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"BURY BRIEFINGS" It has been agreed that Dennis Laverick will be kept up to date
with events on a Monthly basis by Mike Glover and the resulting info
will be edited, and then published on this page. |
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The RHQ |
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Fusilier Museum
project goes from strength to strength
12th May 2008 With another busy and successful year behind the project, there is only one more to go now until the museum doors open to the public in time for the Gallipoli celebrations in April 2009. The construction work is well underway and the building is beginning to look like a museum and a regimental headquarters rather than a building site. The new glazing in the weaving shed - the larger of the two main exhibition galleries - is particularly impressive and has been meticulously repaired. All glazing in display galleries will be covered for improved security and to exclude natural daylight which is damaging to exhibits, but the fabric of the building, even where it is barely noticeable, has been restored as part of the project. Meanwhile the foundations have been laid for
the modern entrance extension which will have large glazed panels
overlooking the relocated Lutyens Memorial in Sparrow Park. These
will be punctuated with stack-bonded red brick walls, which will also
be used to face the external wall of the weaving shed. When the building
was originally constructed, there was a plan to extend it across the
land which became Sparrow Park. This never happened and the wall remained
rather crudely finished for over 100 years.
The front elevation of the building where stone work is being repaired The museum collection is also the subject of
some tender loving care and many items have been carefully removed
to the Conservation Studios in Preston, which are operated by Lancashire
County Council. An assortment of different objects ranging from historic
colours to oil paintings, textiles, weapons and sculptures will be
carefully conserved there and prepared for redisplay.
Objects are being transported to Preston for conservation work There are plans to recruit a Commercial Manager later this year who will be responsible to the charitable company for running the commercial aspects of the museum and for managing the museum staff. The new recruit will be carefully chosen and in the months before the opening will take on the tasks of planning and publicising the activities programme, stocking the shop, developing the catering offer and marketing the corporate entertainment facilities. The budget is now fixed at £3.75million, having increased after the construction tenders, received last summer were considerably higher than expected. The fundraising is proceeding well and is just about keeping pace with spending although there are still some hefty hurdles to be jumped before the project can be absolutely confident of success. Issues related to cash flow need to be addressed as the monthly bills are significant and some of the assured funding is retrospective and must be found and spent before it can be reclaimed. It is amazing to reflect on how much has been
achieved. But there is still a long way to go and a great many more
risks need to be managed and decisions taken before the ambitious
vision becomes a reality. Steering Group members will continue to
work to capacity until the project is complete. There are exhibition
and interior designs to be developed discussed and approved, accounts
to be managed, funds to be raised, minutes and innumerably applications
and letters to be written and many more partnerships to be forged
and nurtured - but it continues to be a joyful journey and now a journey
with a clear goal in sight. |
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MINUTES OF A MEETING OF THE
FRIENDS COMMITTEE HELD AT WELLINGTON BARRACKS ON WEDNESDAY 30th JANUARY
2008
Present: Apologies: Serial Item Action " March. Magic Lantern Night
III.
All John Hughes Secretary
10.08 Date of Next Meeting.
Wednesday 26th March at 1800hrs in Wellington Barracks. |
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Jan 2008 LANCASHIRE'S FUSILIERS My last letter was well received. I have therefore updated it for 2008. Filling in the form does not commit you to any event but it will ensure that we are able to keep in contact with you and provide you with the information that you require. The Regiment will celebrate its 40th Anniversary in 2008. If it is to survive for another 40 years it will need all our support as the survival of our Lancashire Fusilier heritage is directly linked to the survival of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. On the 11th December 2007 Her Majesty The Queen presented Drummer Andy Barlow with the George Medal. The award recognised his bravery while attempting to save the life of a badly wounded comrade in Afghanistan. During the incident he lost his own leg to a mine. The Regiment can now boast of two recipients of the George Medal and we can boast that they both come from Lancashire. I am in no doubt that the Lancashire Fusiliers of old would be impressed and not a little envious of the performance and achievements of Lancashire's Fusiliers today Mike Glover January 2008 |
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Nov 07
Association REGIMENTAL EVENTS IN THE NEW MUSEUM 1. Remembrance Sunday. The parade and dedication of standard on Remembrance Sunday at Wellington Barracks proved to be a great success and my congratulations to the organisers. However it did pose the question as to how future events are to be run at the new location. I have no doubt that a similar parade will take place in Bury to rededicate the memorial once it is re-erected in Sparrow Park and appropriate facilities need to be in place. 2. Association Club. Putting the Museum Project on one side. The Lease on the Club was renewed in September. The rent charged by the MoD went up by 235%. It is clear to all that the Club cannot generate this sort of income and in effect the Club is now faced with closure. However I have negotiated with MoD to keep the Club open, at the old rent, until the RHQ moves to the new location in 2009. 3. Other Options. Options for keeping the Club open at another location have been considered. The best was to create a new club on the top floor of the new museum building. However this was rejected by the membership because of non-compliance with DDA and the nature of the centre of Bury in the evening, especially at weekends. 4. Regimental Events. I want to make it clear that the sad loss of the Club will not stop regimental events taking place in Bury. The new HQ and Museum building will include the following facilities that will be available to members of the Association for specific events: " Catering Facilities. The new organisation
