"Important work" is just one of the verdicts in the visitors' book at Bradford Peace Museum.

The view is from an American couple who came all the way from Sleepy Hollow, New York, to see the three-room display on the top floor of the office block across from Waterstones bookshop in the city centre.

In one corner is a piece of the fence which used to encircle Greenham Common.

On a wall hangs a poster from 1937 proclaiming: "War must be Renounced as well as Denounced."

The peace message is so topical right now that Peter Nias, the man in charge of the museum, accepts it is ironic that it is in such difficulties.

But its funding from donations and charities is at an all-time low.

In the short term, if it doesn't get more money, it will mean vital work with Bradford schools may have to stop.

In the long term, the museum could leave Bradford forever. There is already talk of a possible move to Leeds.

Mr Nias said: "It would be tragic if it were lost. Our existence sends positive messages about Bradford to the UK and to the rest of the world.

"Showing peace is not easy. A war museum is far easier to set up. But the idea is to get people thinking about peace - and we do."

Councillor David Ford, (Green, Shipley West) said: "We are at possible closure point and this should not be the case. At a time when there has been trouble on our own streets - as well as what is happening in Iraq - it is imperative that we support the museum."

The Peace Museum was started after an International Peace Museum Conference in Bradford in 1992.

The UK needed a Peace Museum - there are 100 around the world - and it was decided it should be in Bradford.

It was set up in the rooms in Piece Hall Yard as an initial temporary base. But, Mr Nias says, "It's long-term temporary."

There were bids to find a new permanent home but they came to nothing.

It is more like a gallery than a museum - and it does feel temporary - but, as Mr Nias points out, a lot of its work is done out and about in schools.

A touring exhibition has also been seen by 30,000 people around the world.

The museum is a collection of paintings, posters and artwork all in the name of peace. "People Need Water not Weapons" and "Bread not Bombs" are some of the messages around the walls. There is also a special children's "game" designed to stimulate discussion where they have to put things in order to create a peaceful society, things such as freedom of speech, food for everyone, and health care.

A patchwork made by children in the Ukraine is a treasured exhibit.

There is also a gallery of some of the world's most famous peace campaigners including Gandhi and Norman Angell, the former MP for Bradford North who won the Nobel Peace Prize for his book The Great Illusion which made an economic argument against war. It is only a small museum but it has had a major impact.

Mr Nias adds: "Our impact is out of all proportion to our size. It would be tragic if we had to leave Bradford."