Glass Centre's Sunday closure 'diabolical' move
BBCCampaigners fighting to save the National Glass Centre have said a decision to close it on Sundays is "diabolical".
The University of Sunderland announced the venue and its cafe would no longer be open on Sundays from 16 March.
A spokesman said the decision had been "carefully considered", but campaigner Jo Howell said it was "really disappointing".
The glass-making venue, which faced a multimillion-pound repair bill, will close permanently at the end of July 2026.
Ms Howell said she was concerned the Sunday closure would lead to more services being scaled down before the building closed for good.
"It's just really disappointing," she said. "It's like they are going to limp the National Glass Centre through to the demolition date.
"For something that's been so important to the community and the city it's just really sad to see it go out like that.
"I think it is diabolical because it ultimately plays into the overall closing down of the building itself."
A spokesman for the University of Sunderland said: "This decision has been carefully considered to balance the needs of students, staff and visitors to the venue, with the University's efforts to ensure NGC runs as sustainably as possible until the closure of the building in July 2026."
A new glass-making hub will be set up in Sunniside with the aim of preserving the city's 1,350 years of glass-making history.
There are also plans for the university to lease space within Culture House, in Keel Square, and create a publicly accessible exhibition and gallery space there.
But Ms Howell said she was worried winding down the National Glass Centre could "undermine" these efforts because it could lead to people losing interest in glass-making.
"You might end up having people go 'why should we bother to save glass blowing?'," she said.
"If you don't grab people while they're still passionate and care about it, then they'll go and they'll be interested in something else."
Ms Howell also claimed staff were informed the centre would no longer be open on Sundays about two days before the official announcement.
"It just makes it difficult for the people who work there to keep their morale up when it's being wound down in such a fashion," she said.