The National Railway Museum in York will admit children for free from Thursday - giving a big Easter boost to both local families and York's tourist economy.

Free entry has been permanently restored for people aged 16 and under at the NRM and various other national galleries and museums, under a Government scheme to improve access to the national collections.

Pensioners will enjoy free admission from April 1 next year, and it could be extended to adults the following year.

Children currently pay £3.15, with a family ticket (two adults and up to three children) costing £15.50. The same family will only have to pay £11 from Thursday.

School parties, currently paying a £30 token charge for a season ticket, will get in free.

The museum, which has received increased Government subsidy to help cope with the reduction in revenue, is delighted to be able to admit children free, and expects it will lead to greater numbers coming along.

Admission to the NRM used to be free before action by the Conservative Government in the 1980s led to the introduction of charges.

Gillian Cruddas, chief executive of York Tourism Bureau, said today: "It's good news. The family market and also the seniors market are very important sectors of the York tourist economy.

"This helps us to emphasise that York is a high value destination. We are under increasing pressure from the European market because of the exchange rates and people are very price conscious at the moment. The railway museum is hugely popular with foreign visitors.

"Hopefully this will help persuade people to come and also stay longer when they get here." It was also possible people would spend money saved at the NRM elsewhere in the city.

Other museums opening free for children include the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum, Imperial War Museum and the Duxford Airfield in Cambridgeshire.

The Government today published the first of the access targets set in return for its £290 million cash injection into cultural institutions over three years.

Culture Secretary Chris Smith said: "The Government is making the largest ever increase in cultural funding over the next three years, and the public has a right to expect something in return for that investment."

The Natural History Museum has to attract 1.65 million visitors a year and maintain the number of children arriving on school trips at its current all-time high of 195,000 a year.

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