Bob Trett answers Jan Preece's concern over use of £799 500 Lottery grant...

The South Wales Argus published the following letter from Jan Preece on Friday 16th of December regarding the use to be made of the grant awarded by the Heritage Lottery Fund:

My dismay at Lottery Grant

BEMUSED confused and somewhat disillusioned. I refer to the massive lottery grant awarded to the Newport Ship, which has caused me to question my actions, deeds and my intentions of the recent past. As a co-instigator of the SOS campaign, along with Charles Ferris, I found a great warmth in the groundswell and impetus created by the community in a bid to save our ship. Hooded youths, bringing packets of biscuits and crisps to the midnight protest lines, thousands of e-mails swamping the switchboards of the city council and Assembly The stuff peaceful protest is all about!

Yet now I read that a massive £799 000 has been awarded to the Newport Ship and for what?

To produce a three-dimensional image of what the ship used to look like, to fund a community memories project to help illuminate the lives of the ships seafarers in the middle ages.

I have never heard so much cowpat in my life!

Interpretation is not a worthwhile exercise for this amount of money.

How sad that the proud saga of the Newport Ship has been taken away from the community.

Jan Preece, Wolseley Street, Newport.

Bob Trett responds with the following letter:

Dear Sir,

As much as I respect Jan Preece and his enormous contribution to community work in Newport he appears to have totally misunderstood the purpose of the lottery grant for the Newport Ship in his letter on 16 December. The grant is for the cleaning and recording of 1700 timbers, vital before the ship can be conserved and reconstructed. Without the computerised three-dimensional images of the ship it is not possible to re-construct the real thing. The community memories are a very small part of the package, but are one way of involving the people of Newport. Could there not be a link with Jan's own work in Pill? The Friends of the Newport Ship also provide a very practical means for local people to be involved with the ship project.

In the past I have criticised Newport City Council for not involving the community. Now that they are working with the Friends, giving the project strong financial support, and taking the best professional advice, is it not time to give them a break? The Lottery grant is a great boost for Newport and its ship.

Bob Trett

 

Newport Ship wins support from Heritage Lottery fund - Newport City Council Press Release

Friends of the Newport Ship