Oak Hill Park Bandstand
 

Re. the article in Fridays Observer featuring Mr Tony Hindley, chairman of the so-called "Friends" of Oak Hill Park and his views on the band stand:
Accrington Observer - 'Bandstand will be costly and attract yobs'


Mr Hindley is planning to hijack the meeting on the 1st November to steamroller the council into a decision not to rebuild the bandstand.
We risk losing one of our finest local outdoor venues, because of this one man’s personal mission.
Anyone who disagrees with Mr Hindley, please make time to attend this meeting and make their views known, or sign our online petition at http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/bandstand/

The Real Friends of OakHillPark

Re: Oak Hill Park Bandstand
 

Hiring a bandstand each year for the community festival costs the group £2,500. If the bandstand was rebuilt it would mean that we would have more to spend on the programme.

Re: Oak Hill Park Bandstand
 

I have signed it x

Re: Oak Hill Park Bandstand
 

Signed and sent

Re: Oak Hill Park Bandstand
 

yup me too signed & sent.

Re: Oak Hill Park Bandstand
 

erm...why is the donation fee in dollars???

Re: Oak Hill Park Bandstand
 

What reasons do you have for rebuilding it?
What reason does Mr Hindley have for not rebuilding the band stand?

If you want us to help you out you should at least give us all the information.

Am I correct in thinking the original band stand was burnt down by vandals?

I just read the Observer article. His objection appears to be down to attracting vandals. I think that all depends on the design of the band stand. I personally think they should rebuild but I am making my decision based on the very little information provided. Do you have the minutes of any meetings where the band stand was discussed? You could post them to help us understand the pro's and con's.

Re: Oak Hill Park Bandstand
 

Hello,

Thank you all for your interest in our campaign. It is great to see people signing the petition.
I would like to answer your questions


The petition is hosted for free by a website called iPetitions. The optional donation would go to them, not us. We do not ask for donations and don’t encourage people to donate to them in this way. It’s a shame they feel the need to do this along with advertisements. To set up our own petition without the advertisements etc would have become costly.

The donation is optional, it doesn’t cost anything to sign the petition!!


The reason there isn’t much information is because until last week there was no need for this campaign as there was no opposition to the bandstand being rebuilt. The council were waiting (5 years!) for an insurance claim to be settled. When the claim was settled work on the Bandstand would commence. This had the full backing of Mr.Hindleys group ‘The friends of OakhillPark’.

Bandstand set to rise from the ashes


What has happened to change their opinion we don’t yet know.

I have my own personal opinions of why the Bandstand should be rebuilt and will air them in the petition.
We want this campaign to represent the people of Accrington and all their views, not the views of one or a handful of people.
As you can see in the petition, people are stating many reasons for the bandstand to be rebuilt and also adding other great ideas. When we hand the petition to the council it will represent everyone who signed it and their opinions and not just ours.

We have limited time to get as many signatures as possible. If you support the campaign, please sign the petition and let others know about it.

Thank you for your time.

Sign the petition here.

Re: Oak Hill Park Bandstand
 

Signed.

I'm firmly in favour of the sort of zero tolerance programme Mayor Giulani did in New York, in the 80's/90's.

If it's vandalised, keeping fixing it, until civic pride means eventually it stays unvandalised.

Re: Oak Hill Park Bandstand
 

Re: Oak Hill Park Bandstand
 

Signed........:D

Re: Oak Hill Park Bandstand
 

Be realistic folks - would you thraipse all the way (uphill) to that park to listen to a brass band on a Sunday? Once a year use doesnt justify a rebuild there.
If they rebuilt it on Broadway and livened up the town centre with concerts I might well come out of hibernation and go.

Re: Oak Hill Park Bandstand
 

I signed with these comments:

Quote:

Oak Hill Park on a summer’s Sunday afternoon was the place to be for families back in the 40’s after the war. You could buy pop or an ice cream (if you had any spare money) and listen to the band playing everything from classic to pops of the day. Or you made a picnic out of the occasion. I don’t suppose that those days will ever come back but nonetheless the bandstand is part of Accrington’s heritage and it should be preserved. It would be a great pity if the bandstand were demolished although in these days with very loud personal radios I can see a lot of agro ahead from yobbos. I think that this Mr Hindley has a secret agenda, which involves the insurance money, which is why he is against the proposal.

Re: Oak Hill Park Bandstand
 

The key word there is 'preserved' -- too late -- its gone!

