Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre cuts opening hours in savings bid

Bosses of a top county tourist attraction have cut opening hours to make savings of £45,000 – but say finding a further £40,000 next year will be a 'challenge'.

The Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre, in Craven Arms, is having to save £85,000 as part of Shropshire Council's budget cuts. The council is having to save more than £85 million by 2015.

The centre, which also houses the Craven Arms Library, a gallery, cafe, gift shop and visitor information centre, attracts about 170,000 visitors a year, although numbers are down about three per cent.

A number of cost-saving measures are to be introduced from April 1. The changes were discussed by the centre's advisory board at a meeting yesterday.

Centre manager Zoe Griffin said: "We'll still be open six days a week and in the summer open seven days a week. There will be minimal impact on customers."

She said they were still looking at savings for 2013/14, which, she said, would be 'challenging'.

The cost-saving measures coming into force this April include: a 20 per cent cut in its marketing budget; reviewing cleaning contracts; and closing 30 minutes earlier each day, at 5pm in the summer and 4pm in the winter, and opening one day a week until 7pm.

In a bid to boost attendance entry prices for adults, which were £4.75, have fallen to £3.50 while child tickets are down 25p to £3. Senior citizen tickets are down by a pound to £3.25.