A £1M cash injection which helped to safeguard Bradford’s National Science and Media Museum was money well spent, bosses at Bradford Council have said.

The investment of taxpayer cash was made three years ago, shortly after the visitor attraction narrowly escaped closure.

At the time, the crisis-hit National Media Museum needed to find a way to secure its long-term future and decided it would focus more on the so-called STEM subjects of science, technology, engineering and maths.

Bradford Council agreed to invest £1m, alongside a further £1m from the Science Museum Group, to make it happen.

In return, the museum signed up to a three-year programme, agreeing to establish itself as a ‘centre for excellence’ in getting young people engaged with science and technology, developing a world-class interactive gallery and doubling the number of local schools it welcomed in for visits or other collaborations.

Now this three-year agreement is coming to an end, the museum’s director has again expressed her gratitude for the money, saying it had helped to secure its future in the city.

Jo Quinton-Tulloch told the Telegraph & Argus: “We remain very grateful for this major investment that was made at a crucial time for the museum, and which supported the development of many new activities and initiatives, from our ongoing STEM programme to the launch of the new-look Bradford Science Festival.

“Ultimately, it has helped us improve the experience for visitors and benefit young people and the many educational groups we welcome, as well as giving us a great framework for seeking future partners and investment.”

Ms Quinton-Tulloch has sent a report to Bradford Council saying many of the original targets of the three-year agreement have been “met and exceeded”.

It says the museum’s rebrand as the National Science and Media Museum and the opening of the Wonderlab gallery last spring saw visitors reach “a staggering 55 per cent ahead of the same period in 2016”.

Whereas before the museum had been working with 90 of the district’s 212 schools, it now works with 164, and it is “continuing to target schools who have yet to engage with the museum”.

Chiefs at the authority add that they are “satisfied that the National Science and Media Museum is meeting the commitments it made in return for the three-year investment”.

It will be discussed by the Council’s regeneration overview and scrutiny committee at Bradford’s City Hall at 6pm on Tuesday.

The National Media Museum had faced closure in 2013, when Ian Blatchford, the director of the Science Museum Group, announced plans to shut one of the group’s three northern sites.

But the Telegraph & Argus began a campaign to save the museum with 45,000 people signing our petition.

The Stop the Cut campaign was also supported by celebrities such as Hollywood producer Martin Scorsese, Monty Python stars Michael Palin and Terry Jones, Bradford-born artist David Hockney and legendary actor John Hurt among others.

After petitions and protests, in July 2013 Mr Blatchford announced that the museum was safe thanks to a reduction in funding cuts from 10 per cent to five per cent. He also said the museum needed to change its name, saying it was “confusing”. It later became the National Science and Media Museum.