will include a permanent caterer. 5. Future. It would be wrong to suggest that any new facilities in the centre of Bury would replace the Association Club and the spirit and camaraderie that we all enjoy. However it would also be wrong to suggest that the new location will offer anything less than the best service for members of the Regiment. It is a facility that is already the envy of the other Regimental Areas M J GLOVER |
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Meeting 24th April 2007 1, Mike has the name for the new museum
been finally chosen
2. On Sunday the question was asked would
the Club still be here in November 2007 for the Remembrance Parade
as we are told the lease runs out in September this year. From Mike Glover Can I thank the web site for buying a replacement
MM for L/Cpl Samuel Kendall MM which was stolen sometime ago from
the museum the new MM is now on display in the museum in a new case
A few days ago someone called Jason Sinclair (from Kent) telephoned RHQ and spoke to Linsay the RHQ secretary he did not leave a telephone number, he was asking questions about Gallipoli and the new museum name, Linsay tried to answer his questions and in the end he put the phone down on Linsay, leaving her very up set. If Jason would like to ring again and speak to Mike he will be more able to answer his questions, we have no record of anyone called Jason Sinclair being a member of the association so can not get back in touch with him. |
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Fusiliers'
Museum Press Release
Lottery Success The Fusiliers' Museum has been awarded a stage 2 pass by the Heritage Lottery Fund for its application for £2million towards the costs of developing a new museum in Bury town centre. The project which has a total cost of £3.4million can now move onto full implementation, ready to open at the end of 2008. The success of this bid, which has been awarded the maximum sum available on a regional basis, is a great boost for both the Fusiliers and for the town of Bury. The remaining costs of £1.4million are being raised through a Fundraising Appeal which has been supported by Bury Council, the Regiment, charitable trusts, businesses and many private individuals. Colonel Brian Gorski, the project leader said "This news is fantastic! We have worked very hard over a long period to secure the HLF funding. The success we have achieved is a tribute to all the people who have contributed so much as well as to the quality of the project. We have undertaken a very thorough planning process and it is exciting to be moving onto the next stage" The museum, which has an excellent regimental collection dating back to the 17th century and including artefacts belonging to General Wolfe and The Emperor Napoleon, is moving to a former technical school in the cultural quarter of Bury. The Arts and Crafts Centre will be completely refurbished and made fully accessible and the displays will be modern, friendly and interactive. The project is seen by both the Regiment and the charitable company that will run the museum, as being as much about providing a cultural and community facility as it is about preserving the history of the four regiments involved. The museum will collect and
display historical artefacts, stories and Fusiliers - who were created in 1968 when the Lancashire, Warwickshire, Northumberland and Royal Fusiliers were amalgamated. It will be a lively centre for regular events and for workshops, lectures, demonstrations and family activities. Whilst the museum is essentially independent Bury Council are providing both capital and revenue support and have leased the building to the fusiliers over 125 years for a peppercorn rent. The museum will continue to receive financial support from both the MoD and the Regiment and will make up the remaining gap in its income through commercial activities which will include café, retail and room lettings. The Council Chamber, which will be sited in the former Boardroom of the Arts and Crafts Centre, will be dressed with regimental insignia and silver and is expected to be a popular venue for local business meetings, lunches and dinners Bury Chief Executive Mark Sanders said "Bury has supported this project enthusiastically from the beginning, building on the longstanding bond between the town and the regiment. The redevelopment of the museum in one of Bury's best loved buildings in the heart of the cultural quarter fits with our vision for making Bury a better place for everyone" The new Fusiliers' Museum will
sit alongside the recently refurbished Bury Arts Gallery and Museum,
which was also funded by HLF, and a project currently underway to refurbish
the Bury Transport Museum which HLF are also supporting. It is planned
that the three will work together in partnership on integrated events,
activities and marketing. All three are located close to the popular
East Lancashire Railway in the heart of Bury and will make a significant
impact on the heritage appeal of the town. |
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Bury Times
22nd March 2007  Click to see readable copy |
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Regimental Colonel in Chief |
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MUSEUM
PROJECT AND CASH CRISIS
I had this from Mike Glover at 1312 hrs today.(13th October 2006) "Many of you will now be aware, as
a result of the article in the Bury Times that a recent bid for £350,000
from the Landfill Communities Fund has failed. For your information
the article was written by the Project Team and run by the newspaper
on our behalf. The failure of this particular application is a great
disappointment to the Museum Project Team but it is not a, "show
stopper". Please rest assured that there is a great deal of activity
going on as I write in order to ensure that the Project will remain
on track. It is also worth remembering that the Project Team has already
secured 80% of the required funding. This is not a time to waver.
