FEARS over the future of High Wycombe’s beloved museum have been quashed after a group of teenagers set up a petition to “save it”.

More than 3,000 have signed a petition which says Wycombe Museum, in Priory Avenue, is “at risk of closure in the near future” due to the “expiration of their grant” and the merger of all five Bucks councils into one.

However, Wycombe District Council has said that the museum’s funding will not be affected by the transition to a unitary authority next year.

Wycombe Museum has also spoken out, saying that they were “impressed with the enthusiasm” of the 15 and 16-year-olds, who are volunteers from the National Citizen Service, who set up the petition.

The museum has decided to use the petition to support future funding applications to “help prove local support” for the community institution.

On Facebook, the museum said: “The grant which was offered to Wycombe Heritage and Arts Trust from Wycombe District Council to run the Museum from December 2016 was agreed as a tapering grant from the outset.

“A tapering grant means that from April 2020 the museum will have significantly less per month to operate on.

“This does not mean the closure of the museum but it will mean a reduction in the services we currently offer unless additional funding or income is found over the next few months.

“In November 2021 our funding agreement ends.

“We do hope with the move to unitary in April that our current funding package to November 2021 will continue to be fully honoured by the new authority and that a supportive future funding package for the museum will be agreed.”

A statement from Wycombe District Council said: “Wycombe District Council agreed in 2016 to provide £1.2million in funding to the Wycombe Heritage and Arts Trust to run Wycombe Museum.

“ This financial support tapers from December 2016 until November 2021 in order to give the trust time to become sustainable and/or apply for external grants.

“This funding will not be affected by the transition to a unitary.

“In addition WDC put in about £350,000 for works to the museum, including lifts and parking, and continues to work closely with the trust.”

See www.change.org/p/wycombe-district-council-save-the-wycombe-museum to sign.