Re: Oak Hill Park Bandstand
 

This thread has reminded me of an enjoyable, memorable evening in the northern Italian town of Treviso, where the local council laid on a free concert.
The American Airforce band played for 3 hours. A stage and seating had been laid out and the square was packed with folk. Local bars, shops and restaurants did a roaring trade.
Also - anyone who has been to St Marks Square Venice, knows how the bands there on Saturday night draw the crowds - shops stay open - bars and restaurants are packed.

We are supposedly due to have a warmer climate within a decade - let us adopt the Mediterranean way and begin into enjoy our town centre again

Re: Oak Hill Park Bandstand
 

Whoops looks like I signed it twice.

Re: Oak Hill Park Bandstand
 

I have just signed this. I can't really understand why they would not want to rebuild it. Especially if like the Observer said they will lose the money if they don't.

It would be nice to hear both sides of the story.

There is a Friends of Rhyddings Park meeting tomorrow, 7pm at Hippings Community Centre on Harvey St, maybe Mr Tony Hindley would like to come along and give a talk on "Why we should give in to vandals". I am sure I could fit him into our busy agenda.

Re: Oak Hill Park Bandstand
 

Meeting about this on November 1st.

Re: Oak Hill Park Bandstand
 

I would have gone but I am on one of those waste of time team building events at work.

Re: Oak Hill Park Bandstand
 

I can't say I will go it depends how the land lies here, can't plan a day ahead at present.

Re: Oak Hill Park Bandstand
 

It would be used more than once a year. I'm not sure where you've got that idea from. Hyndburn Mela and Community Festival use it once a year but there used to be lots of other activities and events going on.

And yes, people do traipse up to the events. I can only speak for the one that I'm involved in but we get in excess of 5,000 coming each year. Our event is a multicultural event with people from all communities - including this year, our first Polish group performing.

This is what parks are for - we can not give in to vandals - we have to reclaim them and encourage them to be used as often as possible.

Please sign the petition.

Re: Oak Hill Park Bandstand
 

Got to agree with this, dont rebuild and the vandels have won.

I mean give it 10 years and there will be no swings, slides ect as they wont be worth putting up incase they are vandalised.

Happen IF there was more to do for the youngsters and Alchopops wherent so readly available this kind of behaviour would be a rarer site.

Re: Oak Hill Park Bandstand
 

Re: Oak Hill Park Bandstand
 

I will sign it, not because I want to hear both sides of the story, or of what money it will save Mela festivals, etc., just that I think they are extremely beautiful and a great artistic feature to any park. Lots of other towns still run them successfully with bands playing there on a Summer's afternoon, and hope that in the re-building, this will be considered. I am optimistic that with the correct marketing this could be achieved.

As to the vandals, well, feel as most people on here .. keep repairing. I think a good example has been the flower towers this year; after the initial incident of a little bit of destruction, lots of respect has been shown, and never heard of any 'planter attack' after this.

Re: Oak Hill Park Bandstand
 

Spent many happy skint day's learning the quality of good music at the band stand, the bands played regularly at weekends , yes a great asset should be kept. They are far to hard to regain, were the council not insured i?,if yes, were will the money go if not on replacement of bandstand?

Re: Oak Hill Park Bandstand
 

Rebuild the bandstand !
(See pic.)

Re: Oak Hill Park Bandstand
 

What year was that stanaccy it's how I remember it?

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Re: Oak Hill Park Bandstand
 

Just signed the petition

Re: Oak Hill Park Bandstand
 

Thankyou all for your support, the online petition is nearly upto 100. We have a couple of paper petitions about, with those included we are well over the 200 mark.
Although this is an on-going petition, it will be presented to the council this Thursday night. If you have not yet signed it, and support our campaign then please put your name down before Thursday.

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/bandstand/

Thanks.

Re: Oak Hill Park Bandstand
 

Re: Oak Hill Park Bandstand
 

That picture can't be of the Mela, I can't see anyone drinking cans of Special Brew or smoking funny fags :rolleyes::D

Re: Oak Hill Park Bandstand
 

The council meeting is tonight with regards to the re-building of the bandstand, we need people!! If you can spare an hour or so of your time please attend the meeting in the Council Chamber at the Town Hall tonight 7pm and show your support.

Thanks

Re: Oak Hill Park Bandstand - Update
 

To all who have supported this campaign, I have good news. A public vote at the area council meeting 01/11/2007 was massively in favour of reinstating the bandstand. This means the motion is carried, and the area council will make a recommendation to the cabinet that the bandstand be rebuilt.

