A CAMPAIGN launched to save a military museum from closure has ended in defeat.

The Save the DLI Museum group formed after Durham County Council’s Labour cabinet, facing cuts of more than £370million, voted last October to close the Durham Light Infantry Museum, in Aykley Heads, Durham City, from April 1.

It gained the support of many angry DLI veterans and relatives of Victoria Cross winners, along with 25,000 members on Facebook.

But an effort to raise £300,000 to keep the museum open has faltered, generating just over £30,000.

That fundraising bid has now been stopped and campaign leaders have admitted defeat in their effort to save the current museum building.

John Stephenson, one of the group’s leaders, said: “The committee knew we had about a one per cent chance at the commencement of the campaign. We knew it was almost a foregone conclusion.

“But we’ve raised awareness, we’ve brought people together and we’ve perpetuated the memory of the DLI. So we’ve had a lot of positive results from the campaign.”

Asked why the fundraising had been stopped at this stage, Mr Stephenson said: “We made a promise at the commencement that payments made would be refunded (if the campaign was unsuccessful). If we let it run much longer the first PayPal payments would be a problem (to refund).

“Even if we raised the £300,000 the council would still close the museum. It’s a lost cause.”

The council says the museum, which attracts 39,000 visitors a year, is heavily subsidised and the DLI collection, which includes uniforms, firearms, medals and more detain from 1758 to 2011, has outgrown it.

The collection will be moved to a specialist facility in Spennymoor and long-term and temporary exhibitions will be staged, including at Palace Green Library.

Liberal Democrat councillors tried to block and then postpone the museum closure and Conservatives wanted it given a year’s reprieve, but all efforts came to nothing.

Mr Stephenson said it was “with regret” the committee had decided to close the funding appeal, but the group will now focus its efforts on building or converting a new permanent home for the DLI collection.

Leaders hope to work with the council, DLI Trustees and the Friends of the DLI Museum, although they want James Ramsbotham to resign as chair of the Trustees and Mr Stephenson believes he himself will have to step aside.

Donors to the campaign will be refunded, although many have said they do not want their money back.

- Supporters of the Save the DLI Museum campaign will stage an “act of remembrance and respect” at the DLI statue in Durham Market Place on Saturday (March 12). In a ceremony starting at 11.30am, a new wreath will be laid, the names of the DLI soldiers who lost their lives in the world wars will be read aloud and prayers will be said.

Organiser Colin Raine said: “We will also be then campaigning as usually but with a slight difference – not to save the DLI Museum but for a new and bigger and better state of the art museum.

“This is our new fight and in the centenary of the Somme it must be our promise to the brave lads that never came home.”