But its founder David Bottin fears a lack of new volunteers means urgent action is needed to save some of the smaller museums in the region ‘’fighting for survival’’.

‘’Many of our region's museums have been suffering a slow decline in volunteer numbers, as many of their dedicated members grow older and more people have less time to spare than ever before,’’ Mr Bottin said.

‘’This coupled with rising costs and falling donations means some of the smaller museums are in a fight for survival.’’

Mr Bottin pointed to the very popular Mt Kembla Heritage Centre to highlight his point.

‘They had an emergency meeting late last year and fortunately managed to get a small group of volunteers to join but they still need a lot of help – as do most of our museums,’’ he said.

‘’Many are being kept open by less than a hand full of dedicated volunteers and the time has come to put the urgent call out for those who love the Illawarra's rich history to come and help lend a hand.’’

Lost Wollongong and the museums have launched the Wollongong Museum Trail Volunteer Day campaign. All eight Wollongong Museum Trail museums will be open this Valentine’s Day from 11am to 3pm to welcome potential volunteers. Visit www.lostwollongong.com for details.

Mr Bottin said the event just happened to fall on February 14. ‘’We hold events on the second Sunday of each month and this promotion happened to fall on Valentine’s Day. Here’s hoping people fall in love with their museums this Valentine’s Day,’’ he said.