“THE fight definitely goes on.”

That’s the pledge from the fundraising group behind Wimborne’s Priest’s House Museum now that plans to fund an extension to the High Street attraction have been set back.

District councillors recently voted to withdraw £500,000 of matched funding for the project, following the failure of a bid from the museum for the same amount to the Heritage Lottery, last autumn.

“Doing nothing was not an option. There is still an urgent need for storage space, a learning centre, and improved visitor facilities,” said Mike Carter, chairman of the Priest’s House Museum Trust.

“We have decided to go for a less costly project of about £800,000. We are going to put in another Heritage Lottery bid, hopefully in the summer.

“The fight definitely goes on. There’s no way we’re giving up on this project. We already have some money pledged from private bodies. And the district council has offered us help from its officers.”

Cllr Spencer Flower, the leader of East Dorset District Council, told the Daily Echo that the museum retained the council’s support.

“If they come back with something more modest, we will look at it,” said Cllr Flower.

“They are going to have to re-evaluate what they can deliver. We will never say ‘never’. The door is always open.”

Wimborne councillor Pat Hymers said that while the withdrawal of council funding had been a setback, it had not been unexpected.

“It’s very disappointing that the grant has been lost, but it was intended as matched funding for a grant from the Heritage Lottery. When one bid failed, the other did too,” she said.

“What we are all hoping is that a new plan will be drawn up, perhaps not as expensive as the first. The plan for the learning centre will be modified to be a bit smaller.”