A MINING museum once threatened with closure has struck it lucky.

The Cleveland Ironstone Mining Museum, near Skinningrove, is on target to overtake its previous best month for visitors, last August.

More than 800 people visited the museum that month, to hear the story of how ironstone mining began with the discovery of the mineral in the Skinningrove Valley in 1848.

Problems started for the east Cleveland museum when rogue trader Nick Leeson lost £1.3bn on the stock market forcing the collapse of Barings Bank in 1995 and the loss of the museum's £5,000 a year income from the bank's charitable trust.

Museum chairman Peter Tuffs said: "It has been hard work, but we have a strong team. It is pleasing we are beginning to pull in more visitors, but we need to strive to get in more. We are looking at extending our opening times.

"One of the problems with the museum is we need more volunteers. More volunteers mean more visitors."

The heritage centre, still locally known as the Tom Leonard Mining Museum, after its journalist founder, came close to closing its doors for good in 1998.

But, a £6,000 feasibility study funded by European money and a grant from Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council led to a £181,000 package of improvements and tourist friendly facilities, being approved in 1999.

For the past week, museum volunteers have been working with Ancient Crafts Outreach Officer Stephen Thurston, creating an iron smelting kiln at the entrance to the museum site.

A smelting session is planned to coincide with the museum's summer car boot sale on Sunday, September 4, between 10am and 2pm. The iron ore for the smelting has been donated by Corus. To be trained as a guide, or for a car boot pitch call (01287) 642877.