HISTORY fans in Cheddar are pushing for a museum to be set up in the village to prevent the area's rich heritage from being lost

HISTORY fans in Cheddar are pushing for a museum to be set up in the village to prevent the area's rich heritage from being lost.The village is steeped in history and boasts a Roman villa, Britain's oldest complete skeleton, the famous gorge, ancient woodland and flints and tools from early man.But residents fear history and antiques are being lost as people move away because there is nowhere to store and display relics.County councillor and history enthusiast, Dawn Hill, said: "As families have moved out of Cheddar a lot of the history has gone with it, which is very sad."It would be very nice to have a heritage museum. Cheddar has a very rich history from its agricultural background to its Roman discoveries."Axbridge and District Museum Trust, which runs King John's Hunting Lodge in The Square, also holds relics and information about Cheddar's past, but enthusiasts are keen to set up a museum just for Cheddar in the village.Cindy Tee, visitor services manager at Sedgemoor District Council, said: "Heritage museums are interesting for the public and there is a demand for them from both visitors and residents."One in the Cheddar area would be useful because there's so much heritage there. It would be a real asset and would attract even more tourists to the area."Sedgemoor District Council is in charge of running museums in the district. Museums officer Jessica Vale said: "Cheddar has a very interesting history with the gorge and cheese-making. We would need to look at the existing facilities to see if there is any way to incorporate a heritage museum in them."Within the gorge itself, there's a museum about its history, but there isn't a museum covering the whole of Cheddar's heritage."Obviously if there's community spirit to get something like that off the ground we'd be very interested to know about it.