Museum must travel

In your article about the head of the Science Museum (Interview, 15 October) Chris Rapley fails to address one crucial point when he talks about inspiring young people to enter science and engineering careers.

The museum he runs is in London and the majority of the population that do not live in or near London never go to the place. It is not really relevant.

This is not just a London- bashing point about how all the resources go to the capital and the rest of the nation picks up the crumbs (though plenty of people would say that).

If you want to make science and engineering interesting to young people you cannot expect them to go to you — you have, instead, to take it to them.

I would like to know whether the Science Museum stages events across the country that bring subjects such as engineering to life in places a long way from London.

If it does, that makes me a lot more supportive of what is no doubt a great national institution but which is out of reach to many. If it does not, then why?

P Arnold

Scarborough