In December, the museum launched an appeal to ensure its long-term future . . . and recent reports in local newspapers have suggested that their goal had been reached.

But director of the museum Stuart Hilton insisted that its financial future isn't yet safe.

He said: "We are doing a lot better, but we aren't out of the woods yet.

"We are still in the red, although we are moving in the right direction and people have been taking notice of the appeal.

"I think if we continue to get people on our side, we can do it."

The aim of the appeal is to get 1,000 people to donate £5 a month to ensure the Cheetham Hill-based museum's long-term future.

The museum opened in March, 1984, to act as a window on the Jewish world for non-Jewish people.

It is at the forefront of Holocaust education, offering exhibitions, lectures and a collection of oral testimonies from survivors.

Contact the museum 0161 834 9879.