1,000 signatures reached
To: Cheshire East Council, McCarthy & Stone, Trustees, British Red Cross, NHS Property Services Ltd, Crown Estates, , Knutsford Town Council
Return Our Knutsford War Memorial
Please return our Knutsford War Memorial Hospital into the hands of the local Knutsford community which paid for it.
Why is this important?
British Red Cross is eager to sell our Knutsford War Memorial to McCarthy & Stone, which has stated it will sign the final document as soon as it has Cheshire East Council permission to DEMOLISH our Knutsford War Memorial.
In the centre of commemorations for those who lost their lives during the Great War, our Community's Knutsford War Memorial, is being put up for sale for DEMOLITION, by the British Red Cross, which documents seem to show, was paid £275,000 to move in during 1995. (Yes that transaction is the wrong way round. We should all hope to buy our homes in such a way)
British Red Cross has, I understand, not paid rent for that property during the subsequent 22 years. Nor has it paid any money to buy it. In any case it was not for sale.
Some time ago (6/7 years?) it removed the (NHS agreed?) elderly day services and the nursery.
The Community of this area has certainly NOT agreed - and not been consulted - about this proposed taking for demolition of its own community property.
Knutsford War Memorial - our community-built-and-paid-for, war memorial - needs to be returned into the hands of the community which raised the funds pay for it.. and subsequently to extend it, for use of the local community.
No Secretary of State for Health - nor any of his subsequent NHS Agents - had the right to take our War Memorial. Its all in the title - 'Health'. There was - on the other hand - a duty, when they ran our hospital, to preserve our War Memorial and to allow ongoing access to our War Memorial.. until it was returned, fully, to the hands of this Community in and around Knutsford. This Community has never been approached nor has it agreed to sell our War Memorial, which is the physical recognition by this Community of our war - and other - losses over the last century of wars.
In the centre of commemorations for those who lost their lives during the Great War, our Community's Knutsford War Memorial, is being put up for sale for DEMOLITION, by the British Red Cross, which documents seem to show, was paid £275,000 to move in during 1995. (Yes that transaction is the wrong way round. We should all hope to buy our homes in such a way)
British Red Cross has, I understand, not paid rent for that property during the subsequent 22 years. Nor has it paid any money to buy it. In any case it was not for sale.
Some time ago (6/7 years?) it removed the (NHS agreed?) elderly day services and the nursery.
The Community of this area has certainly NOT agreed - and not been consulted - about this proposed taking for demolition of its own community property.
Knutsford War Memorial - our community-built-and-paid-for, war memorial - needs to be returned into the hands of the community which raised the funds pay for it.. and subsequently to extend it, for use of the local community.
No Secretary of State for Health - nor any of his subsequent NHS Agents - had the right to take our War Memorial. Its all in the title - 'Health'. There was - on the other hand - a duty, when they ran our hospital, to preserve our War Memorial and to allow ongoing access to our War Memorial.. until it was returned, fully, to the hands of this Community in and around Knutsford. This Community has never been approached nor has it agreed to sell our War Memorial, which is the physical recognition by this Community of our war - and other - losses over the last century of wars.
How it will be delivered
We will deliver the original signatures to Cheshire East Council, with fully collated information going to other named parties; and with press and web releases telling of local outrage that a 'charity' should even consider treating this Community so shabbily.