We need to demonstrate that Lancashire's Fusiliers are still behind
their Project and I would urge you to express your support on this
website, it would mean a great deal to the Team and certainly improve
their morale. This rejection has not made life easy, but the Project
Team is willing to go that extra mile if you are, |
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22nd September 2006 Following a great deal of correspondance
addressed to the editor of the XXth The Lancashire Fusiliers web site,Joe
decided to break it down into 3 main points to be put to Mike Glover
at Bury HQ. Please remember Dennis has a monthly meeting
with Mike and Eric to ask any of your questions or answer any of your
problems you may have just e mail them to |
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FOCUS
GROUP MEETING SUNDAY 6th AUGUST AT WELLINGTON BARRACKS.
1. Joe Eastwood welcomed everyone and they were invited to introduce themselves, giving a brief summary of their military background. 2.Mike Glover welcomed everyone and outlined the reason for the meeting and emphasised that he would attempt to answer questions upon any topic within his remit. The following is a précis of the discussions
which followed. CONCERN OVER NAMING OF NEW MUSEUM. Mike Glover gave the meeting the official stance concerning the title of the new museum and informed the meeting that everyone connected with the project, including RRF HQ in London, were fully of the opinion that the correct Regimental title of The XXth The Lancashire Fusiliers should be incorporated within any new name for the museum, but that it may have to be in an abbreviated form. Documentation was produced which appeared
to show plans that the new museum would be named "The Fusiliers'
Museum Lancashire" COMMUNICATIONS. Mike pointed out that concerned members had
been writing directly to various prominent agencies involved in the
Project to air their concerns.
Discussion then took place concerning
the updating and accuracy of the RRF Association members list.
The observation that the name and traditions of the Regiment were being constantly eroded,little by little was made by a number of those present. The current RRF Journal was used as one example of why people felt this to be true. Regimental Days are described as "Traditional
Days" with the option of not commemorating them if the Commanding
Officer does not wish to. The account of the Lancashire Landings at
Gallipoli is written beneath the account of the Royal Fusiliers at Gallipoli,almost
as an afterthought. It was suggested that those concerned about
the Journal should write to RRF HQ. FOLLOW UP. The general feeling following the meeting was that similar meetings should take place in the future and that it had been well worth the time spent attending. Joe Eastwood. |
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Meeting Held at
RHQ 1st June 2006
with Col Mike Glover
Mike and I discussed Bury Briefings meeting should for the time being be on a monthly basis and if he had important things to talk about he would e mail me or Joe and even put them on the message page on site. |
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Reply by Mike Glover to questions
asked by Joe Eastwood on the 19th May 2006. |
Regimental Museum
Exciting Developments at The Regimental Museum Bury!
Lt. Colonel Mike Glover, our museum curator, has sent the following documents to the web site, to illuminate the way he sees things going forward:
1. News about the Museum Project
2. Fusilier Journal Notes as at September 2005
3. Friends of The Fusiliers Steering Group. Aug 2005
HELP
WANTED
gentleman the appeals office is now open for the new museum it is situated in
Broad Street in the centre of Bury, it is open 1000-1600.We need volunters to
help out Mon -Fri,we have some ladies helping if in BURY come and see us and
have a coffee
 Taken from the Bury Times 29th Sept 2005 |
Bury Times Souvenir Edition 1988, 300 years of the Lancashire Fusiliers
