100 signatures reached
To: the Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sports and relevant government ministers
OpenAccessToStonehenge-Annual Midsummer Day Picnic
We the Petitioners call on the Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sports and relevant government ministers to consider and grant the following:
That in the Spirit of the Covenants granted by Sir Cecil Chubb on his gift to the nation on 26 October 1918, namely that all people could freely enter the Stonehenge monument on payment of what is equivalent to £2 only and that local inhabitants would be free of charge, we now ask that there be a freely accessible, without charge, Annual Midsummer Day Picnic between the hours of Dawn to Dusk.
This granting to the nation of at least one free of charge day annually would be in partial recompense for the loss of covenanted amenities namely to be able to enter all land managed by English Heritage, and within the circle of the Monument as per the original Covenants. We also call for an independent review of the Managed Open Access at the World Heritage Site of Stonehenge, especially in relation to access at Summer Solstice.
Why is this important?
Stonehenge was built thousands of years ago by the inhabitants of Britain, when exactly it was built or why is a mystery no-one can truly solve. But one fact is clear and that is that it was OUR ancestors that built Stonehenge. On 26th October 1918 Stonehenge and the land was gifted to the Nation.
English Heritage that now manages the monument charges an entry fee of £8 (it was £7.50 before they started the new visitor centre), they where making a profit of £6.4 million a year, when the new visitor centre opens in dec 2013 they intend to charge around £16 per head making them £11.2 million a year. We believe that Stonehenge should be free 24/7, but they won't give us that.
We asked English heritage and the round table if they would listen and act on our request for changes as the attendees of the open access for the last 13 years, after 12 months debating they made absolutely zero changes to they way it is run.
So now we are asking if EH and the government will provide one free day a year from dawn to dusk at Midsummer, where everyone that wants to can come and have a picnic in the monument field( with possibly access to the stones themselves. This is to create a family friendly/social gathering, rather than the overnight mayhem they now provide.
Stonehenge is many things to many people, but it is OURS and everyone should have the choice of being able to come picnic once a year. Even if you would never attend, you can still help those that wish to picnic. If we raise 100,000 signatures the issue of Stonehenge will have to be debated, so please sign our petition to enable people to have a little time to be free to picnic and socialise with others once a year
