MY family and I have also visited The Collection museum in Lincoln on several occasions (June 24) and find things almost the same.

Where are all the artefacts from the former Greyfriars building, we wonder?

This held a great deal more interest and, in spite of being an old building, it had character.

A museum is not a cinema so why hold films? The wasted space could be used to a much greater advantage.

The Collection has virtually killed off the Theatre Royal, leaving precious little parking space for theatre-goers and now the council proposes joining the Usher Art Gallery to the museum, turning a beautifully designed building into a disaster.

The Usher has already lost a lot of its visitors, generally due to three closed off-rooms, dusky cases, no watch collection and generally unkept, with staff who on the whole know seem to know precious little about art, or anything else to do with the gallery, come to that.

As for the statement that most attractions are run by volunteers, this is incorrect.

Most are run by full-time, part-time or panel staff, all of whom are paid.

The council also pays out huge sums of money to numerous managers who, in my view, do very little to earn their high wages.

Ask any member of staff what help they get from higher up, and the answer will be none.

It's the staff who run these attractions, not their managers.

I. Wynn Lincoln.

One Saturday this month, I sat in Lincoln's High Street opposite the Cornhill Tourist Information Centre.

In the space of one hour, 11 people tried the doors of the centre, then stood back and read the notice on the front: "Closed until further notice".

I informed them all in turn of the city council's policy on the closing down of the TIC and was not surprised at the comments the visitors made on the subject.

Two were from Rotherham, four from Spalding, two from Ayr, two from Canada and one from Silkstone, near Barnsley.

All, without exception, walked away shaking their heads in disbelief.

They all came to our beautiful city and wanted information on local history.

I know this subject has already been highlighted at great length in your columns, but it just shows what a short-sighted council we have in power at the moment.

I also asked four of the visitors if they would return to Lincoln and they all said: "Maybe".

Mr R. Featherstone Scotton Drive, Lincoln.