Can You Help?
Children of The Croft
If you were a mother at The Croft, Alexandra Park, Nottingham, during the years 1967-1976 and would like more information about this project please contact info@nowHeritage.org or telephone 0115 924 5604.
Long-term feedback about Nottingham‘s Family First work is still growing. For example, last year, I had the joy of meeting Barbara Reed, a retired NHS Senior Manager, and her daughter Emma Golby-Kirk, an experienced radio and educational professional. Together they run Now Heritage Community Interest Company. I last met Barbara when she was expecting baby Emma at The Croft in the early 1970s.
Realising how exceptional was the normality of life at The Croft, Barbara and Emma are working with and seeking other mothers among those who lived there during the years 1967 – 1976. Their stories are creating a practical and participatory research project: Children of The Croft. It also involves the help of trained volunteers and research of the social history context of that time.
This project will facilitate education work; hold an exhibition at Nottingham Castle; create a book: and probably other participative outcomes about parenthood today.
Ruth I. Johns 6/2012
For more background see Nottingham’s Family First
Another public building threatened
THE OLD LIBRARY Leamington Spa
The Bath Place Community Venture [BPCV] has, from 14 September 2012, had to leave The Old Library, York Road, Leamington Spa, and awaits a planning decision from Warwick District Council on its appropriateness to have tenure of this public building. It is threatened with destruction of its historic and beautiful interior and turned into 28 ‘luxury’ flats. This use would destroy hundreds of people’s opportunity for learning and social activities which sustain a vibrant, diverse and self-helpful community: and would also eradicate BPCV’s ability and desire to restore this historic Grade II listed public building which has been neglected for years by Warwickshire College which now acts as vendor.
There have been hundreds of protests and reasoned objections to the change of planning use. If Warwick District Council decides against Bath Place Community Venture, it will be the last straw for me in believing that local authorities today act – as their primary concern – to enable local citizens to fulfil their rightful and positive roles in society. If local authorities believe that acting with coteries of those in ‘inner-circles’ is more important than acting for the ‘common good’ then they will, alas, learn over time that they will lose the co-operation of the majority of people on whose goodwill the organisation of local authorities depend. The talents of ‘ordinary’ people in their local communities have been increasingly messed about for several decades now. It is time that those in positions of authority decided they are best advised to build on citizens’ strengths and not to assume their goodwill is like a length of elastic which has no breaking point.
Back Story - read more...
Are there any descendants of the Wise family who were benefactors in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, in the late 19th Century? If so, they may be interested in the following story and wish to help ensure that the decisions of their forebears are honoured.
In Leamington Spa, there is a beautiful Victorian civic space (see photos above): a Grade II listed building which is at risk of being sold for development. In York Road, it was once the town Library, donated in June 1898 to the Mayor, Aldermen and Burgesses of the Borough of Royal Leamington Spa by William George Wise and Henry Edward Wise of Shrubland Hall. The original deed had a covenant that it should remain: “a School, a Museum or any other Municipal Building.” It stated that if the land became surplus to requirements, it should be handed back to the Wise family. The land was clearly given only to the Borough of Leamington.
As we understand it, some years ago due to local government re-organisation Warwickshire County Council took over the running of the library. However, in terms of the original deed, it should not have acquired the Old Library building? But it sold the historic building at modest cost to a further education college which allowed it to deteriorate seriously for a long time despite its listed building status. And now the college is negotiating to sell it at a high price for development to pay for upkeep of the college. Thus, a valuable Leamington town capital asset for the benefit of its people could be lost for ever if it is unfairly sold for revenue expediency. The people of Leamington Spa need this building as the next part of this story will explain.
The Bath Place Community Venture has been at the heart of the Leamington Spa community for almost 40 years. But it was left homeless after the building it tenanted burnt down during repair work and through no fault of its own. It eventually was allowed to use the empty and very dilapidated listed Grade II Old Library building mentioned earlier and made it useable, not least by putting in a new large kitchen. The Veggie Table community café offers healthy weekday lunches. Most of the vegetables are grown locally.
The large number and mix of people who use the Bath Place Community Venture in the current dilapidated building is testimony of its need to exist.
Many groups and individuals, including volunteers, use it. Large numbers of Warwick University students live in Leamington: their Amnesty International and OXFAM groups meet there. So does the Leamington History Group; multi-faith organisations; youth drama; re-employment agencies; U3A; toddler groups; Yoga and Pilates classes; pre-election debates and other public meetings: and the County Music Service; Spires Orchestra: and the Early Music Ensemble which find the acoustics good. The building is home to the Community Arts Workshop and the Mediation and Community Support Group. Importantly, it provides safe space for people who are vulnerable.
The list could go on and all this in a building which still needs rehabilitating! See www.bathplace.org to find out what has been achieved despite huge difficulties and no future security. If justice were possible, The Old Library should remain as a community asset for the town, thus honouring the wishes of the original Wise family benefactors. And Bath Place Community Venture should be given a secure long lease conditional on its rehabilitating the building as it deserves. And the building should be recognised as legally tied to the intentions of its original benefactors who were community minded and far-sighted. Returning the beautiful building to a good state would be a worthwhile task, which local people would rally to support if its future were secure.
On 10 July 2012, a petition with over 1,500 signatures was handed to a meeting of Warwickshire County Council. The petition questioned the right of Warwickshire College to sell the Old Library building in Leamington Spa for development. Why? Because (a) of the way the College came into ‘possession;’ (b) the price it paid: and (c) the Covenant on the original deed. The Council agreed to look into these matters.
See Nottingham’s Family First for a another example of a threatened community asset.