Warrington named the worst place in Britain for culture

[Dizzy]

It sounds quite interesting and detailed. I wonder how many spaces are actually available, it doesn't say, but maybe if they get a lot of interest

they could look to holding changing the venue to accommodate more people.

 

The museum doesn't seem a very good place to hold it to me as it;s open to the public on Saturday's too or do they have some sort of conference/meeting room in there ?

[P J]

Should be having it in the Bay Horse

[Hill Cliffe walker]

Just because something doesn't appeal to the masses doesn't mean it shouldn't be preserved for future generations to experience.

Although I am not a fan of organ music I can fully understand the value of this organ and would hope it can be retained in Warrington.

Reading back through the thread - if email has been the only line of communication it doesn't mean things are being ignored.

 

 

 

My line of contact was with the Parr Hall Events Manager, who I had asked to let me know when the next recital would be.

Up until then, I sometimes received a reply, but not to this enquiry.

 

I was told of the planned recital by someone outside the Culture Warrington team.

 

In April, we arranged to meet at the airport, a couple of professional organists from an Amsterdam Church, who wanted to make a commercial recording of the C-C Organ. We returned them to the airport later that day.

 

They were pleased with the instrument, in spite of its shortcomings, and were prepared to contribute to putting right some of its faults.

The Borough Council were not prepared to spend anything at all.

This couple had been prepared to put a lot of money into this project, so decided against coming to Warrington because of the lack of response to their e-mails.

They have since decided to make the recording on the C-C Organ in the the Philharmonie, Haarlem.  http://www.organfestival.nl/en/page/22/the-cavaille-coll-organ

[theinsider]

Flogging a dead horse with council - they are broke unless they can get funding from elsewhere - they are at full stretch just to answer the phones these days!

Even if there is fiunding they haven't got enough people left to bid for it!!!

[Hill Cliffe walker]

 

Thanks Dizzy, I have just circulated the information you have given us.

http://www.warringtonmuseum.co.uk/whats-on/event/warringtons-heritage-matters/

[Hill Cliffe walker]

Flogging a dead horse with council - they are broke unless they can get funding from elsewhere - they are at full stretch just to answer the phones these days!

Even if there is fiunding they haven't got enough people left to bid for it!!!

Thanks to theinsider - The Borough Council has been able to get HLF money for the Warrington Museum's Cabinet of Curiosities, and for Walton Hall, so I see no reason why they cannot continue to apply for funding for other important projects.

[Bazj]

The cabinet of curiosities project was started years ago, long before the latest cuts in funding

[Hill Cliffe walker]

The cabinet of curiosities project was started years ago, long before the latest cuts in funding

I should have said The Bird Room.

https://www.hlf.org.uk/about-us/media-centre/press-releases/warrington-museum-open-cabinet-curiosities-thanks-award

 

£672,500 Heritage Lottery Fund award 17th November, 2011.

 

Warrington Guardian 24th January, 2014 http://www.warringtonguardian.co.uk/news/10962680.Warrington_Museum_s__Cabinet_of_Curiosities__opens_to_public_after___672k_refurb/

[P J]

and what has that to do with the organ?

[Hill Cliffe walker]

and what has that to do with the organ?

Nothing at all to do with the organ - but everything to do with the ability of Warrington Borough Council to apply for Heritage Lottery Funding - and be successful, when it comes to the Heritage and Culture of this town

 

Next question  ?

[P J]

Well I imagine that they are prioritising what they apply for and the organ wasn't top.

[Hill Cliffe walker]

There are no more tickets available for the meeting at the Museum on 21st November, 2015.

 

I understand from Janice Hayes that other groups including the Warrington Arts Coucil and the Warrington Civic Society etc will be speaking about the C-C Organ.

 

I questioned if the venue could be changed, in view of the fact that many more will want to attend - but she said it won't be changed.

 

If anyone from the Warrington Male Voice Choir are still wanting to go,  I suggest that they ask if the venue can be changed.

 

I would have thought that the Parr Hall would have been a better place for the meeting.

[Dizzy]

So that's that then and people are being excluded just because of the chosen venue size ?  I wonder how many tickets have been allocated adn how many other people have asked to go but have been told NO SORRY.

At least you managed to get through and speak to someone though HCW. 

I have tried all 3 numbers listed on the news article today (442394, 442015 and 442390) to try and get 2 tickets and each number rang and then gave a recorded message saying

"Good afternoon, enter your ID followed by the hash key" .... obviously I don't have and ID number so I didn't press anything presuming someone would just pick up but no and it just repeated the message

"Good afternoon, enter your ID followed by the hash key"........ " user log on failed, GOODBYE"  and the lines went dead.

Pretty pathetic all round in my opinion especially as it is advertised on their own website giving the impression that the are encouraging people to attend and become involved with heritage matters. 

 

[P J]

I too have been told I missed out on a ticket.  

 

Seems a 5 hour meeting about Heritage is far better subscribed and popular than an organ recital

[Hill Cliffe walker]

Pretty pathetic all round in my opinion especially as it is advertised on their own website giving the impression that the are encouraging people to attend and become involved with heritage matters. 

 

 

It's worse that pretty pathetic Dizzy.

In fact, it's an indirect and veiled method of vetting people who want to go.

 

As soon as you gave me the info about the Agenda, I passed it on to the Warrington Male Voice Choir's Life Vice-President, Barrie Johnson.

He circulated it to his Committee.

I have had to tell them that there are no more tickets available.

 

I agree with you that the Parr Hall is a much better for this meeting, and the venue should be changed.

 

It is just another example of how the townsfolk of Warrington who want to be heard are being let down by those in charge.

 

At least, I have made contact with the office of the Heritage Lottery Fund North West, and received a reply from its Office Manager, Owen Roberts.

