Slump in visitor numbers (From Basingstoke Gazette)

Slump in visitor numbers

11:00am Sunday 20th January 2013 in Andover

FEWER people are visiting Andover Museum than in previous years – evidence that the town is missing out on the tourist trade, thinks curator Jenny Stevens.

In the three autumn months of 2011 the museum had 4,208 visitors but in 2012 this figure slumped to just 2,848.

In her report to councillors on the museum’s management committee, the curator said: “The biggest drop is in the general adult visitors.

“We have lost one of our WEA classes this autumn which had to be cancelled due to the lecturer being ill.

“This would probably have counted for around 150 adults across the autumn.

“I think we are also missing out on the autumn tourist trade.

“Once the schools went back in September we used to see a noticeable rise in retired/semi-retired couples visiting on a short break, but this type of visitor has disappeared.

“A sign of the wider national situation perhaps.”

On a more positive note visitor numbers to the Museum of the Iron Age saw a slight increase.

A FLOOD at Andover Museum caused no lasting damage to exhibits, members of the facility’s management committee have been told.

The leak was caused by a broken water heater in a toilet on the first floor which failed overnight.

Curator Jenny Stevens said: “Unfortunately directly below is a woodland diorama in the natural history gallery. We therefore arrived to find a flooded toilet and a very wet diorama.”

The wet but undamaged exhibits, mostly taxidermy specimens, had to be cleaned and dried out.

All are now back on display with no lasting damage caused to the old building.