A COMMUNITY group has called for Christchurch’s former Museum of Electricity to re-open.

Under a campaign called Mission Ignition, the community group wants to reinvent the museum as an exciting science and engineering discovery centre.

On Monday a group of supporters retraced the route of the old electric trams in a cavalcade of modern electric cars to hand in their nomination to Christchurch council.

They want to nominate the Edwardian power station as a community asset. Dr Jan Peters, co-founder of the campaign, said their vision for the prospective discovery centre was to tell the entire story of energy, from the Big Bang through to the need for greener forms of energy generation and use. The museum has a unique collection of exhibits from a Bellis and Morcom generator to a mercury arc rectifier.

“It’s an absolutely unique collection of artefacts that if allowed to be dispersed across the UK, could never ever be re-assembled,” said fellow-co-founder Adrian Dwyer.

“We believe that for Christchurch to remain a place ‘Where Time is Pleasant’, supported by a vibrant tourist economy, it is vital that the town preserves historically significant buildings such as the Edwardian power station.”

To support the group’s campaign go to their Mission Ignition Facebook page.