I received an email copy of a press statement at 14:10 on Thursday afternoon. It appeared to be genuine but there was no reference to it on the Museum's web site and no explanatory note or context statement so I thought it may well be a hoax.
On Friday morning I received confirmation of this report from a reliable source.
This was my initial reaction.
"This exciting news has the potential to be as transformational for the Museum as the track extension and job creation in the late 1970s. It could transform a moribund and slowly declining specialist museum into a 'must see' attraction. The reaction of the present lacklustre Board will almost certainly be to say no."
At 22:10 I received a copy of the correct press release and a briefing note with a request that these are published and the old one removed. This I did at 8:00 on Saturday morning.
"I also appreciate that it could be a disaster if after fifty years of hard work the Museum is compromised or destroyed by unscrupulous developers. We must find out more about the developers and their plans and then consider them carefully. Doing nothing and pretending that the outside world doesn't exist is not an option."
Dear oh dear Richard,
ReplyDeleteNow you have fallen into your own trap of negativism regarding the Board. Off course this plan could be exciting news for the museum. But it wouldn't be the first and certainly not the last of such schemes to come to nothing. I still remeber transperience in Bradford, where milions of pounds were waisted.
I think it's prudent for the Board to take an official neutral position and wait for more detailed plans to come up. Crich is vulnerable, it's a gem that should be carefully treated and protected.
By the way: to confront all those critics, my wife and I have decided to change our holliday plans in order to lend the workshop two much needed and welcomed extra pairs of hands during the second week of June. Dutch hands I know, but very welcome in the Workshop. Sometimes I am glad we're Dutch and not British. Brits take as much time moaning about floods as we do building dykes against it.
The Board would be stupid to say no to this sort of proposal. If you think about it, what major negative impacts will the Resort have on the Museum? Then compare that answer with "What positive developments can the Resort bring to the Museum?"
ReplyDeleteDerbyshire is one of the most picturesque counties in the country, and around Crich area especially so. The developers will not be stupid, and want to integrate with, not oppose, the countryside. The tramway is really now a part of that (look at the trams going up the Glory Mine extension), and they will not want to be on less than good terms with their neighbours, especially one as old and part of the community as the Museum.
I agree with Wim, you have fallen into your trap of negativity. Try and think positive: you may fight with some members, but surely the whole is greater than the sum of its parts? Think about the benefits for the Museum, not the Members.
Regards, Rich