A number of positive points were put forward by a number of people, including:

• The use of the bandstand by groups of musicians from the thriving local music scene. Also, the potential use of the bandstand by the (newly relocated) students of Performing Arts at Accrington and Rossendale College. And, not least the annual festivals which attract large numbers from across all the local communities.

• The bandstand will be constructed with “security by design” and use of flame resistant materials. It was noted that the plans are already drawn up and should be made available for public viewing.

• Some arguments regarding the purchase and use of a portable stage were dismissed due to various reasons primarily the fact that the insurance money would not be payable for a portable stage, and the practicalities of storing, transporting and erecting a non-permanent structure.

• Several people stressed the importance of not giving in to the vandals, and that the minority element are just that – a minority. A number of people spoke highly of the younger people in the area and how the majority show a high level of respect for the park and what it stands for.

• There was a clear public affinity with the bandstand and the park, and several people made the point that it should “just be there”, the park has always had the bandstand, and the fact that it has even come to debate seems unbelievable.

It was suggested by a spokesperson of the “Friends of Oak Hill Park” that the points that we made in relation to Mr. Hindley were not really fair. So, just to clarify our position on this – we DO support the good work done by the Friends in maintaining the park and it’s facilities, but we could not accept their stance on the bandstand issue. The bandstand is a public facility, and it’s fate could not be the subject of a minority group decision.
As it turned out, after hearing the public’s sentiments, a seemingly amicable ending was reached, with one of the Friends actually voting in favour of the reinstatement of the bandstand.

Our campaign will continue until the bandstand is finally reinstated, the number of signatures is now over 200. Thanks again.

Re: Oak Hill Park Bandstand - Update
 

Was it not a minority group at the Area Council Meeting that decided, on behalf of the local residents, to rebuild the bandstand?

Most meetings are after all, attended by a minority of the local residents.

Are you a member of the Friends of Oakhill Park?
If so many of you are so interested in the park why are you all not members of the Friends? That way you can have your say and vote on such matters without having to go over the groups head.

In fact if so many of you don't like the way the friends are acting on your behalf then thats simple as well, at the next Annual General Meeting of the group put yourself and friends forward as committee members and make sure you have enough followers to vote for you. Then you will be in control of the friends group. Problem solved. Or would that require too much of your time and effort?

oops, maybe thats just my cynical side showing through again

Re: Oak Hill Park Bandstand - Update
 

Neil,

It should not have been the decision of any group (minority or not).

The bandstand got damaged, it was insured... claim on the insurance, build a new one... job done !

That is what was going to happen until this group intervened and said that "they" did not want it.

We felt that it was not for "them" to decide - so that is why we started the petition - to make this issue visible to a larger audience - a lot of other people felt that it was not for "them" to stop the rebuilding.

You are not the first to suggest that we should explore the possibility of working with the Friends, that is something we have said that we will look into.

Re: Oak Hill Park Bandstand
 

Out of interest did they ever catch whoever burnt it down. What makes them sure it was your stereotypical youth vandal. It could have been some drunken adults or maybe something more sinister.

It does still look a little odd that this group who want to improve the park did not want to rebuild doesn't it?

Re: Oak Hill Park Bandstand
 

What are you thinking of Neil, out of interest was it burnt down in the run up to the Mela?

Re: Oak Hill Park Bandstand
 

Can I just ask why it has taken so long for the bandstand issue to be resolved? I can dimly recall that the council were insistant, within days of the actual fire, that it would be rebuilt.And what has this got to do with either The Friends of Oakhill Park, the Real Friends of Oakhill Park or any other unelected grouping for that matter. The council have a statutory duty to repair the damage, plain and simple. That, surely, should be the end of the matter.

Re: Oak Hill Park Bandstand
 

Actually, A-B that's an excellent point. Why are they even consulting anyone when they should simply restore it because that's what the insurance money is there for. What will they do with the insurance money otherwise?

Re: Oak Hill Park Bandstand
 

Moons have passed since the heated exchange within Hyndburn's council chambers occured between the Real Friends of Oakhill Park and Mr Tony Hindley the Chair of the Friends of Oakhill Park... The Friends are still meeting regularly and the next meeting, the AGM, is to take place at 7.30pm on Wednesday 30 January 2007 in the Christ Church lounge... all are welcome to attend especially the Real Friends... The friends will need to appoint a new treasurer, secretary and chair... Spread the word...

Re: Oak Hill Park Bandstand