THE future of the National Coal Mining Museum has been secured.

Delighted museum officials have secured new grant aid for the attraction, which is off Wakefield Road at Overton.

The announcement of a deal with the National Museum of Science & Industry follows months of uncertainty, after the Government hinted that funding may end.

But the new deal could mean more cutbacks – and that could see more staff go.

The museum has lost 10 out of its 110-strong staff in recent months, although all have been voluntary redundancies.

But Dr Margaret Faull, museum director, is delighted that months of uncertainty are at an end.

She said: “It has been a very stressful 18 months but now we can look forward to the future.

“There was a very real threat to the future of the museum but now we can look ahead to welcoming more visitors.

“We will face a cut in our funding for each of the next three years but we know money will be there.”

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) announced in October 2010 that the that it would be exploring whether the Department’s non-statutory national museums might be more effectively sponsored through other bodies in the longer term. Museum staff have been in discussions with the DCMS and the National Museum of Science & Industry, through which its annual national grant is channelled, about the best solution.

It has now been agreed that, from April 2012, the mining museum will receive an annual grant towards its running costs from the Science Museum.

The mining museum will remain legally as a separate independent charity, still with its own Board of Trustees responsible for the running under the museum, under the chairmanship of Baroness Morris of Yardley, and the director, Dr Faull.

Baroness Morris said: “Since the DCMS made their announcement, this had been a time of uncertainty and concern for the trustees and staff of the mining museum.

“We are delighted that the NMSI has agreed to continue to receive the grant for the National Coal Mining Museum and we look forward to building on the excellent relationship that we have had with the NMSI over the last fifteen years.”

The museum has free admission and is open from 10am to 5pm each day.

It has many attractions - notably the underground tours through the old mine shafts.