Funding cuts force wetlands centre to close

An award-winning museum and conservation centre in south-east London has been forced to close.

The Pumphouse Heritage Museum and Nature Reserve in Rotherhithe was expecting cuts of up to 28 per cent but Southwark, which must save £34 million this year, cut its entire budget.

For 20 years, the wetlands centre, next to a four-acre nature reserve, has hosted history, geography and ecology programmes for about 120,000 schoolchildren as well as providing reminiscence therapy for up to 40,000 care-home patients and dementia sufferers.

The Pumphouse Educational Museum closed on June 12, the day it unveiled a blue plaque from the council recognising "outstanding services to schools, older and young people from 1989".

Pumphouse volunteer Dorothy Wood said: "The work it has done with children is invaluable."

Barrie Hargrove, of Southwark council, said government funding cuts had forced their hand. He said: "It was felt that the Pumphouse did not provide as good value for money as other projects."