The prehistoric-themed visitor attraction Celtica in Machynlleth, Powys (mid-Wales) is under threat of closure unless £250,000 can be raised by December 2005. Powys County Council, which owns Celtica, has voted to close the tourist attraction down because it hasn't met it's visitor number targets. An average of 31,000 visitors a year over the past eight years has not reached the 90,000 target set initially. Powys Council said a report by consultants showed Celtica had lost £1.1m since 1998 and was attracting too few visitors.
     The Council applied to secure £250,000 from a charitable fund - the Plas Machynlleth Endowment Fund, but permission to use part of the endowment fund was denied by the Charities Commission in June. The money would have been used to revitalise the attraction in a bid to boost visitor numbers.
     Board chairman Michael Jones said Tuesday's decision was made "with regret". "The council has explored a huge range of options, but we now have no choice but to close Celtica," he said. "Unless external organisations find £250,000 of capital investment by December 2005, the attraction will close at the end of the tourism season.

Sources: BBC News (6 September 2005), Heritage Action Journal (7 September 2005)