BOLTON Wanderers are pulling in the crowds despite it being the closed season.

Almost 20,000 people have visited Football Glory: The Burnden Park Story, since it opened at Bolton Museum on April 25.

Now the exhibition boasts the First Division League Championship trophy which will stay in the museum's hands unless The Wanderers need it for official duties.

This latest success follows the Pre Raphaelite Knights exhibition which drew a record 28,000 visitors to Bolton Museum and Art Gallery.

The successes are also reaping dividends in the museum shop which has seen a 15 per cent increase in sales.

The Football Glory exhibition which runs until August 9, has already drawn tremendous interest from schools across the borough and in a report presented to the Arts Sub Committee yesterday Dr John Gray, head of the museum service, said all educational activities linked to the exhibition were now fully booked.

A children's activity table which is run on Saturdays has also proved to be a popular attraction.

"And in July a week-long series of workshops have been organised with an artist in residence placement.

"The recent successful exhibitions have meant a previous decline in visitor figures to the museum and art gallery has been well and truly reversed," said Dr Gray.

"To date there have been 50,000 more visitors to the museum and art gallery than there were last year, which is very heartening indeed.

"Added to this there has been an increase in sales at the shops in the museum, Hall i'th Wood and Smithills Hall, this obviously generates additional income into the service which is very good news indeed," he added.

Dr Gray went on to tell members the one fly in the ointment was the difficulty in maintaining the environment in the museum and art gallery.

Because there is no ventilation, temperatures in the building, especially at the present time, soar to 100 degrees Fahrenheit plus which has caused some visitors difficulties.

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