and District Museum, in High Street, has dropped recently to just 20.

Many of these are only able to give a handful of hours every few weeks and the museum needs at least another half a dozen.

Volunteers would have to give up three hours at a time as frequently as possible to look after the building and provide information for visitors.

Spokesman Sheila Cuss said: “We are finding it difficult to cover the rota at the moment.

“It is normally retired people who volunteer, so there is quite a turnover of staff as they get too old to do it or have to leave the area to be near families.

“I hope it will not close, but I believe other museums have recently due to a lack of people to do the job. Any number of volunteers would be good – even one would help – but half a dozen or so would be great.”

She added: “The museum is the only place in Witney where you can seeing everything to do with the history of the town.

“We have exhibitions about the town from the early days – obviously the blanket industry and wartime – to present day.”

The museum was set up in 1996 and is an run entirely by volunteers. It is a registered voluntary trust and receives no funding from councils.

The facility is entirely financed through the £2 entrance cost, which brings in about £1,500 a year, and through fundraising efforts.

The museum displays materials about the history of Witney on the ground floor and has seasonal temporary exhibitions in the upper floor.

Witney historian Stanley Jenkins said: “If it closes Witney will lose a resource which currently costs nothing to the taxpayer.

“It is a receptacle of all sorts of things – many thousands of photographs, deeds and documents and probably the only surviving workhouse register book from Witney.

“According to the constitution, if the museum shuts, things will be offered to the county museum service and will probably simply go into storage.

“On a prestige level, most towns of Witney’s size or smaller have got a museum. It would be a pretty sorry show if the town did not have one.”

The museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday, between 10am and 4pm.

To volunteer, call 01993 775915 or see witneymuseum.co.uk