I am yet to receive a reply from the report's author, Jonathan Schifferes, Associate Director - Public Services and Communities at The Royal Society of Arts.

[Bazj]

Well it looks like I'll be on my own at the meeting then

[P J]

Well Baz, that means if Sha is right you are a Council apologist and a plant lol

[Hill Cliffe walker]

Well I imagine that they are prioritising what they apply for and the organ wasn't top.

In 1969 the Warrington Corporation 'prioritised' the C-C Organ when it attempted to sell it to a local scrap merchant for a paltry £105.

 

Almost 40 years on, the organ was 'prioritised' yet again when the WBC put a value of £1m on it.

 

I picked up the following information a few years ago from the internet -

 

<Stockton Heath Parish Councillor – Celia Jordan’s comment re: the sale of the C-C Organ in the Parr Hall.>

 

It would appear that the only interest Celia Jordan had in the Parr Hall organ, was that it was to be sold for £1m.

From the minutes of a Stockton Heath Parish Council meeting seven years ago -

'A meeting of the Parish Council was held in The Sandy Lane Centre, Sandy Lane, Stockton Heath on Tuesday, 11 November 2008 commencing at 7.30pm.

73.2   The following matters to be noted: -

Cllr Jordan reported:

iv. Planned £1.2 million refurbishment of the Parr Hall including downstairs bar, sound and lighting, replacement seating and provision for an upstairs bar and indicated this was to be possibly funded by the sale of the Cavaille-Coll organ for £1m to Sheffield Cathedral.

 

Various comments were made on this sale some against due to heritage and quality of the organ and some for as minimal usage during the year, damage through the present storage environment and other stage users and the large amount of space on the stage it requires.'

end of quote from the minutes.

 

I had thought that Celia Jordan was mis-infomed that the organ was being sold – because we were lead to believe that it was never going to be sold, but given away to anyone who could afford the cost of removing it and installing it in another place.

 

It was conceded to me in May 2014 by a representative of Culture Warrington that the organ is NOT in the way of other events in the Parr Hall.

We now know for sure that Sheffield Cathedral no longer want the organ - so we are still blessed with it - some may say stuck with it.

 

I have also recently been told by an organ builder that the WBC approached him to buy the organ - but he had no one who was interested in buying it from him, after he would have renovated it - and storing it would have been too costly.

 

I conclude that the C-C Organ is of more financial worth to the Borough Council than it is of Heritage worth.

[algy]

What has the bird room renovation to do with the Organ?

PJ, I presume that HCW is just being polite and pointing out that there is a new exhibition there and I for one thank him for that as I knew nothing about it and shall now go and have a look.

[Hill Cliffe walker]

I am pleased to say I have had a reply from Jonathan Schifferes (who will be a speaker at the Heritage Matters meeting at the Museum on 21st November) in which he said 'I hope to meet you on the 21^st if you will be in attendance'.

 

This is a copy of my reply -

 

<Thank you for your reply, Jonathan,

 

Unfortunately, when I applied for a ticket for this meeting, I was told that I wouldn't be getting one, because they have all been allocated.

 

We had expected that the chosen venue of the Museum would not be adequate for the number of people who would want to go to the meeting, and it has proved to be the case.

 

The Parr Hall, which is close by, is a far better building in which to have the meeting, but when I asked if the venue could be changed, I was told it could not. The Cavaillé-Coll Organ is in the Parr Hall.

 

To say the least, I am more than disappointed !!

 

I would have represented the Warrington Cavaillé-Coll Organ Supporters Group.>

[Gary]

Well it looks like I'll be on my own at the meeting then

I doubt it - it is fully subscribed now with a waiting list

[Dizzy]

That's all very well and good Gary but there is no mention anywhere which gives any indication of just how many can attend.  For all we know only 20 public places may have been allocated...or it might have been 100 places.

Can you find out please ?

It would be interesting to know how many are on the waiting list too.  Is it just a couple of people or a lot?  

Having a waiting list seems a little pointless anyway if there are quite a lot of people if, as HCW has said, the organisers are refusing to alter the venue.

[Hill Cliffe walker]

That's all very well and good Gary but there is no mention anywhere which gives any indication of just how many can attend.  For all we know only 20 public places may have been allocated...or it might have been 100 places.

 

Can you find out please ?

 

It would be interesting to know how many are on the waiting list too.  Is it just a couple of people or a lot?  

 

Having a waiting list seems a little pointless anyway if there are quite a lot of people if, as HCW has said, the organisers are refusing to alter the venue.

Well then - the Parr Hall is not available for the venue on 21st Novemnber because it will be in use.

https://www.pyramidparrhall.com/whats-on/event/father-christmas-needs-a-wee/

 

The Pyramid has plenty of space for meetings, but it will need to be staffed, which will be costly for WBC/Culture Warrington.

http://www.pyramidparrhall.com/virtualtour/

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.3872314,-2.5988684,3a,75y,142.97h,88.98t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sQ78qJr8_MxkAAAQfDTPs4A!2e0!3e2!7i13312!8i6656

[Dizzy]

Could they not get volunteers to staff it ?

I presume they already have volunteers though as they mention it on their jobs page here  http://www.culturewarrington.org/work-for-us/

 

[Hill Cliffe walker]

Could they not get volunteers to staff it ?

 

I presume they already have volunteers though as they mention it on their jobs page here  http://www.culturewarrington.org/work-for-us/

 

 

It would need to be a full time employee/employees who are au fait with Health and Safety.

 

On another point - whenever there's a possibility of the press or reporters being present, this will have to be cleared by the WBC Press and Communications Officer.  http://www.warrington.gov.uk/info/200359/warrington_newsroom/24/the_councils_press_off