Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council
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APPENDIX 10 Meeting: Southport Area Committee Date of Meeting: 6th September 2006 Title of Report: Dan Dare Report of: Leisure Director This report contains Yes No CONFIDENTIAL √ Information/ Contact Officer: John Taylor EXEMPT information by virtue of (Telephone No.) 0151 934 2374 paragraph(s)............of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local √ Government Act, 1972 (If information is marked exempt, the Public Interest Test must be applied and favour the exclusion of the information from the press and public). Is the decision on this report √ DELEGATED? Purpose of Report To seek the Committee’s agreement to the proposal for resiting the Dan Dare sculpture and the allocation of the budget as indicated in the report. Recommendation(s) That the Dan Dare sculpture is resited in Botanic Gardens Museum as described within the report. That the residual budget allocated to this process be disbursed as outlined in the report. Corporate Objective Monitoring Corporate Positive Neutral Negative Objective Impact Impact Impact 1. Creating a Learning Community √ 2. Creating Safe Communities √ 3. Jobs and Prosperity √ 4. Improving Health and Well-Being √ 5. Environmental Sustainability √ 6. Creating Inclusive Communities √ 7. Improving the Quality of Council Services and √ Strengthening local Democracy 8. Children and Young People √ Financial Implications 1 Reports-rep-temp2 APPENDIX 10 2006/ 2007/ 2008/ 2009/ 2007 2008 2009 2010 CAPITAL EXPENDITURE £ £ £ £ Gross Increase in Capital Expenditure Funded by: Sefton Capital Resources Specific Capital Resources REVENUE IMPLICATIONS Gross Increase in Revenue Expenditure Funded by: Sefton funded Resources 5k nil nil nil Funded from External Resources Does the External Funding have an expiry date? Y/N When? How will the service be funded post expiry? Departments consulted in the preparation of this Report None List of background papers relied upon in the preparation of this Report None SEFTON M.B.C. Background 2 Reports-rep-temp2 APPENDIX 10 Southport, or more accurately Churchtown, was the birthplace of The Eagle children’s newspaper in 1950. Frank Hampson, the illustrator who created The Eagle’s most popular character Dan Dare, worked with a team of artists at the Bakehouse Studio on Botanic Road to create the original characters. The Dan Dare commemorative bust was commissioned by the Eagle Society from sculptor John Fowler to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the founding of The Eagle and unveiled on 14th April 2000 in Town Gardens. The Eagle Society donated the bust to Sefton M.B.C’s Museums and Galleries’ permanent collection, which, whilst gratefully received, created a number of issues, including the security, insurance and long-term preservation of the bust. These issues came to the fore when it was attacked with an iron bar and the plinth was daubed with graffiti. On the 6th July 2005, the Southport Area Committee voted the sum of £5k to have the sculpture repaired and resited in a more secure location. Following this, it was removed and is currently being repaired by the Conservation Department at the Museum of Lancashire in Preston. Unfortunately, the plinth had to be demolished in order to retrieve the statue and is irreparable. Therefore the issue of its new location and display now needs to be resolved. Recommendations for the re-siting of the sculpture The Committee will be aware that with regards to an alternative location for the statue, officers were asked to look at Cambridge Walks. A site visit indicated that this was an impractical option for a number of reasons; • There was no location within the Walks curtilage that didn’t impede access either to shops or to emergency escape routes. • The management of the Walks were unable to accept responsibility for its safekeeping Following consultation with the Eagle Society, a number of other options have been considered including the foyer of the Art Gallery, the foyer of the Arts Centre and within the Botanic Gardens Museum. The Society’s preference is for the Museum because; • It is comparatively close to the Bakehouse Studio where Frank Hampson and his team of artists created the original illustrations for The Eagle. • It could be a central element in the Museum’s display of original Dan Dare artefacts and memorabilia. • It would be in a secure environment and covered by the Authority’s insurance. The Bakehouse Studio itself was commemorated with a plaque in 2000, paid for by the Eagle Society, and their view is that locating the bust inside the Museum, with a complementary display, would create a mini Eagle tour in Churchtown of interest to 3 Reports-rep-temp2 APPENDIX 10 enthusiasts. With regard to the complementary display, David Britton, of the Eagle Society, has indicated that he would be willing to loan items from his extensive collection of Eagle memorabilia for such a display. This would complement the character model heads and spaceships, which Frank Hampson’s son placed on long- term loan to the Museum some time ago. The new display Because of both the value and fragility of some of the artefacts, the exhibition will require new display cases, information panels and contextual dioramas. Officers have estimated that the majority of this expenditure can be covered from the residue of the £5k once the cost of the statue’s restoration has been completed. In addition, the Friends of Botanic Gardens Museum have agreed to make a contribution to the cost of the work should it be required. 4 Reports-rep-temp2 .