Fleetwood Museum is still a month away from opening its doors for the first time since the threat of closure was lifted - but plans are already being made to ensure that this year isn't the popular attraction's last.

A meeting last week saw campaigners agree to set up a feasibility study which will look at options to fund the museum when its final £79,000 annual grant from Lancashire County Council runs out.

A new steering group set up by the friends of the museum to plan for the museum's future met with Blackpool North and Fleetwood MP, Joan Humble, last Thursday.

Mrs Humble said after the meeting: "We had a very good, but also realistic discussion about the future.

"As a result I shall be contacting the North West Development Agency to ask them to support a feasibility study to examine all the options open to the museum.

"Once we have had a professional study we can look at what the realistic proposals are and find the funds needed to protect the museum and protect the collection for the future."

Claire McDade of the North West Museums, Libraries and Archives Service, who attended the meeting at Mrs Humble's invitation, said: "We are keen to work with the people in Fleetwood to see if there is any way to keep it open beyond the end of this year. It is a very valued museum which has a lot of potential."

However, she emphasised that there was no easy fix to the museum's problems.