More than 1,000 supporters have backed a petition to keep a closure-threatened Moray attraction open.
The Falconer Museum in Forres has welcomed countless visitors through its doors since it opened in the 1870s.
However, its future currently hangs in the balance after its custodian Moray Council made a decision to either shut it or pass it to another organisation as part of budget cuts.
A decision about whether it would open again was delayed in October to early next year to allow more investigations to be done to establish a new group to run it.
Now campaigners are piling pressure on the council to ensure the museum does open again in April following its regular winter shutdown.
An online petition opposing a permanent closure has been signed by nearly 1,100 people.
Zoe Archer, who launched the campaign, stressed on the website that the museum service “underpinned” the heritage of Moray.
She said: “The collection now contains more than 50,000 objects of national and international importance. It is a five-star visitor attraction at the heart of the community in Forres.
“The museum works to inspire learning for all ages and is a vital, free, rich resource for Moray’s children.
“We understand the importance of this gem of a museum and its collection and believe it should be accessible to everyone. It would be a crime to permanent close the museum.”
Options have narrowed for the Friends of the Falconer Museum campaign group to keep the attraction open.
Museums Galleries Scotland has ruled out financial support but has outlined models that have sustained facilities elsewhere, including Gairloch Museum which reopened in new premises in the Highlands this year and the charity-run Kilmartin Museum which receives funding from Argyll and Bute Council to care for its collection.
The Friends group in Forres has ruled out taking over the museum itself after a study done five years ago concluded it was unaffordable – but has pledged to support any alternative organisation that steps forward.
More than 100 people attended the final family drop-in event at the Falconer Museum, which was held shortly before Christmas.
John Barrett, chairman of the Friends group, said: “It seems that this petition comes as a result of the great success of the Christmas drop-in at the museum.”