I’ve been guilty of a degree of selfishness in that I’ve not been singing the praises of an amazing resource for those of us with kids in South-East London. As with all ‘best kept secrets’, the fact you don’t have to queue for hours to get into the Livesey Museum on the Old Kent Road (www.liveseymuseum.org.uk) was a major incentive to ensure that it stayed a best kept secret (voice of experience after having to skip the promised dinosaurs in the Natural History the other weekend for fear of standing in line for 30 mins with an over-tired toddler to see T-rex).

However, that wasn’t a very sensible policy in the long run. I was checking the opening times at the weekend, and got a shock to see the notice:

THE LIVESEY MUSEUM IS DUE TO BE CLOSED BY SOUTHWARK COUNCIL AS PART OF ITS BUDGET CUTS. THE MUSEUM MAY BE SHUT AS EARLY AS APRIL 2008.

PLEASE LET YOUR MP’S AND COUNCILLORS KNOW HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT THIS. THE MUSEUM IS RUN ON A MINIMAL BUDGET AND PROVIDES FANTASTIC VALUE FOR MONEY TO LOCAL PEOPLE AND SCHOOLS, AS WELL AS ALL ITS FRIENDS AROUND THE UK AND INTERNATIONALLY.

PLEASE SHOW THAT YOU CARE ABOUT YOUR FAVOURITE MUSEUM FOR CHILDREN BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE!

Noooooooo! But indeed, it looks like an unholy alliance of Southwark’s Lib Dems and Tories are after the building to make a quick buck, and this small free museum is up for the chop.

Big shame, as this museum is a real gem, and the only one like it I’ve ever found. They only have one exhibition a year (numbers last year, now maps), but it’s a biggie, and they ‘Changing Rooms’ the entire place with buckets of colourful paint and a fair bit of MDF, making it part museum, part playground. No wonder they need a year to plan it – it’s absolute genius creativity. Every corner (including all the new ones they made from that MDF) has engaging learning activities for kids from toddlers to upper primary and absolutely nothing is boring. Jnr loves it. There’s even a nice patio garden to chill the kids out in after they wind themselves up stupid playing with the fun (and deeply educational) stuff.

There’s a Facebook campaign to save it (and the similarly threatened Cuming Museum), and for those of you not with the good book, a good old-fashioned online petition.

But I think a good way to help save it could be to spread the word, and expose South East London’s best kept secret once and for all. If you’re a London parent, do yourself and your kids a real favour and get along there now – You don’t have too long to do it! Let’s fill up the guest book and show how much it’s loved and valued in Southwark and beyond.