1200 signatures and a development in the campaign

We now have over 1,200 signatures on the petition; thanks everyone for your support. The campaign continues. There has been a development since the last update. A while ago I wrote to Gresley Society Chairman, David McIntosh, to let him know about the petition and to say I hoped it would be helpful in persuading Sir Nigel's grandsons to soften their stance on the mallard. His reply was less than encouraging: "Your petition cannot succeed without The Gresley Society changing its view, expressed by the elected Council, that when it comes to a decision between a duck and the friendship of Sir Nigel's nearest living relatives we feel there is no contest. We are likely to be funding 85% of the statue costs, not the wider public who have no real interest in this debate." Mr McIntosh went on to say that, because of the statue's prominent location, it "needs no gimmick to attract public attention." He has also repeatedly said "we have never regarded small children as a target market for our work." So it seems to be the case that the grandsons are by no means alone in not appreciating the necessity for the mallard on the statue, let alone its charm. Perhaps Mr McIntosh and the other Gresley Society Council members who voted off the mallard never liked it in the first place? If they didn't want the mallard, why approve the design? They agreed the with-mallard design in July 2014, and it was then used to request planning permission and, from November 2014, to front up the fundraising appeal. It is not surprising the statue sub-group resigned in protest when their Council colleagues axed the mallard after so many months of effort. In other news, it is very sad to report that one of the statue sub-group - in fact the driving force behind the project - died last month. Andrew Dow was Vice Chairman of the Gresley Society before his resignation over the mallard issue. He was a distinguished railway author and former head of the National Railway Museum. A personal tribute to Andrew by fellow statue sub-group member Nigel Dant is on the campaign website, and gives some interesting background to the statue project http://www.gresleyduck.org/andrew-dow-1944-2015-a-tribute/ Finally, if you wanted to contact the Gresley Society Council members directly, their addresses are on the Society website, and below. It would be interesting to know if they all hold the Chairman's views on the mallard and on the 'wider public'. chairman@gresley.org (David McIntosh) secretary@gresley.org (Tracey Parkinson) treasurer@gresley.org (Mike Foreman) membership@gresley.org (Chris Nettleton) meetings@gresley.org (Ian MacCabe) Other contact details: The Gresley Society Trust 96 Greenfield Drive Eaglescliffe Stockton on Tees TS16 0HN Phone: 01642 781641 Best wishes Libby Ranzetta www.gresleyduck.org