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News & Goings On
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5/2/2006
SAVE MOUNT PLEASANT ARCHIVES
Coseley campaigner John Wilkes has sent us an update on the campaign to retain the Dudley archives facility at Mount Pleasant School.
John is no longer on the committee of the Friends of Mount Pleasant School, but continues his year-long fight against Dudley Council's decision to move the archives. He told Yampy:
"Great news for myself and Ian Austin M.P. arrived on the 24th of December. A letter came from the Department for Culture Media and Sport saying they had accepted my appeal against the original decision to reject the school for listing without even an inspection and they've asked their statutory advisors, English Heritage, to conduct a full site visit."
This followed the latest action by local MP Ian Austin, who wrote to the department asking for a progress report. Austin supports campaigners' plans to use the building as a Heritage Centre.
"The school is the closest thing we have to Coseley Council House" says John. "The arts, heritage, and community uses this historic school can be put to would be at little expense to Dudley Coucil, because of lottery funding available. They do not need to sell Mount Pleasant School."
John is upset that some people are connecting the Council's archives transfer plan with recent constituency boundary changes. "This is a diversion from the real issue" he says "which is that an important and very useable piece of our heritage, unlike the boundary, won't come back if we lose it."
John is calling for support for his own campaign, as well as that of the Friends of Mount Pleasant School committee. He is also seeking to start Coseley Civic Society, which needs at least seven committee members to exist and aims to be a proactive organisation to improve life in Coseley.
Contact John on 01902 491583 (John Wilkes, 41 The Paddock, Coseley, WV14 8XX).
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