We must start charging for our museums and galleries

The Herald Scotland

30-04-2025

The loss of potential income from this misguided policy is staggering. In 2024, over two million people visited the National Museum of Scotland; 1.2 million went to the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum while 816,000 visited the City of Edinburgh Galleries and Museums. With a charge of just £10 per adult visitor, the National Museum, even with concessions, would be looking at an annual income in excess of £15m.
I am informed that the decision whether or not to charge an entrance fee at such sites at both local and national levels rests with Holyrood. Surely a precedent has already been set at national level when there are entrance charges applied at Historic Environment Scotland properties? Adult visitors to Edinburgh Castle have to pay a whopping £29.50 while for Holyrood Palace the standard entrance fee charged by the Royal Collection Trust is £25.
So can I appeal to our politicians at both national and local levels to get their act together and rapidly move Scotland into the real tourist world?
Eric Melvin, Edinburgh.
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Let's buy these old ferries
I note with interest Scott Wright's article on the preferred bidder being named by Western Ferries ("Western Ferries names shipbuilder", The Herald, April 25). Whilst the two new vessels are to be built by APCL Cammell Laird on Merseyside, rather than in Scotland, it is good to know that the order is going to a UK yard.
The article prompted me to consider the potential opportunity for the Scottish Government, Transport Scotland, CalMac and CMAL. I am presuming that Western Ferries is replacing the two oldest vessels in its current fleet of four vessels. The two oldest vessels were built by Ferguson at Port Glasgow in 2001 (MV Sound of Scarba) and 2003 (MV Sound of Shuna). These are well-founded vessels ideal for short sea crossings, double-ended loading/unloading facilities, economic to operate with a crew of four.
Acquisition of one or both of these vessels would provide additional resilience for CalMac on short sea crossings, Largs to Millport being one example. They are mono hull vessels so the "we don't do catamarans" argument from CMAL and Transport Scotland does not apply. Western Ferries has a very good record in terms of fleet maintenance and operation, so there is a potential to strengthen the CMAL / CalMac fleet.
These two vessels could also be of use to the Scottish local authorities who operate ferry services, often with quite old vessels.
Perhaps Cabinet Secretary for Transport Fiona Hyslop might seriously explore the acquisition of these two vessels?
Kevin A McCallum, Glasgow.
Raw deal on prostate cancer
Mary McCabe makes a really good point in her letter (April 28) headed "Don't they care about older people?" regarding national bowel (and breast cancer) screening, both of which are regularly in the media. Less so (except recently with the tragic case of Chris Hoy) is prostate cancer.
Unlike breast cancer (11,500 deaths per year) and bowel cancer (16,800 deaths per year) there is no national screening programme. Rather there is an ad hoc referrals system based on quite possibly the worst analytical screening test out there: the PSA blood test.
Although work in a number of areas (including MRI as highlighted in The Herald recently) is ongoing, the pace is glacial. All the while at least one other blood test which suggests much greater consistency and accuracy (PSE) is available but only to those who know of its existence and have the near £1,000 to access it privately.
Meantime PCa is the most common cancer in men (one in eight men will suffer PCa) and 12,000 men will die this year from PCa.
Colin Clark, Inverness.
Burning question
It's surely irresponsible that, while an "extreme" warning of wildfires is in place, our local Tesco (and doubtless other retailers) is promoting the sale of disposable barbecues. Is no-one capable of linking possible cause to dire effect?
Brian Chrystal, Edinburgh.
The MV Sound of Shuna (Image: Contributed)
The Six O' Clock English News
The Six O' Clock News on BBC1 tonight (April 28): Item on school uniforms, in England, prescription charges, in England, and local council elections, oh in England. It is the BBC, not the EBC.
Steve Barnet, Gargunnock.
That ruddy vocabulary
Ruddy, bloomin', haverings, chuckle. Reading your esteemed golf correspondent Nick Rodger's Tuesday pieces, I now find myself looking for what appear to be his favourite words, instead of concentrating on the subject under discussion. Today, I had to read almost seven paragraphs of haverings about the complexities of Mr Rodger's golf swing before finding a "ruddy" ("The Open Championship packs them in but sometimes less is more", Herald Sport, April 29).
I might chuckle if Mr Rodger would come to the bloomin' point less slowly.
A wee change of vocabulary would be appreciated.
David Miller, Milngavie.